Adventure Magazine

After chatting with the staff at the info centre at
Whapakapapa Village we decided not to risk an
unnecessary turn around if the river was indeed
too high, and instead parked at the village and
walked into the hut via the Bruce Road. We have
been coming to Whakapapa to ski since we were
in our teens, yet this is the first time we had both
walked up the Bruce Road. It was one of those
misty, cold, wet days where you couldn’t see the
mountain, actually you couldn’t see very far ahead
of you in any direction.
From the start of the track just past scoria flat it
was another 3km or so to the hut and by then
the rain had stopped and the mist was lifting
somewhat. Coming into the track from the upper
access wasn’t what we had planned but we
happily traversed across the undulating rocky
terrain before climbing to the highest point on the
trail. As we reached the crest, we were literally
stopped dead in our tracks by the view that
opened in front of us. Waterfalls cascaded down
sheer cliffs from the slopes of Ruapehu into the
Whakapapaiti Valley below. It was an incredible
sight. We sat in awe of what was less than an
hour’s walk from the place we had been visiting
for over 40 years.
From the crest of the trail it was another half an
hour or so down a steep slope via a succession
of switchbacks to the turnoff to the Whakapapaiti
Valley Track and another half hour to the hut. As
we dropped in elevation, the terrain changed from
bare rocks to mountain beech trees that had taken
hold alongside the tributaries of the Whakapapaiti
Stream.
It was here that the hut was located, an 18-bunk
spacious serviced hut with a great fire and an
even greater deck with views up towards Mt
Ruapehu and the cascading waterfalls. After a
relaxing lunch we headed down to check out the
river, and were glad that we had chosen the upper
access as we were unable to find a safe crossing.
Hiking in early November, we encountered
only one person on the trail and had the hut to
ourselves. There was a certain freedom to having
the valley all to ourselves, including a skinny dip
in one of the waterfalls only minutes from the hut,
secure in the fact that we wouldn’t see another
person for a while yet. So, you can imagine our
surprise when we woke around 5.30am to the
sound of voices. Peeking out the hut door we
saw two guys running past the hut, stopping for a
quick stretch before taking off again. They were
running the Round the Mountain Track, being
picked up later in the day by their dutiful partners.
Although impressed with this level of fitness and
commitment, we could not help but wonder what
they missed along the way by running the whole
thing in one day, however, each to their own.
Previous page: One of the good things about hiking in the rain was the abundant waterfalls
Above: Looking out from the crest of the hill not far from Scoria Flat
Top Left: Whakapapaiti Hut / Top Right: The start of the Whakapapaiti Track above Scoria Flat