Seen as I love mountains and trecking so much I decided to go on another one recently right after my trip from Europe. I was still recovering jet lag and a flue but I really need to get out into the wilderness again. My husband chose the walk, our two boys age 15 and 12 came too. The walk was aprox 15 km south of Turingi. Signposted from Kaimanawa Road. This track climbs steadily through beech forest to the treeline. From there it follows a poled route along the Umukarikari Range (summit 1561 m) before dropping down to Waipakihi Hut (12 bunks). Popular with hunters as well as trampers. had attempted it a few other times but hadn’t planned enough time to finish it. The walk started out very hard climbing to to top, once we reached the ridge line it got easier. The views were amazing all the way , being up so high was great. We finally saw the hut, it seemed to be a long 5 hours to get there, walking down a steep ridge the the valley below. We had the hut to ourselves, but can be busy with hunters in the area. Had a very refreshing swim in the stream nearby.
Over all was a hard tramp, probably more so I was was still tired from my travels, but still enjoyed it and got some amazing photos and sketches for future reference material for painting. The walk back seemed quicker , it was very foggy and misty too which made the bush look very mystical. Came across a pretty Robin, didn’t see any deer.