Sunday 12 July 2020
Leader: Tony Quayle
The original Waiotauru Hut was never much of a destination - an old machinery shed from the valley’s logging days, that’d been fitted out with a sleeping platform; but never an appealing place to stay.
The nearby Snowy Hut, a basic, rustic accommodation, has much more character and appeal.
However, there was plenty of enthusiasm to check out the new hut that was recently built by ARAC (Akatarawa Recreational Access Committee).
Setting off from the Pukeatua carpark south of Otaki Forks, Chief Guide, Owen convinced us that the slip a short distance up the track was “horrible” and it would be better to cross the Waiotauru River a couple of times to bypass it. So we did. The river was cold, quite deep, and fast; an experience for our newest member.
With that behind us, we were back on the track and heading up the valley. A couple of short traverses across steep old slips kept the interest up before swing bridge at the Waiotauru/Snowy forks. Beyond here it’s an old logging road - driveable in an ordinary car in the 1970s, but only for the hardcore offroaders now.
The new hut is still fairly basic, not a destination to match Waitewaewae or Mangahao Flats, but a fair place to stay on an overnight trip up the valley.
Another group, on their way out from Elder Hut, lunched with us at the hut, and Nurse Marian got to strut her stuff bandaging up one of their wounded knees. Rain set in while this was going on and by the time we got to Owen’s horrible slip the river had come up enough to make tackling the slip more appealing than the couple of river crossings and it turned out to be quite straightforward.
An enjoyable post-covid leg stretch.
Those on the trip were:
David Williams, Elisabeth Hynes, Graeme Richardson, Kate Livingston, Marian Cox, Neville Grubner, Niamh Dunne, Owen Cox, Paula Richardson, Sue Pate, Tony Quayle