Kapakapanui Loop

Author, Mike, Josh

A day trip to the brand new Kime hut was the plan. Regretfully we had to  scupper this due to a tardy building inspection. So a scheduled trip up Kapakapanui is brought forward by a few weekends.

Editor's note: Refinding this blog nine years later, I've updated by removing shortening of the name Kapakapanui (which refers to a waka that came to the area in the 1800's and likely was a way of claiming mana whenua) and a few other tidy ups.  There's some good photos and a track description on the Our Coast website.  

Summary

Kapakapanui is a 1100m hill in the south western corner of the Tararuas. The loop trip takes us a reasonably relaxed 5 hours on a typical, well marked Tararua bush track rising briefly above the bushline. On the way up we stop for 20 minutes for lunch at the tidy 6 bunk hut but there is no mucking about at the top due to no view in the clag and drizzle. The track down is steeper and quite slippery in a number of places. We reach the cloud not far above 500m but are well sheltered under the bush. There is cell phone coverage for much of the trip apart from the lower slopes.

The Trip

There are a number of ways to get to Kapakapanui - today we are doing the loop from the Reikorangi Valley (Ngatiawa Rd). We elect to take the long way up via the hut reaching the top from the north and continuing on down the steeper more direct route to our starting point.

The road end is easy to find and although our map doesn't show the start of the track, it too is easy to find and follow.  There's a few crossings of the pretty Ngatiawa River; dry feet is not an option.

A short way up the valley a DOC sign marks the junction of the two sides of the loop. We turn left for a few more stream crossings before the track heads up ... and up.  If you want to go up the steep way first just note that the sign seems to point at a bank a metre or two away; the track does in fact go up it.  I've heard of people wandering up the stream and missing the turn.

The Junction

About a kilometre before the hut a track joins from the left (north), it is unmarked apart from a large give way road sign but apparently comes in from the Mangaone walkway.  

(Ed note: it only took five years to get around to checking this route out). 

We notice a few other road marking items and speculate that this may be a cross Government initiative by DOC in order to share costs.

You can find the turn off if you know how to read the signs...

It takes about 2 hours to get to the hut, by now we are in the cloud and it is cool but not cold. The 6 berth hut is NZDA built and is in good nick despite being so close to a road end. It's a good spot for lunch and at about 850m means most of the climbing is behind us.

Josh and me playing teapots; Kapakapanui hut

In colder times (photo on the hut wall)

About a kilometre after the hut the track reaches the bushline and a K after that, the trig. Today there's nothing to see but cloud so we pause only briefly before heading off to quickly bear right (west) and down the steep descent, ignoring the left turn that leads off to various interesting places (Maymorn Junction, Renata Ridge, Waiotauru track and eventually Otaki forks or Akatarawa Saddle).

The top and the view

Yep, Mike made it too

Sections of the track down are quite slippery and everyone goes for the odd tumble. Josh is the most determined though, sitting down on the track with sufficient force to drive his spine through his hat. Fortunately, the topic of conversation had been "the light weight first aid kit" so we know that if we couldn't fix it with 2m of duct tape and strips of someone else's shorts, then it would require activation of the PLB - in which case a triangular bandage would come in use for muffling his screams.

5 hours after setting out we are back at the car and ready for the second part of the tramp. It's about 15 minutes drive to our next road end located in a picturesque light industrial area in Paraparaumu. There is an organised group and a handful of others there already, one of which has a large, enthusiastic chocolate Lab. I'm not keen on dogs when out tramping but manage to contain my opprobrium.

Again, the route is easy to follow as there is a well beaten track to the Tuatara brewery tasting room. The place is simple and sparsely furnished, containing only what is needed to introduce
connoisseurs to beer and the contents of their wallets to the till. We each choose four of the 7 beers available and settle down with our tasting trays to compare notes.

This plus an antipasto platter and plates of nachos keeps us happily distracted for a couple of hours. The Lab periodically (every 5 minutes) forgets that she has met everyone already and comes and says hello again.

By now the Sunday afternoon traffic jam is building up on SH1 so we declare the tramping to be done and drop Josh outside his house, proudly clutching his Aotearoa Pale Ale T-shirt and head back home via the Akatarawa saddle.

All in all a highly successful WANG excursion with all milestones achieved.

Happy trampers.  Mike wearing his fabric of death cotton T-shirt