Wrong weather right places
I managed to escape work early on Friday and head for the hills. With some midweek planning and checking the forecast daily, it looked like we might have a window of decent weather, so we headed for the hills!
A slightly more expansive gear list was prepared as we were going to spend some time on the tops. A good dehydrated breakfast was also a high priority after the abysmal one I had experienced the week before.
Clear skies for the walk in.
Me and my friend Eliza arrived at the Holdworth carpark shortly after 2pm and headed off to our accommodation for the night, Powell Hut (the fifth generation since it was first built in 1939). Having started in pants due to the slightly dubious forecast, I quickly decided that shorts were the answer for the rest of the walk in. We played leapfrog with some friendly English trampers who were here as part of a somewhat walk-based tour of the country, having already ticked off a bunch up north before heading south.
The camp shoe staple, the humble croc.
After all the stairs a well earned break.
The first part of the walk is aptly named “Gentle Annie” as it meanders up at a pleasant incline to Mountain Hut shelter at 730m before it steeply ascends up to Powell Hut 1.7km later at 1209m. This section makes the last look flat and definitely is a bit of a leg burner with eroded steps and the odd fallen tree to navigate.
A pretty awesome day job i reckon!
We arrived at Powell with the soundtrack of a helicopter dropping in firewood. Talking to one of the workers, he said that this was the first weather window they’d had in a while to get the job done. After losing and then retrieving my favourite hat from a tree, and a Friday beer or two with a view, it was time to cook, rope some others into a game of cards and head off to bed, ready for an early start the next day.
Powell Hut in the clouds
We awoke to a thick, persistent fog that clung to everything. A coffee and some breakfast got us going, and I’d say the visibility sat at a solid 50m as we headed up the first climb to the summit of Holdworth (1470m). The track then carried along the tops with some pretty decent ridge traverses and solid drops on either side. The fog rolled up from below, and even though it wasn't raining, we found ourselves pretty well soaked. After conquering the tops with only one brief wrong turn, the sharp descent back to the Valley below was next.
Climb to the tops
Spot the track
The alpine landscape vanished behind us, and we headed into the bush below. Everything was green and wet, which paints the picture of almost daily rain in these parts. Some of the coolest scenes I’ve seen in the bush, and it reminded me of the movie Labyrinth. This descent matched the accent of the day before, except that this track consisted mostly of slippery tree roots. The legs were burning by the time we arrived at Whakaturkāu Stream, which we followed back towards the carpark. A recent slip had closed the track ahead, but a friendly day hiker we met at Jumbo Hut said it was easily passable, which meant we were able to complete the circuit!
Greens on greens
Whakaturkāu Stream
We arrived back at the carpark feeling pleased that we were able to tick another hut off the list. With boots off and dry clothes on, a satisfying carpark beer was enjoyed before setting off. Stopping only for the now ritual pie on the way home, we made our way back to the real world.
Till next time.
