This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 90, no 2, March 2018
Wednesday Medium Kapakapanui
November 29th 2017
This trip was well supported by 15 members. Access to the summit of Kapakapanui was by the usual route up the Ngatiawa River to the base of the south spur. The river was somewhat higher than expected, probably due to recent thunderstorms in the hills. Just about everyone got a boot full of the refreshing water. The foot pad on the spur was dry, the winter mud having been baked hard during the November drought. As we closed in on the summit so the cloud descended, allowing only limited visibility. One feature of the summit, sothe striking contrast when passing from the darker but vivid greens of the moss and goblin forest to the brightness of the tussock. Lunch was in the summit mist. After lunch the mist started to lift and the anticipated views of Judd Ridge and the Southern Crossing materialized. We also had a good view of Rae Ridge, a great trip with some tricky navigation. The descent to the Henderson trail was an enjoyable walk in warm conditions on a good track. Beyond the Henderson trail the steep part of the track was (for a change) dry. Following afternoon tea at the hut we followed a well-marked track back to the Ngatiawa River and on to the cars.
- Party members
- Peter Barber, Trish Gardiner–Smith, Mary Kane, Carol Kelly, Alan Knowles, Doreen Lauder, Jane-Pyar Mautner, Bernard Molloy, Peter Morton, Marg Pearce, Dave Reynolds (leader and scribe), Peter Smith, Suzanne Sutton-Cummings, Lyn Taylor, Warwick Wright