For the first time in a while I had a free Sunday, as well as time to think about it in advance. With some minimal effort I was able to convince Craig, my neighbour, to come along for a walk around a loop in the Tararua.
Date: 16th November, 2025.
Location: Tararua Forest Park, Waiohine Gorge.
People: Craig and me.
Huts visited: Tutuwai Hut (0 nights), Cone Hut (0 nights).
Route: From Waiohine Gorge across Coal Stream, up Mt Reeves, down to Tutuwai Hut, along Tauwharenikau River to Cone Hut, then via track back to Waiohine Gorge.
We left Wellington at around 6.15am, expecting a drive of maybe an hour 45 minutes which was roughly accurate. After a brief rearrangement of attire, this enabled us to be crossing the bridge over the Waiohine River shortly after 8am.
Last time I went up Mt Reeves, I’d started from Waiohine Valley Road, which isn’t presently accessible, so this was the first time I’d approached it from this direction. I wasn’t fully sure how developed the route up would be, although some research beforehand had indicated it was very walkable. The way down to Coal Stream splits off shortly after the bridge. Apart from the ground-trail it wasn’t sign-posted or marked, and first impressions were that it looked like someone had simply been trying to crash down the hill to the main river. After we reached Coal Stream, though, which has one of DOC’s large orange triangles on the far side, things became much clearer and we began to notice more track markers.
I understand there was once a 3-wire bridge across Coal Stream, but it’s no longer there. The stream itself is easy to step across in dry conditions, although this other recent report from the WTMC notes that it can become impassable with heavy rain.
The climb up from the stream is steep at first, as is common climbing out of things, but it quickly becomes a more consistent and easy to follow climb – certainly by about the 250m elevation mark if not earlier. Definitely a climb, but not a really steep and clambery climb, and in the sunshine it was fairly pleasant.
Craig and I have a common interest in navigating, which is useful because with some groups I’ve found if I try to practice keeping track of where I am with map and compass, others are already well ahead by following phones or other devices, and it’s hard to keep up or to figure stuff out without simply being told or have someone walk on ahead. Craig, however, was very accommodating of my glaring at a map and asking for feedback on whether he agreed and how correct I was.
On the way up, very shortly before meeting the route up from the closed farm-land, the track takes a sharp turn to the right off about .745. We briefly over-walked this, and after detecting a distinct change in the surroundings, a check of the bearing indicated we’d veered south and were heading back down towards the farm. With a 20 second back-track it was apparent we’d stepped over a bunch of sticks someone had left at the exact point where it’d have made sense to sharply turn to the right, and we rapidly found another marker.
Therefore, at around 10am, we reached the junction with the old track down to the private farm-land. It’s marked by an old-looking DOC sign (DOC asset #068743, just in case you’re wondering), warning that the 3-wire bridge over Coal Stream has been removed. If you happen to be walking out from Tutuwai Hut, and intend to exit at Waiohine Gorge Road instead of accidentally hitting the private farm-land down the old track, then keep an eye out for this sign. It marks the moment where you should make sure you’re following the appropriate route.
For ourselves, turning right, the track continued under trees until maybe the 740m elevation mark at which point we strolled outwards into direct sunshine highlighting the reds of the dracophyllum.
Along this part is a very gentle ascent for a while, which passes a big GNS marker for what it considers to be the centre of New Zealand’s extended continental shelf. I’d thought there was already one of those somewhere in Nelson. The Nelson thing is probably a centre of something else to do with New Zealand.
Standing alongside the centre of the continental shelf, Craig and I felt very balanced, but soon determined we’d need to continue through the sunshine towards the top of Mt Reeves, meeting four people and a small dog along the way who’d spent the night at Tutuwai. We stopped on the top of Reeves at about 11am for a few minutes to apply more sunblock. There’s a small cutting in the scrub which looks like it’s been used for a campsite.
Next came a relatively gentle descent – at least for a while – with a great view opposite of Marchant Ridge as well as parts of the Main Range peeking out from behind it. The forest down this side of the ridge was notably impressive for us, with many juvenile and mature Rimu trees and Lancewood. Craig had his walking poles out. I’ve never owned any for any length of time, but I’ve been wondering about getting some. I found a big grunty stick to keep me company.
The 600m descent was relatively easy, with care. We arrived at Tutuwai Hut at 12.25pm, around 1h15m after leaving the top of Mt Reeves. Nobody was home, which was not surprising in the middle of the day. We stopped to write in the book and for a brief lunch, overlooking the clearing in front of the Tauwharenikau River from the hut’s balcony. Then we departed around 15 minutes after arrival, leaving the wood-shed one big grunty stick richer than it’d been before we arrived.
From here there’s an easy and flat track alongside the true left of the river, although it’s necessary to cross the river to reach either of the Block XVI track or the Omega track up to Marchant Ridge, and that wouldn’t be possible in high flow. We didn’t need to go up either, but we stopped for a few minutes at around 1pm so I could get my boots wet and so Craig could go for a short swim.
We reached Cone Hut shortly after 2pm after a fairly casual stroll along the track on the flats. Cone Hut, as many will know, is the second oldest hut remaining in the range (after Field Hut). The table outside looks even older. For some reason I’d had in my head that it had a dirt floor, although if it did then it no longer does.
15 minutes later, by 2.20pm, we were away again and heading along the more direct route up the hill which bypasses Cone Saddle. It’s roughly a 300m climb to the junction at the higher end of that triangle, which we arrived at after about 40 minutes, passing a couple along the way who were walking their dog towards Cone Hut. Then another hour of very coasty gradual down-hill from point .682 to .572, after which things began dropping more steeply. Following a brief stop to natter with a couple who were walking in and heading back to Tutuwai Hut, the two of us encountered the bridge again at 4.40pm – 2 hours and 20 minutes after leaving Cone Hut.
Overall this was a nice outing in the Tararua Range. It’s very doable in a day, with adequate fitness, although I can also be made an overnight visit with staying at either Tutuwai or Cone Hut. Its main hindrance at the moment is probably that it’s not a very officially recognised route, and therefore there are a couple of places where you’d need to be switched on to ensure you’re veering off the wrong way. Another issue is that in wet weather, Coal Stream isn’t necessarily safe to cross.
After returning I did happen to listen to the November 2nd 2025 episode of Jerry’s Tararua Fever podcast. In that episode he interviews David Barnes, speaking on behalf of the Walking Access Commission. David reckoned that, as well as someone having been cleaning up the route voluntarily (thanks!), DOC is apparently looking at making it more accessible as a loop walk. This is particularly motivated by the complications of the recently-blocked access from Waiohine Valley Road further south.
For wet weather trips, I’ve since wondered if this might mean a return of the 3-wire bridge. Or at least a 2-wire bridge. Or a cableway. Or maybe a rope swing. Or a tunnel underneath the stream, or some other structure for the water to flow over so people can pass safely underneath. Or some trampolines to aid longer jumps. Or a human cannon on each side of the stream, with opposing crash-pads and a plentiful supply of helmets. Or maybe DOC could build a large wall to block off the water, because the Waingawa River already has lots of water and it’ll be a few years of good loop-walking until the resulting lake rises high enough to overflow back down into the Tauwharenikau Valley. Until then, however, I guess we’ll have to make sensible decisions about crossing Coal Stream for the occasional times when the water’s up.
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