Patutu
- 6 hr 30 min – 7 hr 30 min return by the same track
- Easy/medium
Day trip to the summit of Patutu (1162m). The track starts basically at sea level.
Walking time
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1 day
6 hr 30 min – 7 hr 30 min
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Type
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Return by the same track
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Grade
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Easy/medium
Several difficult sections during the scramble to the summit, at times the route is difficult to follow. The last hour of the walk is very steep in places.
A recently made bypass around a slip requires both hands and sure footing in places. Grades explained
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Bookings
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No bookings — open access
No — open access
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Starts
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Okiwi Bay Campground (Kaikoura). |
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Ends
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Summit of Patutu |
Maps
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NZTopo50-BT28
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Altitude
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1m
–
1,162m
Altitude change 1,161m
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The track starts at the Okiwi Bay campground, but its easy enough to walk a few meters to the sea to make it start at sea level.
The track slowly climbs through regenerating scrub along a quad bike track. This section is quite wide but is uneven and rocky in sections.
After about half a hour the track to Patutu splits away from the Okiwi Bay - Half Moon track (No apparent signange). The track drops down to a river, flood damage now means that quad bikes are unable to cross the ford.
From the ford the track starts to climb, a recent slip makes further process with bikes next to impossible. The bypass of the slip is steep, narrow and tricky to navigate. I was rather nervous in places.
The bypass quickly rejoins the main track which continues to climb, in places it is deeply eroded. At about the halfway point the track leaves the scrub and goes through a series of clearings (good camping).
The second half of the track is a bit steeper. After approximately three hours the quad bike track ends and a pole route begins. The last hour to the summit is steep, and the track between the makers can be difficult to follow. These one section up a gravelly chute which really requires the use of hands. In winter there might be snow.
From the summit good views can be hand up and down the coast, and inland towards the Kaikoura mountains or up the braided Clarence River.