This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 93, no 1, February 2021
Fun in the Bush - A family trip to Raukawa Hut then Waerenga Hut by the Ōrongorongo River.
19-21 December
We started off slowly while chatting but when we got to the river we knew we were close so ran the rest of the way to Raukawa Hut. We swarmed into the hut and all the kids ran into the separate bedroom. After dinner we toasted marshmallows. Yummy! The girls slept on the top bunks and the boys on the bottom bunks but my brother Theo slept on a mattress on the floor.
In the morning we got dressed, went down to the river and built a dam out of sticks and stones. In the middle of the day we packed up and did the 2-5 minute walk up the hill to Waerenga Hut. We all went for a walk down the river in our togs to find a perfect swimming hole. We had a paddle in it and had lots of fun! That night four of us slept on the top bunk.
We were so excited to stay in Waerenga Hut for the first time. In the morning we had hot chocolates on the deck. Later that day we walked out and stopped at the monkey tree and had a snack. When we got to the car park we went down to the stream and had a picnic before going home. Our next trip is hopefully going to be to Sunrise Hut in the Ruahines.
- Party members
- (leader and scribe).Photos include members of the Hearn family: Neil, Fiona, Elissa (6), Jonathan (11) and friend Daniel (12), as well as the Futcher family: Laura (photographer), Maria (8) (scribe), Theo (6)