With the Covid-19 coronavirus putting paid to a long-planned 4x4 trip to the South Island, Taupo pair Paula Burnett and Cameron Raupi reset their sights a little closer to home... and the Central North Island didn’t disappoint.

That’s right; our plans – as a couple of fairly typical North Islanders four-wheelers – for a full-on four-week sojourn down south were well underway. But like those of many other Kiwis they had to change post-Covid-19 and the end of (the first) lockdown.

Instead we pondered which areas of the North Island we still needed to explore... only to make a last-minute call based on the weather!

And so our 11-day/1,700km journey began ‘at home’ in Taupo from where we heading east down the Napier-Taupo Highway to the Mangatutu Hot Springs in the Kaweka Forest Park north-west of Napier.

The winding gravel roads were warmly welcomed after a seven week lockdown, especially with a fresh coating of snow on the range. The drive also gave Cam an opportunity to finally unleash the TD42 engine after a lockdown conversion from the original ZD30. Not to mention an opportunity to use the winch... when we came upon a turned over bus on a narrow corner that was completely blocking the road.

First on the scene

Being the first on the scene we set about comforting the shocked driver then attempting to winch it back on its side. However, after several different techniques we called it quits before we did our own gear any damage. And after three hours had passed there were three suitable vehicles trapped on the other (lower) side of the hill, the owners of which offered to join together and tow the bus downhill 20m to a wider part of the road so they could pass. Success! 

And us? Well, we arrived at camp at 7.30pm to already frosted ground and frozen puddles. Not to be disheartened by the cold, we were quickly into the hot pools for a well-deserved beer.

Rising early the boys cooked a hot breakfast to warm up well and I (Paula) took a stroll down to the hot pools to grab a photo in the daylight. I don’t know who got more of a surprise though, me, or the lady bathing nude!

Needless to say, we made a hasty exit and got back on the road. To complete that area we took the side road down to Roston Station where we were unsure if the paper road continued or not. Being chased by a large pig was the highlight of the drive before parking up on the Mohaka River by a bridge for a snack. 

We then drove up Whittle Road to the Makahu Saddle. The weather conditions were poor and visibility low with snow on some points of the road. We discovered a hut not far from the road end and settled on staying there the night to shelter from the rain. 

Devilled sausages over an open fire warmed us, the bottle of port also helped.

We awoke the next morning to calmer weather and views of the Hawke’s Bay and range tops. We drove to the end of Lotkow Road then back to the hot springs for another quick dip (no naked people this time) before making our way south on real back-country gravel roads. Along the way we discovered a shortcut through Tutaekuri River. The base was hard, with knee deep water running swiftly.

Gentle Annie

We exited via Damsey Road – through private land but on a public road – onto the Gentle Annie before making camp at the Lawrence DoC Campsite. In the morning we stretched our legs with a walk over the swing bridge. 

We went as far as Comet Road, which seemed a breeze this time with the TD42, then headed back towards Hastings to refuel and to research our next campsite. Unfortunately we discovered that our desired spot was by booking only and on a ballot system, so there was absolutely no chance of us getting in. 

Losing light fast, we opted to stay in a holiday park in town to regroup. A hot shower, laundry, a hot meal and pint at the pub hit the spot.

Day 4 we were woken early by trucks, aeroplanes and trains – realising why we avoid towns. And so, after a quick blast on the Flying Fox we headed towards the Ruahines in search of Sunrise Hut. Gravel roads lead you to a farm which allows access to the ranges. Sunrise Hut is a two-and-a-half-to-three-hour climb from 650m to 1280m. It snowed for the majority of our walk with weather predictions for snow as low as 600m. The walk was mostly covered by trees and very well maintained. By the time we reached the open tops the ground was covered and the snow had settled to be at least 300mm (12”) thick by the morning. Once the cloud cleared we saw the town lights twinkle like stars on the horizon. 

Popular spot

There were eight people in the 22 bed hut, and we heard later that over the weekend it was full, with people sleeping on the ground. After giving the hut a decent clean we left around 11.00am.

The descent was much quicker than our 600m climb the previous day and we welcomed Triplex Hut near the edge of the bush. We dumped our load at the hut and carried on with empty packs the final km or so to our vehicles. We then restocked with priority items – namely rum and a five kg cast iron camp cooker – before returning to Triplex Hut. 

