The Orongorongo Track

This weekend we initiated our kids into the world of overnight tramping, and took them on a 2 day hike in the Rimutaka Ranges (a native forest just a short drive east of Wellington).

We used to go tramping a lot (before kids) and we've been wanting to get back into it for a long while, but when Molly and Alfie were little it was fairly difficult to do. Many people had told us that the Orongorongo Track in the Rimutakas was a great one to start your younger children with, so it was with lots of excitement and a little bit of trepidation that we set off on the track on Saturday morning.

It was a drizzly but warm and muggy morning and the kids were simply BURSTING with excitement to start with. They set off up the track faster than we could have hoped for, holding hands all the way (so cute) and for the first hour or so we made great progress!

I must say, I hadn't expected the upward climb as all our Wellingtonian friends had told us it was a flat track. As a very hilly city, "flat" obviously means something very different to the people of Wellington! But it wasn't too steep really, it just undulated gently up and down - with a couple of short, steeper parts in places.

After a while the cloud melted away and the sun came out, warming us up and tiring Alfie out. We soon had to revert to giving out jelly beans every kilometre, counting all the 23 bridges, and singing Christmas songs at the top of our voices to keep him going (much to the amusement/horror of the other trampers we passed).



Some friends had taken their children on the Orongorongo Track a few months ago and had taken 4.5 hours to get to the hut. We'd expected a similar timing as our children are roughly the same ages.

So we were amazed to find ourselves completing the entire 6.4 kms in just 2 hours and 40 minutes! (In hindsight, we were perhaps a little harsh on the kids as we had only allowed them one 5 minute stop in the entire walk).

The next major excitement came when we first spotted our hut in a clearing in the woods. The Department of Conservation own and maintain hundreds of huts, cabins and lodges throughout New Zealand and all the ones we've stayed in so far have been great. This one was no exception. Turere Lodge was in a simply amazing setting by the river - the view from our bedroom window was like something I normally couldn't afford to pay for in a hotel!

After dumping our backpacks and wolfing down some lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon paddling around in the river. Despite the now-very-warm day, the water was * freezing * cold but the kids managed to while away the whole afternoon wading up and down.

The hut has brilliant cooking facilities - a fully equipped kitchen and a barbeque outside, so you only have to carry your food and sleeping bags. We had a late-ish dinner as the sun went down and then we all crashed out and fell asleep by 9 o'clock.

Lucky we were early to bed, because Alfie woke up several times in the night scared because he didn't know where he was, and by ten to seven we were all awake and ready to get started on Day 2.

We had breakfast and some leisurely mugs of hot chocolate at the hut and then set off on the 6.4 km hike back. Day 2 was similar to Day 1 with some river paddling and jelly beans featuring highly, apart from the fact that it was now 28 degrees and there was no cloud. The weather, the lack of sleep, and the fact that the kids were still tired from the previous day's walking made it much harder on the way back. But despite allowing a 10 minute lunch stop this time (!), we made it out in 2 hours 30 minutes, faster than the way in!

We've all returned home very tired today - especially Molly and Alfie - but we had the most fun we've had in ages!

For anyone thinking of tramping with children,  we say GO FOR IT! The tramping is relatively easy and the DOC huts are perfect. Just don't forget your jelly beans!