A trip to Waiopehu Hut can be done as a circuit, makes a great overnight tramp, and is forgiving by Tararua standards. Of course, one should expect muddy patches and rocky sections, but most of the track is covered by leaves, rather than being riddled with roots.
The track climbs more than 800m to the hut at 970m. The first kilometre to Tararua Forest Park boundary is through farmland, where the junction to South Ōhau Gorge appears almost immediately. The track branches off steeply uphill, with a 300m climb over 2km to gain the junction with Six Discs Track, which marks the start of Waiopehu Ridge. You’ll pass some fantastic rimu and tōtara along the way. It’s not technical but tiring—the worst bit is the initial ascent from the Ōhau valley.
It took 1.5 hours from the carpark to gain the junction with Six Discs Track (the DOC sign says ‘1 hour’). The signpost also indicates that Waiopehu Hut is 4 hours away, which had me a bit concerned, as I was already behind schedule. However, I needn’t have worried, as I made the hut in 4.5 hours all up. Shortly after the junction, I stopped for lunch at a clearing where the forest thinned. I was tired, needed fuel, and knew that it would be a long and somewhat tedious walk along the Waiopehu Ridge.
At about the seventh kilometre, one crosses a high point at 680m, only to descend through a rocky patch to a saddle, with more climbing beyond. From here, the tramp is more demanding but offset by the rewards of the bush, which become more verdant, with mosses dripping from every living organism, and the ridge more interesting with ominous drops to either side.
The site of the original Waiopehu Hut (1928) is about 1km from the current hut and approached through an exposed helicopter landing site. The original hut was built by Waiopehu Tramping Club, which pioneered tramping in the northern Tararua Ranges. Historical names in association with the club and hut include Ernest Lancaster and George Adkin—names now commemorated in Tararua summits (indeed, Mount Lancaster can be seen from the current Waiopehu Hut). All that remains of the original hut is a concrete hearth, while a sign indicates its location and significance.
The track darts through leatherwood to the new Waiopehu Hut (970m). This new hut sits in a clearing, with signs that usher trampers to the view from the western porch over the Horowhenua and Tasman Sea…. but I preferred the eastern view toward the foreboding Dundas Ridge. The hut sleeps 18, in two partitioned spaces. Although the hut has no fire it is fully insulated—if anything, I had to strip off a bit on a warm autumn night. Lucky that I had the hut to myself! After darkness, the lights of Levin and Palmerston North glittered below.
I set off next morning, hoping to follow the Gable End Ridge Track to the Ōhau Track and out the Ōhau Gorge. Gable End Ridge Track is the new Te Araroa route (it used to be the Waiopehu Track). My first treat was a tiny band of goblin forest that separates the hut from Waiopehu summit (1094m).
On my way to Twin Peak (1097m)—the next high point beyond Waiopehu summit and highest point on my loop—I encountered the only other people that I’d met on my journey so far, coming from Te Matawai Hut. They advised that numerous comments in the Te Matawai hut book noted an active slip in the Ōhau Gorge, frustrating those looking to walk the Gable End Ridge and recommending Waiopehu Track as an alternative. As I was on my own, I decided that ‘the best knowledge is recent track knowledge’—I’m not great on my feet at the best of times and have no interest in slips, particularly at the end of a long tramp. After some deliberation, I made the bittersweet decision to retrace my steps along the Waiopehu Ridge.
The walk out was the same as the walk in—pleasant but somewhat tedious. I stopped at the 680m high point, knowing that from here the forest would become more bushy, with less of the fluorescent green moss that I so love. I took several stops for photos, chocolate, and a good dose self-motivation to get down the hill. Still, on returning to the carpark, I’d felt that I’d had a good night away—one that was tiring but worth the effort.
Need to know
Drive to Poads Road end, which branches off from Gladstone Road east of Levin.
Moderate—it’s just over 10km from Poads Road to Waiopehu Hut. The first kilometre is over farmland, then 2.6km uphill to gain the ridge. The remaining 6.5km is ridge travel. Total vertical gain is 896m. Allow up to 5 hours.
NZ Topo 50: BN33 Levin