A Weekend Trip From Wellington
Wellington, the capital city tucked in between the hills and the harbour, makes an excellent starting point for day or weekend trips away. Whether you decide to drive, take a bus, a train or a ferry, after travelling for even just half an hour you can feel right out in the middle of nowhere. If you want to visit somewhere that is really remote though, or fancy exploring the surrounding area then driving is probably the easiest option and with several car hire companies in Wellington starting at about $40 a day, it is not unaffordable.
Recently, I decided that I wanted to get away from the city and planned a weekend camping trip up to the Wairarapa, the region just north of Wellington. The Department of Conservation in New Zealand maintains campsites throughout the country and I found one of these at the Waiohine Gorge, just outside the town of Carterton.
Into The Wilderness
After borrowing a tent and creating a road-trip playlist, we set off one Friday evening, heading up over the mountain pass and into the Wairarapa, watching the burning orange sky as the sun went down over the capital. After just a couple of hours, we arrived in Carterton and went in search of our campsite, which, it turned out was at the very end of a 9 km-long gravel track. It was dark by this point and I was actually quite glad I couldn't see over the edge as we snaked down into the Gorge. Unfortunately, after managing to put our tent up by torchlight, we realised that we were going to have to contend with the gravel road again if we wanted some dinner. Luckily, Carterton has lots of places to eat and after stocking the car with cans of tuna, crisps and cider, we spent our first evening of 'intrepid' camping eating pizza in a café.
Once back at our tent however, it felt a bit more like we were actually in the middle of nowhere, listening to the river rushing through the bottom of the gorge and enjoying the stars. However, this feeling of remoteness suddenly vanished when a car full of teenagers screeched into the car-park, somewhat spoiling the feeling of being out in the Kiwi wilderness.
Pizza For Breakfast
The next morning however, I woke up to a spectacular view of the Waiohine Gorge; the steep, green hillsides towering above the river winding through the valley and a brilliant blue sky without a cloud in sight - not too bad for autumn! After a breakfast of cold pizza, we set off on a hike. First things first though, we had to cross a very long and fragile-looking suspension bridge high above the gorge. Although I didn't fancy stopping in the middle, it was hard not to be blown away by the stunning surroundings (although luckily only figuratively!).
A Hike In The Woods
Having made it to other side, we had a choice of tracks, either a flat one along the river or one up through the hills. I'm not quite sure why, but we chose the hilly one and it really was one of the steepest walks I've ever done. The track immediately headed straight up the side of the hills and it just didn't stop. After 40 minutes of walking and the realisation that we had only gone 1 km, we started having second thoughts about our choice. I had at least hoped that we might be rewarded for our efforts with a lookout over the gorge but no such luck. Having walked for around 3 hours and covered only 4.5 km, we finally reached the Cone Hut that we had been aiming for.
A small wooden hut dating from the 1940's, complete with sleeping mattresses, a fireplace and a picnic table, it was a welcome sight after our tough walk. After a quick sandwich and a chat with a hunter who had arrived to stay the night, we had to get started on our return walk so we weren't out in the bush while darkness descended. Eventually we made it back to our tent, exhausted but unscathed and in daylight, with enough time for a quick nap before the drive back up the gravel track to find some food.
A Visit To Stonehenge
The following day was time to leave, with a visit to Stonehenge Aotearoa on the drive home. This turned out to be a slightly underwhelming version of the original stones in the southern English countryside, neatly constructed from grey concrete, by the looks of it, in somebody's back garden but it does apparently work just like the original. Just an hour and a half's drive later and we were back in the city with a renewed appreciation of the beauty of this country, something which can often be forgotten while going about daily life.
