This article was first published in Tararua Tramper May 2025, pp 15-17, with a map and photos.
Mt Matthews from the South Coast
Wednesday 9 April 2025
The forecast is good. But as we leave the Hutt Valley, misty drizzle turns into moderate rain. Over the Remutaka Hill and turn right down the Western Lake Road to Ocean Beach. Then along the road to the DoC Corner Creek Campsite where we meet up with the other car. There are seven of us. And the weather has already and completely improved.
I had read a couple of reports about this trip. One described a rather exposed goat path across a slip. So I stored that in the ‘worry’ basket. But in discussion I found out that it was a trip in another, adjacent stream. However there was still one point of potential worry, where the route dropped from the main Remutaka Range into the top of Corner Creek, our return route.
We leave the carpark at about 9 a.m. There is a big southerly swell running and pounding on the beach. In the now fine weather and light wind, there is a mist of sea spray from the swell all along the coast.
We follow the Remutaka Cycle trail along the coast for about three km. At one point, what had been a 4WD road comes to an abrupt halt 20 metres above the beach where a water course has washed it out. We need to pick our way carefully down the rocky slope beside the stream and then onto a sidle track which returns us to the beach. Hard work to get bikes through here.
At Mukamuka stream we turn right and head upstream. After two km we arrive at the confluence of the Mukamuka and the Hinakitaka streams. People talk about the wasp stings they gathered on the previous Wednesday’s trip. I had a close encounter with wasps a month ago behind my home (five stings). I am hoping we don’t meet many wasps today in the bush.
We now start our ascent of the spur that lies between the two streams. It climbs first to point 704 and then on to Mount Matthews in a NNE direction. The initial climbing is steep. We need to traverse around to get through small bluff sections. We then get more or less onto the spur top and follow this up. Sometimes there is red tape. Sometimes a ground trail. Sometimes not. The going is mixed but overall not too difficult.
Two-thirds of the way up the spur we stop for lunch in a sunny clearing with bumblebees. The next flattish section looks pretty scrubby and thick but goes surprisingly easily. Then more up and along a steep-sided ridge which would certainly appear and feel impressive without its bush cover. With the bush cover we can only imagine.
We reach the Matthews summit with views towards both Wellington and Palliser Bay. We now head northeast along the main Remutaka range in the direction of North Saddle. Things drop down from Matthews on this route pretty steeply and roughly. But there is a clear, marked route here. After about half a kilometre we get to a saddle where we make a sharp right turn off the marked route and range top. Down into the head of Corner Creek, our descent route home.
We are first in bush. There is some discussion as to whether we should traverse around to the right, in bush, to access the stream below from the next gully, or just proceed straight down. Our leader leads us straight down out of the bush into a grassy rocky gully and then onto the top of a big scree slope. Straightforward. Could be the new standard route.
The scree is steepish but takes us easily down into the stream at its base. We have some problems with loose rock rolling off down the slope. Potentially dangerous for those below; some of us need to take evasive action.
Once in the stream we are told the rest of our travel is straightforward. But it is still 700 metres of descent so that is a lot of going down in a stream bed.
Twenty minutes later we come across a new slip where trees have slipped into and choked a narrow stream. Getting through the mess of trunks looks very difficult. We look around the blockage to the right and after initial hesitation find that we can traverse above and back down to the stream on a gravelly bank.
About another four kilometres of stream travel is tiring on the rough underfoot. But the stream itself and the surrounding hills are interesting and varied.
We arrive back at the road we drove in on and walk 10 minutes along this back to our cars. We walk past a few large boat trailers attached to caterpillar tractors. But with no boats on the trailers. Wondering where the boats are.
A long day. Beautiful weather. Lots of variety. Very interesting rough country. A most satisfying M/F tramp. mins.
Ascent/descent 1,070 m. Time: 8 hrs 10 mins. Distance: 15.5km. Wasps: None
Anthony Hill (leader), Karen Baker, Gerald Leather, David McNabb, Sieny Pollard, Tim Stone, Mike Wespel-Rose (scribe)[Photos: David McNabb and Ant Hill]