Sunday, 4 October 2020
Location: Remutaka Hill Road, SH2
This was a short walk - it's a bit of a climb but we thought that the track was well maintained, it zig zags up the hill so we never found it got too steep. In saying that - the wind near the summit was something else! We had to hold onto the kids to make sure they didn't blow away. We were at the summit for about 30 seconds, admired the view (through squinted eyes), held onto the seat for dear life and wondered if there would ever actually be a day still enough to sit and enjoy the view.
We read the below summary on the Greater Wellington Regional Council website and thought it was a great summary of the Remutaka's.
The summit of the Remutaka Hill Road, SH2 is well known to motorists as a wild place. The road is often shrouded in mist and scoured by severe northwest gales, and sometimes closed by snow in winter.
The forest that once covered this mountainous landscape was once as luxuriant as that you can see today on the Akatarawa Road just 20 km to the west. But the Remutaka Hill forests were burned off more than 130 years ago when the road was built.
The fire damage was particularly severe on the drier northwest-facing slopes. Rain subsequently washed away much of the soil and the slopes were then colonised by gorse.
The Te Ara Tirohanga (formerly the Remutaka Trig Track) starts near the summit of the Remutaka Hill Road (555m) and climbs to the northern crest of the Remutaka Range (725m). The track zig-zags its way up the exposed slope, where native trees and shrubs have slowly returned. Low forest, tightly packed shrubland and alpine grasses and lichens are found on the way to the summit. On a clear day you get superb views of southern Wairarapa including Lake Wairarapa and from the Aorangi Mountains south to Cape Palliser. Take your camera!
Age of Kids: Miss 5 & Master 8
Walking Time: 1 hour return
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs: On a leash only
Buggy Friendly: No
Things to be aware of: Wear windproof clothing and strong footwear, as the terrain is rocky and exposed.