Trip Report, Kings Birthday, 2026

  Herbert Forest, Wainakarua Reserve Circuit

This is a first-time trip for this club, where we have tended to spend time in both but separately. It is a trip for lovers of long ups and long downs, also a trip very close to home and as it turned out quite doable.

Three such lovers of long ups and long downs set out from Goblin Woods on Saturday morning about 9.00am and donned our packs right from home for me and headed up the road to the Swallows Track which was quickly completed. Minor scrambling to get us past the logging activities and we walked up the Middleridge Rd until we got to Mt Misery Rd and a further few hundred meters saw us on the DoC track leading down hill to the Middle Branch where we found the rocky spot before you head up the hill to Tabletop for lunch and heard the call of the Karearea. Up the rather brutally steep hill that eventually leads to Tabletop and a pleasant walk along the Tabletop track now completely track-marked and maintained well by our local DoC rangers, Tom and Tom. After the long descent to the old yards flat where we wanted to camp, we found two campers already in residence complete with a lovely fire. “We’ll put the billy on” was their greeting and so we spent the night with John and Sally for company. It was a very cold night on that flat for most of the night, but sometime predawn the NW warmed the place up somewhat but conditions did cause tents to be wet with condensation. Keen to get out of our tents we were all good to start again just after 8 am and quickly warmed up climbing the steep slope to the ridge that leads to Staircase Hut. A quick stop here for fuel and inspecting the resident rats in the hut and we go along the Staircase Ridge to find the right ridge to drop down into the higher reaches of the Middle Branch of the Waianakarua R. The gorgie river valley is cold, dark, slippery and a bit foreboding. It seems to take a long time to traverse the km to the opposite ridge we have to climb back out of. The river rocks are very slippery and one of the team experience the full emersion technique to measure the depth of the water, very unpleasant. A quick bite of food before the next steep ascent to find the Kahikatea Lodge. As soon as we had reached a slightly higher altitude, the temperature seemed to go up by at least 10 degrees and it turned into a very pleasant afternoon. We reached our destination at about 2pm and arrived to an empty hut. So we moved in, deciding that it would be nice to spend a night here in this new very nice hut. All the wet gear was drying fast in the warm NW sunny conditions and we lounged around in the sun until the sound of others approaching was heard. Eventually a young family with young girl and dog and Mum and Dad appeared at the hut door. They quickly claimed booked people rights (fairly rudely)  and made it clear that they wanted the entire hut. We didn’t mind all that much and were happy too spend another night in our quickly erected tents rather than a night with poor company. It remained quite pleasantly warm during the night resulting in perfectly dry tents in the morning. About the same time as the previous day we strolled down the steep hill to the wee stream and the steep track back to the Mt Misery Rd Carpark. No car awaited us here, we were just getting started for the day. We walked back down Mt Misery Rd to the Glencoe sheds. Great coastal views over most of North Otago and the hinterlands and plenty of time to take it all in. We had a brief stop to talk to Anna on her way up to have a walk to the Lodge and back, testing her newly acquired 4wd. The road was in very good condition, the best I have ever seen and you could have driven pretty near any vehicle up to the carpark just now. Once at the sheds, we turned back down into Breakneck Rd and walked as far as the Podocarp Track which we descended and stopped for lunch under the big Kahikatea trees. A few obstacles saw us back on the Swallows and down it home to Goblin Woods by just after 1.

This was quite a strenuous trip probably in the fit range of our measure, it takes good mental fortitude to persist with the uphills when you’ve had enough. It was very satisfying to start our walk from my own house and the range of different environments we found ourselves in was stimulating . Two rifleman were seen and the cry of one karearea heard. Two very nice humans met and some with a bit further to go. Thanks to my two companions without who I would not have wanted to be there.Check Lorena’s Facebook feed for the photo’s and videos, she is much better at all of that.

Jenny, Lorena and Robbie went.