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tararua
Take a stroll in New
Zealand’s oldest established forest park.
The Tararua Forest Park provides tramping and hunting
opportunities right at the back door of large urban communities.
Wellingtonians have adopted the Tararuas as their favourite
stamping ground and the country’s first tramping club was
formed here in 1919. The original Forest Service saw a need for
forest, water and soil conservation. Today public recreation has
become a principal focus.
The highest peak in the park, the Mitre, is only 1,571 metres.
However, the high profile and visibility of the main range from
surrounding lowlands belies the physical challenge and risk of
tramping along the high ridges. The range is exposed and an
essential part of the Tararua tramping experience is battling
high winds on the tops.
These open tops are the big attraction for keen trampers and a
track network links most of the major ridges with sheltered huts
in the valleys. The most popular tramp is the ‘Southern
Crossing’, a 2-3 day tramp traversing the high peaks of
Alpha and Hector. It starts from Otaki Forks and rewards
strenuous effort with stunning views of the Kapiti Coast and Cook
Strait from the ‘Dress Circle’.
Another favourite is the Powell-Jumbo Circuit, starting from
Holdsworth Lodge just south of Masterton. The initial climb is to
Powell Hut, spectacularly sited on the bush edge just below Mt
Holdsworth. From there a one hour tramp takes you onto the tops
and a further 6 hours completes the circuit back to the Lodge.
The eastern park entrances from the Wairarapa have many
delightful camping, picnicking and swimming spots in beautiful
native bush. From here you can choose to take gentle tramps up
river valleys to little gems like Totara Flats. Alternatively try
the challenge of a tramping/swimming trip through the gorges.
Look for the beautiful valleys of the Tararuas. They are so
homely and welcoming you may just want to stop and rest awhile
and leave the high tops for the local stalwarts.
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