My first tramp in the Tararua ranges was along the famed ‘Jumbo Circuit’ in 2017. It was a misty experience, with no views and dense fog hiding those incredible views I’d longed to see up here.
At the time, Powell hut was in pretty bad shape and was in need of a refurb, to which I was enlightened to hear has just been happening over the last few months. I was based in Wellington at the time and see it is my nearest getaway, I was determined to get back up there again and again with hope that I might catch a good day up on the tops.
After spending several days scanning over the Topo maps plotting a route, I decided I would do a revised circuit of my own, initially beginning on the Jumbo. Beginning at the Holdsworth car park, we set out along the Atiwhakatu stream, a steady and flat 5km where you’ll find the Atiwhakatu hut sitting high upon the bank. A quick snack here, before embarking on the 500 metre climb up to Jumbo hut where we would sleep cosy for the night. With such fantastic weather reports, we definitely weren’t the only ones to be joined here.
This story is from the April - May 2019 edition of Adventure Magazine.
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This story is from the April - May 2019 edition of Adventure Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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