Walks with Moss: Papatahi crossing from Featherston and Wharepapa Hut aborted

We decided to take a bit of a trip over the hill to Featherston and beyond. There was a hut we wanted to reach. Sadly we got off to a very late start, the trail was in bad shape and my hiking partner was having leg pains.

We stopped for pie and hiking snacks in Featherston. We love the pie shop in Featherston.

We split up a few miles into the hike and I went onto a little stream and then a bit past it before I turned around and had lunch at a stream at the valley bottom.

Access to the trail is at a tiny parking spot down a steep incline just past the entrance to the Devon farm. From there you have a nice style to go over and a nice little bridge to get you onto a path that runs between two fields.

Shortly after cross the stream on a bridge you are forced to cross a creek/irrigation ditch with no bridge. You are certain to get wet feet. Since the grass was so wet I opted to just leave my shoes on and cross. I knew that grass would have my feet wet in no time anyway.

After the crossing the ditch we followed the creek as it passed between two fence lines. There were cows watching us on either side. After about 1K we came to a barbed wire fence with no gate or style. We had to carefully climb over the barbed wire. I was not at all happy about the lack of an easy way to continue on the trail. I was afraid we might have to turn back, but we made it over the fence and then onto another bridge and another gate.

Next the trail traverses through ridge that forms a peninsula of beech forest in the cow pastures. About another K into the forest the trail reaches a gate and after the gate it is clear that the next bit of the trail is an old road.

Shortly after getting off the old road section and back onto trail my hiking partner encouraged me to go ahead without her. We made plans to both turn around at 3pm no matter where we where so we could meet each other on the way out.

So I went ahead on my own but I was a bit worried about my partner she is new to hiking and could make a wrong turn. But I knew that she would stop if the trail got beyond her comfort level.

The trail did just that after rising up to a viewpoint of the sea then beginning to drop down into a valley. Just beyond the top of a trail is a difficult to traverse fallen tree and after that the trail becomes a narrow washed out and overgrown ledge. I had to travel very carefully to avoid slipping down. The trail was well marked so I only had to pause to figure out the route a few times. I am very experienced at off trail travel and travel on faint trails. I knew where to look for switchbacks where many hikers might not know to look and might lose the trail.

I decided to make the valley bottom my turn around as it was clear that due to the state of the trail we would not make it to the Wharepapa Hut. It seems that the best way to reach this hut is to walk up the Wharepapa river.

Getting down to the creek was a bit daunting the trail dropped straight down a tall bank and I was not sure if I could climb back up it if I went down it. I found that there was a sturdy enough root for me to hold onto on the way back up, so down I went.

After the creek the trail drops into a dark narrow valley with lots of little trees in it. I travelled up that to little stream and decided to call it a hike. I turned back at 2pm and had lunch at the first creek and then headed back up.

I caught up with my partner just after the highpoint with the view. She had turned around there and was headed back but she was quite a ways below the trail at that point. No doubt she would have found her way back to the trail eventually though. She had detoured to go around a fallen tree in the same spot I had just scrambled over the tree without making a detour.

I was thankful that I found her before she went any further down the hill. She was clearly headed in the wrong direction and did not realize it until she saw me on the trail.

On the way back we tried to find a way to avoid having to cross the creek/irrigation ditch. No luck and it was running higher so I took off my shoes and crossed in my crocks.

My partner opted to cross in her boots and have wet feet for the hour long drive home.

We were both very tired even though this was not a very long hike for us.

There was a sign at the bottom of the Remutaka hill warning that highway 2 was closed, but it was not closed, there was a detour in place due to a fatal accident earlier in the day. Luckily I looked it up on the transport website and read that it was just a detour so we did not have to spend the night in Featherston.

7 miles with 700 feet elevation gain for me