Weather looks promising! (I know it is naive to say that on Tuesday night, but I look forward to the weekend!)
We'll leave on Friday (17th) early
evening (5PM) from Hunter car park, Kelburn Campus, walking up to
Field Hut. These details depend a bit on the weather, which day is the
best for walking on the tops. We'll be back on Sunday (19th) evening.
Maungahuka loop route:
Otaki Forks, Field Hut (Fri night), Bridge Peak,
Tararua Peaks, Maungahuka (Hut), Aokaparangi (Sat night alternative), Anderson Memorial Hut (Sat night),
Junction Knob, Waitewaewae Hut, Otaki Forks (or the other way round). See
http://www.nztopomaps.com/16437/Otaki-Forks/Wellington
or Topo50 map BP33.
Grading:
About medium - maybe a bit higher, see
http://vuwtc.org.nz/cs/content/fitness.aspx
Route description:
The Maungahuka Loop is a full two day
tramp, covering creeks, open terrain and narrow ridges. We start at
100m altitude (Otaki Forks), the highest point is Bridge Peak at 1421
m, half of the track is over 1100 m. The track contains a section
around the Tararua Peaks, which is narrow and steep. It requires
safe footing and some confidence with heights, although secured by chains and the 'famous' steel ladder.
Expect a 18h tramp
altogether (Fr 2h to Field Hut, Sat 8h to Aokaparangi Hut, Sun 8h to Otaki Forks). This includes some moderate breaks.
Costs:
shared petrol (180km, about $10
for a full car?!)
food expenses for shared dinner
hut pass or 1 std. DOC hut fee for Fr night and another for
Sat night (if we stay in Anderson Memorial Hut)
... and that's it.
Gear:
The club provides the cooking gear/fuel, you'll
need to bring plate, cup and cutlery, head torch and bedroll...
For the rest: have a look to the club's
gear list: http://vuwtc.org.nz/cs/content/gear.aspx
Interested? Any questions?
Contact me