That night, you see, was to be our friends last night with us so we celebrated with a few drinks and a self-saucing chocolate pudding – complete with canned whipped cream! Living like kings we were, and we all slept very well that night.

The next morning we parted ways, driving a series of gravel roads following alongside the ranges. The sky was blue and range tops coated in snow. An unbelievable sensation struck us as we realised we had just been up there amongst the tussock tops. 

We then drove to the road end of Big Hill Station, discovered a historic homestead and carried on down Kashmir Road (thanks to a handy tip from one of the guys who helped us recover the bus back on the first day of our trip). 

At the end (of Kashmir Rd) we found  a carpark that several walking tracks webbed off. A lady in the carpark recommended we attempt Longview Hut track. It was easy she said and and her six-year-old son had done it in the summer, and I remember our exact words as we packed for an overnight stay: “If he’s done it, surely we will be fine.” 

The carpark was warm and sunny. Barely a breeze off the hills. Much like Sunrise Hut, this was going to be an average of 500-600m elevation over two hours. However, we were in for a surprise – or two!

For a start the track was a lot more rugged than the overly maintained family-friendly track at Sunrise Hut. We crested several hills only to welcomed by a bigger steeper one. And within the first 40 mins we had hit the snow line. However it wasn’t fresh and fluffy like the newly fallen snow two days earlier. This was hard, compacted, ice on rocks. And by this point the wind had also picked up and the temperature dropped fast. 

A close call

Nearing 4.30pm we questioned if we left it too late in the day to reach our target before dusk. We agreed to get to the top of the next ridge and then make a call about whether it was safe to carry on with the increasing wind and dangerous ice conditions. We had sights on the hut by now and all that lay between us and shelter was a giant slip from the top of the ranges, to the river bed lower than where we started. And it just so happened the track teetered right along the edge of it. 

I (Paula) had a brief moment of panic at this point, so Cam ran ahead to see how bad things really were. On his return, much to my relief, he confirmed the track veered off further ahead away from the giant ‘Death Valley’ slip. 

We were so close to the hut, with just one last ridge before dropping down onto the sheltered ledge it sat on, at we continued, despite being hit by unrelenting gusts of wind causing us to walk on a lean so we didn’t blow over. Some gusts were so strong,  in fact, that you had to crouch down and brace yourself until the wind eased slightly. But what a view! Glorious mountains stood in front of us, the whole of the Hawke’s Bay behind us. Amazing. We tucked down into the shelter of the hut to find four hunters and a father with two kids, and with the fire blazing the wind became a distant memory as it continued to howl against the hut. 

We had Nachos for dinner before blowing the hunters’ minds with our reheated self-saucing pudding and spray cream. An awesome group of local guys who filled us in a bit more about the area. 

Everyone bunkered in early and we slept like a dream until a lot of commotion broke out. No one really knew what was happening. We thought it was the hunters up early heading out for a hunt. Turns out it was four other adults who had driven from Wellington, started hiking from the carpark at 11.00pm and reached the hut at 1.00am. 

Four on the floor!

Needless to say the beds were well and truly in use so they had to sleep on the floor. Our minds were blown that they had just completed the same walk as us, in the dark! However they were much more experienced and had crampons, helmets, etc. 

The hunters set off first, followed by the father and two kids then the group of four (they were carrying on through the ranges to the next hut). We gave Longview Hut a decent clean and it showed no evidence that 13 people had been crammed in overnight.

We made our way down with the rain chasing our tails the whole way. Some parts were tricky with compacted ice and slippery rocks. A lot of people were still coming up the track, regardless of the deteriorating conditions.

After a final hoorah to the hunters and wiping the young blokes’ drool off the Patrol, we headed further south. By this stage we had lost count of the days since we had last showered. A quick $3 hot pool and 20 second. timer shower in Dannevirke fixed that problem, however, and we arrived at the house of a friend we met on the Manawatu 4WD club charity safari in Waitotara Valley smelling as fresh as a pair of mountain daises!

