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A ridge too far
Tauanui Hut and Te Maunga, Aorangi Forest Park
Tucked away from the excitement of Martinborough and the Instagrammable stripes of Cape Palliser is a corner of Aorangi Forest Park that seldom sees trampers. Tauanui Hut sits isolated from the rest of the huts in the park, frequented mostly by hunters and the odd stag. Towering above the hut is Aorangi Forest Park’s second tallest peak, Te Maunga, at 979m. As my last hut check off in the park, I couldn’t resist a visit.
Tauanui Hut
Information on access to Tauanui Hut online is few and far between. DOC make some vague mention on their website about access being across private land, but provide nothing further. With no response to our email inquiring further Rebecca and I decided to go check it out anyway. We bounced merrily down Whakatomotomo Road before turning off down the unmarked gravel road that leads to the Tauanui Valley. Rebecca’s Subaru took this like a champ, but we had to admit defeat when we reached a slip that had brought trees down over the road. We parked the car up on the side of the road before setting off up the valley on foot.
