Saturday 14th September - Sunday 15th September 2024
Location: Holdsworth Road end, Carterton, Wairarapa.
Turn off State Highway 2 onto Norfolk Road, 2 km south of Masterton. This is signposted and there is a timber processing plant on the corner. Follow Norfolk Road 15 km to Holdsworth road end.
Whenever we embark on our tramps in the Wairarapa, our first stop is always the Featherston playground. Nestled conveniently as we cross the Remutaka Range from Wellington, it’s become our ritual gathering spot.
What draws us to Featherston? For starters, the coffee is good—perfect for fueling our adventures ahead. And let’s not forget the bakery; it’s nothing short of superb. Picking up some fresh pastries is an added bonus that makes our pre-hike meet-up even more enjoyable. As you make your way toward Holdsworth, you inevitably lose cellphone reception, so good to meet prior to that.
The track starts at the Holdsworth car park just out of Carterton. There are toilets there so we usually spend a while mucking around (the next toilets are about 2.5hrs away).
The lodge is about 2min up the track, be sure to stop there and sign the intentions book. It’s a simple but important step to ensure safety for everyone on the trails.
After this you head over a bridge, follow the signs to the Gentle Annie track on your left. It’s well marked, so you can’t miss it! The first 15 minutes is easy and allows everyone to adjust gear—taking things off, putting them back on, and perhaps taking a few layers off again before you tackle the Gentle Annie.
Speaking of the Gentle Annie, it’s a curious track. Although it’s wide and not overly steep, it always feels like an uphill battle for at least an hour. You’ll hear the collective huffing and puffing of fellow hikers, all wondering when the ascent will end. Somehow, it always feels longer than it really is. We recommend taking it slow—stop often and soak in the stunning bush surroundings. There’s no rush; enjoy the journey!
Once you pop out of the tree line, look for the signpost to Rocky Point Lookout. It’s a great spot to take a breather and shouldn’t be missed, as it’s just a short distance up the track. On a clear day, the views are breathtaking, and there’s a giant rock that’s perfect for the kids to explore. Just be cautious—watching them dangle off the ledge will definitely give your heart rate a boost!
After a bit of a play we continued up the track, from here it gets easier. You come to one intersection which takes you left to Totara Flats or right onto Powell Hut. Great signage!
There's also a board walk as you get closer to Mountain House Shelter.
Mountain House Shelter is the perfect place for another stop. It’s a nice little shelter with benches, a metal cooking table and water (and a long drop). We had lunch here and prepared ourselves for the tricky part of the tramp.
From Mountain House Shelter, the real challenge began. At first, it felt similar to the Gentle Annie, but it didn’t take long before the steepness kicked in.
You ascend through a enchanting goblin forest, with an increasing number of steps.
The rumors are indeed true: there are a lot of stairs! While the adults often tried to navigate around them, we decided to turn it into a challenge for the kids. They were tasked with counting every single step, and the closest guesser would win a prize.
There are several rocky outcrops that you can stop at to take in some spectacular views… but as you can see, we had a very typical Tararua's day.
After some serious huffing and puffing, we finally made it to Powell Hut. As we gasped for breath, we couldn’t help but notice the kids up front, looking back at us with playful smirks, clearly enjoying our struggle up the hill. Their mockery only fueled our determination to keep going! Nothing like a little friendly teasing from the younger generation to keep the spirits high!
Powell Hut is beautiful and relatively new having been rebuilt in the last few years following a lightning strike. It has four bedrooms at the south end and a big communal area to the north. Just outside the communal area is the woodshed and beyond that the long drops. We had a big group but managed to fit ourselves into the two larger rooms. It was a full hut so keeping warm wasn't an issue, keeping the kids quiet in the morning so people could sleep was harder.
On Day two, we decided we wanted to take a different route back. We returned back down the hill to Mountain House Shelter where we had a quick stop then continued on the track to the River Ridge Track turn off (it’s on your left, just before the boardwalk).
River Ridge Track was a bit of a mud slide, not that the kids were complaining... the mud was broken up by tree roots to scamper across. The kids played ‘mud is lava’, giving each other 3 lives and seeing who would survive the longest without slipping in the mud.
On the map the River Ridge Track looks like its faster, unless you are ready for the technical walking you'll likely find its slightly longer :)
At the bottom of the River Ridge you hit the Atiwhakatu Track (where you take a right back towards the Holdsworth carpark). It meanders above the Te Whakaturakau Stream, back to Donnelly Flats and the Mt Holdsworth carpark beyond.
There’s lots of fun places to explore - the tree with the face tends to make monsters of us all.
The easy ending to our tramp gave us all a great opportunity to recap on the two day adventure, as well as coordinating with the group where to stop for ice creams on the way home.
Age of Kids: Miss 9 and Master 12 (Plus 2x 10yr olds, an 11yr old and a 13 yr old)
Walking Time: 4.5 hours up and 3.5 hours down
Length: 10-11km
Difficulty: Hard
Buggy Friendly: No
Amenities: There are toilets and water in the Holdsworth carpark and running water, toilets (a long drop) at Mountain House Shelter. Powell Hut has running water, gas hobs, a fireplace and toilets (2x long drops). Lights! (Yip, there are solar panels)
We always bring our own cooker though just encase the gas runs out at the hut.
Dogs: You can, but there is often poison drops in the Tararua's so check out the DOC website
Be Aware: Like with any Tararua tramp come prepared for all weather conditions (check out our Tramping 101 post)
Kids Rating (0-10)
Overall Fun Factor: 10
Legendary Factor: 9.5
Would we do it again?: 8
Exhaustion Factor: 10
Getting There: Holdsworth Carpark
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