We spent Monday,Tuesday going up to Jumbo hut.There was a fair bit of snow around heading up Raingauge spur,but we got a break on arrival when the cloud cleared giving us great views.Coming back on Tuesday it hosed down but to be honest I prefer walking in the rain,there is something about the New Zealand bush that can only be apprieciated in the rain.
Thinking of heading up to Angelus hut one weekend shortly, should not be overly busy due to all of the snow.
Thinking of Kayaking to the end of Lake Rotoroa friday afternoon. Spend the night at Sabine hut. Early next morning climb up the moutain and over to Lake Angelus... If there is sufficient daylight we would continue on down to Speargrass hut for the night before tramping back to Sabine hut and the kayaks on sunday.
Could involve a couple of big days but should be fun. Just need to convince my tramping mates of the plan.
With another front comming through and more snow on the way it sounds like the perfect time to take a quiet wander into cascade hut in the kaimanawas friday and saturday next week.
has anyone been to the new purity hut in the ruahines?, is there any farmland to cross to get to the bushline?, am looking at maybe going up there some time soon, any help appreciated
Yes you do have to cross farmland but there is an easement so you don't have to ask permission. Follow the markers through the paddocks and then across the creek and up a fence line to the ridge. You enter the bush high up on the ridge and from there you are in the park.
If you are intending to go to Kelly Knight hut over the farmland then you do need to ask permission. There is a phone number on the gate.
I am in Switzerland at the moment. I climber the Tour d'Ai the day before yesterday. A nice walk amongst steep drops so haad to watch your step. Great view up there of Mont Blanc and cow bells ringing all around. I was suprised to find a cafe on the way down at 1900m so sat down and had a beer. I think that is something we could add to our NZ hills.
Off to Zermatt tomorrow to see the Matterhorn and then to Wengen at the foot of the North Face of the Eiger to do some walks then.
However, reality isn't far away. Will be back at work in NZ Monday week, hopefully spring will have arrived by then.
Walking in Europe does bring a whole new perspective to the game dosnt it. Wandered into cascade hut yesterday bush has taken a hammering from the snow fall so the track is a tad hard to follow with drifts up to waist high. Just a bit further to walk back to taupo for a coffee shop but worth it.
I did the Purity, Kelly Knight loop in July, it was frozen up on wooden peg so I could not go out to the Mangaweka Trig. DOC Palmerston North have all the numbers and details for farm access. Kelly Knight is a great hut, but Purity is cold, take some tape and a plastic sheet to cover the vent in the door. I froze there, and was glad to leave it behind.
If you need any contact numbers, and don't want to bother DOC I have a copy, just message me.
Just realised that I had a photograph of that sign with the whole story about access to Kelly Knight Hut
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v424/pmcke/Tramping%20Trips/Ruahines%2030-1-07/DSC03342_th.jpg
I agree re: the excellent network of mountain cafes in the Alps, particularly Switzerland, usually reasonable value too and not rip off prices.
Interesting link there, I've seen too many walks that seem to advertise the necessity to contact a land owner for access and already come across lots access not allowed/cycling not allowed signs.
Is this typical of the situation in NZ? and what is the opinion of this.
Coming from the UK, access is not a problem with a good network or footpaths and bridleways in England & Wales, pratically total access in Scotland.
In relation to the title, I took advantage of the first decent forecast for ages to hike up Mt Pirongia via Grey Road.
We could get into a very long discussion about access in New Zealand. We don't have the common law situation from the UK where walkers have rights to footpaths.
New Zealand is a nation built on agricuture and the farmers have some pretty draconian rights against trespassers. Usually farmers are a fairly reasonable lot and if you ask permission to cross private land then generally that permission is given. That is the case with the Kelly Knight access.
New Zealand is also criss crossed with a network of paper roads which, in many cases are unformed and unmarked. Councils in the past (often made up of farmers) have often been reluctant to mark or define paper roads where this has been in conflict with the local farmer's wish.
There is presently legislation before parliament which will create an Access Commission which may be able to negotiate better access in difficult cases.
However this legislation has been a hot topic of political discussion in the past few years and in the watered down version there will be no tools for the commission to force access over private land, only negotiate.
We will just have to see where this goes.