After a catch up over a few pints and a great feed at the local English pub we called it a night before rising early on day 9, readying the trucks and making our way to the Pahiatua Track end of North Range Road for a Wairarapa 4WD Club club run. 

Promise of a  good day!

With a good turnout of 25 trucks, zero visibility, rain and lots of mud it was going to be a good day! We followed at the rear and had minimal holds ups from the trucks in front as they pushed through water holes and slippery ruts. The track had no grip or traction compared to December when we had previously done it. Pretty much, you chose a line and went with it, some sliding in to the banks others dragging underneath. 

There were two main play areas. The first was not a friend to long wheel-based trucks such as Ty’s Safari. But no trouble – say – for a short wheelbased Land Rover.

The second play area also took prey to the heavier trucks. Whereas the lighter Jeeps were able to glide over with little issues. It was here that the Wairarapa 4WD club decided they would continue playing then return via North Range Road.

 As we just jumped in on the trip last minute, we decided to carry on out to Takapari Road to make the most of our time.

We went to air up on the Woodville side of the range only to discover our cord had melted on our air compressor. Ty saved the day with his dive tank inflator and also saved us half an hour on what our usual airing up would take!

We made our way up Takapari in blizzard conditions and bumped into Matt (our team leader from Winter Wollies 2019, of which we were sad to hear it won’t be running again). Anyway, we made it to the A frame hut for shelter and were relieved to see that it is getting a clean-up and make-over. 

That said, we didn’t stay long, making our way back to Palmerston North for pizza and a failed attempt at watching our Go Pro footage of the day. 

Westward ho!

Day 10 of our trip saw us heading towards Taranaki. A three hour drive became 6.5 hours after ‘tiki touring’ down side roads to lakes, checking out energy stations, driving along the beach in Whanganui, lunch at the Patea River mouth and a look at the Cape Egmont Light House. 

That night we camped at Oakura Holiday Park, on a beachfront site drinking beers listening to the waves crashing in. The facilities at the camp ground were awesome. We barbecued up two massive scotch fillets and enjoyed the sunset.

The sunrise over New Plymouth port the next morning was just as spectacular  so we made the most of it and walked down the beach towards it. On our way Cam found several mussels which he later had for an entree. We even caught a glimpse of Mt Taranaki’s tip and made plans to head towards it. 

Two hours later after a stop in at Trundles for suspension drop boxes and a quick stop at Te Rewa Rewa Bridge for that iconic photo we discovered the mountain was now fully closed in. Girlfriend not happy. Cam is happy as he just booked flights to the South Island for trout fishing in the canals.

When life gives you lemons...

Fast forward to driving towards a mountain we cannot see, to a road we cannot see due to low fog, to a waterfall that we cannot see from the look out. It happens sometimes. As they (or least I) say, when life gives you lemons... make scones in your camp cooker. Literally the best decision we made on the whole trip. Not only were the scones amazingly fluffy and a warm treat on a cold soggy day, but the cloud cleared right in front of our eyes. And there she was, Mt Taranaki in all its glory. 

We then had 10 mins of wonder before the cloud engulfed the mountain hiding all evidence of its existence again. 

That night we stayed at Stratford Holiday Park – which has amazing unlimited use showers! Cam had his mussel entree before a delicious dinner of leftover surprise.

The next morning started like any other, with Cam doing his morning checkover of the Patrol, and me (Paula) sitting impatiently in it ready to leave. It’s been fine the whole trip, why would it be any different today? But it is! 

The radiator is pushing water out. Warm her up and check again, its bubbling. 

Bugger! 

Cam’s newly – and I must say, lovingly – rebuilt engine has blown a head gasket or worse... the head itself. And immediately we were forced to face the fact that our trip was prematurely over.

What lay between us and home you see was the Forgotten Highway. We had allowed another two to three days of exploring all the nooks and crannies of this fascinating and very much out-of-the-way route. But ‘needs-must’ as they say, and we decided to get home as soon and as best as we could.

So we eased our way through the winding hills and underground tunnels, letting the Patrol cool down for a good hour as we toured the town of Whangamomona and sank our sorrows with a pint in the pub. 

We did check out the entrance to Old Whangamomona Road… but knew it wasn’t an option for us this time. We will just have to return and do it next time.