Tramping: Trains Track

Got away for the weekend with Ben to walk the Trains Track: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/manawatu-whanganui/places/waitotara-conservation-area/things-to-do/trains-track/

First a 43km drive inland from Waitotara along the river of the same name. Lots of bush, farmland and timber operations. The road was in the process of being rebuilt in some sections after floods had washed it away. We could see the muddy border on the banks where it must have risen a good 20ft or more.

The 15km followed a bulldozed track followed by an old packhorse road. Then onto a footpath used by cows and washed out in places, still following the river.

Ben on the track on the way out

There were some suspension bridges to cross side streams

Trains hut has a new covered veranda and is one of the nearly 1000 back country huts maintained by the Department of Conservation (DOC). There we met a chap who was adding the guttering and hoping to bag a deer with his hunting rifle. Another hunter was there with his crossbow and had already got a wild goat. The goats here escaped into the wild and are now considered a pest with their uncontrolled grazing.

The six bunk Trains hut

Water from the roof and a composting toilet up the hill. Huts have vinyl covered mattresses and this one has a stove though not enough dry wood to get a fire going.

The next morning Ben and I took our day packs and set off for a round trip further along the track to Tahupo Hut. Beyond that the track is impassable due to the bridge being swept away so very few come this way. And I can see why! The marking was pretty good; little orange plastic triangles nailed to trees. However in places there were fallen trees to negotiate and slippery clay-like mud. A few falls (mostly me!). Our GPS devices came in very useful too.

Dry and happy to wet and slightly less happy, but still smiling!

Dense bush all around

With time getting on and the hut not yet in sight we decided to turn around and make sure we were back at Trains Hut well before dark. More slips and trips on the way back!

We had the hut to ourselves this time and turned in early. It's dark by 8pm and we planned for a 7am start to miss the heavy rain forecast for midday.

Turned into a beautiful morning so the waterproofs came off as it was getting hot. However the mud continued and my boots were soggy from the previous day.