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Tararua Range: History, Geology, Weather, Flora and Tramping
The Tararua Range is one of New Zealand’s best-known tramping areas, stretching from the Manawatū Gorge to the Remutaka Rangenorth of Wellington. Famous for its rugged ridges, historic huts and notoriously changeable weather, the Tararua also have a fascinating geological and ecological history. The Tararua is New Zealand’s spiritual home of tramping. Less than an…
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Totara Flats via Lower Waiohine Track: The Active Slip Warning
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The oldest hut in the Tararua Range | it may not be what you think
Which is the oldest hut in the Tararua Range? The answer to which is the oldest hut in the Tararua Range depends on how you frame the question – it is not entirely simple. 1. First Purpose-Built Tramping Hut Overall: Alpha Hut No. 1 (1915) If asking for the very first shelter constructed specifically for public…
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Totara Flats and Sarah’s cup of tea
Forget Totara Flats Hut—the ultimate luxury is a campfire brew in the solitude of the flats Sarah heads into the Tararua Forest Park to visit the iconic Totara Flats. Leaving the bustle of Totara Flats Hut, she walks onto the flats and finds a place to camp in the shelter of the bush.. Then boiling…
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Holdsworth to Mitre: A Guide to a Tararua Day Tramp
The Holdsworth to Mitre Tramp The route Brian attempted is a legendary “classic” in the Tararua Forest Park, but it is quite demanding. It connects Mt. Holdsworth (1470m) to Mitre (1571m) via the Broken Axe Pinnacles. The story of Brian’s misadventure The narrative begins with Brian (real name altered to avoid disapprobation) planning his favourite…
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Totara Flats | How the Wellington Fault Created a Tramper’s Delight
Totara Flats is widely considered one of the Tararua Forest Park’s most idyllic places—a camper’s delight of grassy terraces, blooming rata, and deep swimming holes. But beneath the tranquil surface of these river flats lies a violent geological history. From ancient forests buried three meters deep to the massive tectonic shifts of the Wellington Fault…
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Exploring the Tararua Range: Huts, Ridges, and Alpine Flowers
The Tararua Range is mostly known for its misty and moody weather, but in the heart of summer, the peaks and valleys transform into a vibrant alpine playground. From the edelweiss blooming on the slopes of Brockett to the refreshing crystal pools of the lower gorges, mid-summer offers a rare window of golden weather…
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A Tararua Range high: Maungahuka Hut – my ‘why’ of tramping
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🌴Ozzie’s Track – a forgotten route in the Tararua Forest Park
Ozzie’s Track is one of those mostly-forgotten routes in the Tararua Range that doesn’t appear on today’s topomaps but lives on in trampers’ conversations—particularly those of the members of the Manawatu Tramping and Skiing Club who have adopted the track and now maintain it. Tucked into the Ōhau River valley on the western side of…
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The Wellington Fault: Why the Tararua Range is one of New Zealand’s Biggest Jigsaw Puzzles
Some faults in the Tararuas The Tararua Range is famous for its ‘faults’—usually the relentless rain or the 80-day-a-year sunshine quota. But look deeper at the topography, and you’ll find the real faults: the tectonic scars that have literally torn the landscape apart. The Wellington Fault, a geological giant, snakes its way from the South…
