Central Whirinaki Hut - Upper Whirinaki Track - Pukahunui Track

I’ve always believed that the most beautiful parts of a forest are never near a road end and I’m yet to be proven wrong. Most of the track barely fit a solo hiker, overgrown and at times did give way beneath me and sent me sliding down to the river. Climbing back up a steep, crumbly, muddy riverbank is never fun (not to mention bloody exhausting), so after a couple of unplanned river dips, I decided my safety was more important than a bed at the hut. On the plus side, the track was marked a lot better than I expected.

I didn’t come across another hiker that day, quite the introvert’s dream really. If Sharon and Katherine did end up finishing the circuit, they would have reached the Pukahunui/Upper Te Hoe junction after me before I didn’t see them again.

After covering about 15km and still nowhere near the Pukahunui/Upper Te Hoe junction, I accepted that I wouldn’t make it to Upper Te Hoe hut that night. I would keep walking as far as my legs could handle while keeping an eye out for a suitable camp spot. I did come across a camping spot from a previous hiker, but I wasn’t quite ready to stop then. Thinking about it, it was actually perfect - it had flat ground, near a stream and even had a place for an open fire.

Kaimai Mamaku Forest: Henderson Tramline Loop

We were greeted by a sun shower as we pulled into the car park to the Henderson Tramline Loop. There was only one car before us, and I caught a glimpse of the trampers as they disappeared around the corner along Old Kaimai Road. In hindsight, it made sense to walk the road section first - it was the most exposed part and rain was expected later in the afternoon. The track is fairly boggy and crosses a couple of large tributaries of the Rataroa Stream (there are no bridges), so bring your gaiters and prepare to get wet feet.

The track starts at the western branch of the Henderson Tramline, with the first section linking up to the North-South Track. I had seen a great photo of another tramper sitting on some boulders in a stream the night before, and I must admit that I got a bit obsessed looking for the spot. I did find it in the end, but I was too wobbly (think a newborn lamb) during the stream crossings so I didn’t get that photo after all. As the weather wasn’t looking too good for later that afternoon, we decided to bypass the waterfall and swimming hole about 15 minutes from the car park. I will save that for the warmer months.

The Local Tourist, North Island, Free, Forest, TaurangaRonna Grace Funtelar25 August 2021thelocaltourist, newzealand, nznatural, femalehiker, nzhikes, mamaku, kaimai, southkaimai, henderson, tramline, hiker, trampingComment