Forks Hut access from Pohongina Road and Takapari Road

 

These huts receive very little traffic beyond a dedicated band of about 4 local hunters, and a brief rush of  interest during the roar. I suspect that the reason is twofold:

 

- The huts are near the bushedge, and of themselves don't appear to provide a weekend of tramping

- You may have heard stories of access across farmland being refused - until recently DOC stated that access was  not granted - though that has now softened to 'contact DOC for landowner details'.

 

However, both of these issues can be worked around. 

- Through trips from Pohongina to Takapari Rd are possible via Forks Hut, and these can be cmbined with a visit  to Diggers hut to make a round trip and a full weekend of tramping.

- Three access routes to Forks Hut are available without crossing private land: marginal strips up Te Ekaou  Stream, Wakawakawa Stream and a cut track down from Takapari Rd.

 

 

A 10m marginal strip runs up either side of the Te Ekaou Stream, providing good access as far as the Ruahine  Park boundary. Grassed riverflats lie on either side of the Te Ekaou Stream as it passed under the Pohongina  road and going upriver is easy.  Soon you enter a V shaped valley, but going remains good on grassy river banks.   Occasional strips of scrub or slips force crossings of the stream, but at only a couple of meters wide this is not an issue.  Going remians much the same for 1.5km until a 10m waterfall is reached - eisily passable on the  true right.  Remaining on the TR, grassy banks resume until the forks 500m before the park boundary.  A farm  track climbs the true right face, but soon leaves the boundary of the marginal strip and the only legal access  without permission is to drop to the creek as it enters a gorge.  Grassy farmland retreats to the plateau above  and the sides of the gorge becomes forested with dense scrub forcing travel on the riverbed and often in the  water. The creek is small and should pose no problems in all but peak flows.  After about 500m of river travel,  a small sidecreek enters from the true right out of a narrow slot gorge.  This marks the park boundary.  

 

As  shown on the map, a farm track follows the west bank of this creek to the hut, but this runs over farmland and  as such permission would be required.  Instead, climb the ridge to the east of the sidecreek - the first ridge  within the park boundary, to reach a stand of pines above.   It's a steep scramble out of the creek, a slip 50m upriver provides reasonable access. Once on the ridge, things  improve considerably: a roughly cut track follows the ridge first E then NE running parallel to the park  boundary about 300m from the bushedge.  At first this runs through scrub 2-3m high, but later enters remnents of  mature bush. After about 1.5km a junction of ridgelines is reached marked by a patch of windfall: a ridge  running NNW 800m to Te Ekaou Hut, and the main ridge swinging west to intersectthe Forks Hut track shortly  before it descends to the hut.

 

For those heading to Forks Hut, continue west along the main ridge until the Te Ekaou Hut to Forks Hut track is  intersected after about 500m.  It's a broad, marked, cut DOC track and you can't miss it.

 

Heading to Te Ekaou Hut, the shortest route is NNW along the other ridgeline directly to the hut.  An old cut  track runs along this ridge, hitting the 4wd track 100m SW of the hut. However, this ridgeline track has been  all-but obliterated by windfall and it is very hard going.  Heading west to the cut track and doubling back is  probably faster,

 

 

 

Te Ekaou is a tidy, spacious 6-bunk hut just inside the bushedge. There's a wood burner and tank water.

 

 

 

Heading east from Te Ekaou, a well maintained, broad cut and marked track descend to the creek and climbs  steadily to the ridge beyond.  The area is regenerating bush, with occasional mature trees standing tall above  the low canopy - left as seed trees, or unsuiable for logging - I'm not sure. Reaching the lip of the Makawakawa  valley the track drops precipitously to the creek. Forks Hut lies on the far bank, upriver of the forks.

 

 

 

Forks hut is another 6-bunk ex-forestry hut.  Again featuring a pioneer stove, and with water from the creek 10m  away  From behind the long-drop a rough track climbs to the ridge south of the hut, between the two forks.   Opposite the hut to the NW, a DOC 'animal control' track marked with pink triangles climbs to the ridgeline. I  do not know if this connects with the other pink-reiangled 'aminal control' track descending the same ridgeline  from Takapari Rd, but it seems likely.

 

 

 

I've only walked the lower section of this route, but hut book entries confirm that it is possible.  The  Makawakawa is broader and deeper than the Te Ekaoi but flows through broader river flats offering gravel and  river-rock travel rather than in-the-water options.  The valley floor is mainly flat to the park boundary with  no falls or pools to negotiate. However, about 5 river crossings are required to reach the forks of the two  tributries leading to Diggers and Forks huts - knee to waist deep in normal flows.

 

Above the forks, the southern tributary leading to Forks Hut is small, but narrow and gorged.  Hut book entries  mention that several waterfalls and pools have to be negotiated and the route is not recomended after rain. 

 

 

 

The northern branch of the creek starting from Forks Hut provides mostly good going until 500m from its source below Takapari Rd. Initially river banks are covered in thick scrub and regenerating bush, and travel in on river gravel and rocks.  A waterfall is reached after 1km which requires a brief but steep scramble - the true left worked for me.  Above the fall, the valley opens a little, and scrub is replaced by grassy banks and valleysides, with clearings on the valley floor providing good camping spots.  Bush is replaced by 2-3m high scrub and slopes are dotted with fern  trees - though occasional standing totora remain here too.  About 500m before the next forks, a DOC animal  control track marked with pink triangles climbs to the ridgeline to the north.  It is a fair assumption that  this joins that dropping from Takapari Rd, and possibly that ckimbing from Forks Hut, but this has not been  confirmed.  Feel free to try it and update this artical one way or the other.

 

I ignoried the track and headed on up the river which continued to provide good travel. Another waterfall just  beyond the track required another scramble - true left again did it for me.  Taking the northern branch at the  forks, climbing more steeply through the copper-coloured scrub that warms that leatherleaf is not far above,   going remains good until a tall 20m waterfall is encountered about 500m from the head of the creek. Take any  good-looking route up to the rideline to the north - there are several grassy slips below the falls, and gentler  wooded creeks just above.  All provide reasonable access to the ridgeline.  On reaching the ridge you'll pick up  a cut, well-marked ridgeline route.

 

The ridgeline route is marked with pink triangles and cut in places through scrub.  On reaching the leratherleaf  it becomes a 1.5m wide cut track, though as you climb higher the leatherleaf starts to encroach more and more.  The last 30m are uncut - presumably to hide the track for some reason.  The track reaches to Takapari Road 200m  beyond the end of the gravel. For those heading down to Forks Hut from the summit - head 200m past the ned of  the gravelled road and look for a small area of stumps where a pull-off has been cleared on the east of the  now-boggy road.  The track starts opposite this - a DOC 'this is an animal control track ...' sign after 30m  lets you knwo you're int he right place.

 

 

I'd bet that the DOC pink triangle track climbing from 1.5km above Forks Hut and the DOC pink triangle track  descending from Takapari Rd join up.

 

I reckon also that the DOC pink triangle track climbing opposite Forks Hut and the other two DOC pink triangle tracks probably also join up.

 

Someone can go and find out and report back.  If so - you'll knock at least half an hour off the above times.

 

 

 

It's a 5km, 1hr stroll along the 4WD Takapari Road throgh an unending sea of leatherleaf to the Travers-A-Frme Hut.

 

Travers sleeps about 4 on one platform but has no matresses and no woodburner.  There is, however, tank water.