Having survived another Winter, we decided to dust off our walking boots and head for a new and unventured part of New Zealands’ back country. Our new adventure takes us to the South Eastern most tip of the North Island, Kawakawa Station and its 2 day 2 night walk. We arrived later afternoon at Kawakawa Cottage to be greeted by our hosts, the Furniss family. After our briefing on the following days walk we were left in our modest, yet comfortable accommodation to enjoy the tasty and generous portioned meals that they had supplied for us.
We awoke the next morning to a brilliant Wairarapa day, cooked fresh farm eggs for our breakfast and set off on the journey complete with lunches in our daypacks to experience untrodden territory. The walk itself was challenging yet full of surprises. Breathtaking views through native bush framed paintings across the rugged farmland then tumbled across a rock strewn coastline. The greeny blue depths of Cook Strait spread out before us, with the almost mythical snow capped ranges of the Kaikouras just visible through the heat haze of the day.
We passed through several saddles in our day which sported signs such as; Floodgate Gully Saddle and Kowhai Saddle with its abundance of Kowhai trees. There were seats placed at regular intervals which gave us an opportunity to rest our legs and soak in the surrounding scenery and tranquility.
The well marked track led us to our accommodation for the night, the “Purple Hut”. The colour, so history has it, was created by many friends getting together with odds and ends of paint in pots and hey presto the hut was repainted and renamed! Our bags awaited us there along with a hot shower (inside) to wash away the days toil. The fridge was full of a feast of food ready for us to prepare with minimum effort and indulge; our hosts had popped our wine in too so it was chilled and ready for pre dinner drinks. The evening was spent taking in our peaceful surroundings and discussing our day’s journey before retiring to our bunks very relaxed.
The following morning we woke to the birdsong of Tuis and Bellbirds in the abounding trees. After a nice lie in followed by a casual breakfast we wandered down the Otakaha stream to arrive back at Kawakawa Cottage. Here we were able to grab a shower and our bags had already been collected ready for us to load in the car.
Thanking our hosts for an extremely pleasant experience we took the time to take in Cape Palliser lighthouse and the seal colony. The Putangirua Pinnacles were close by so we seized the opportunity to have a look, after all it was one of the Lord of the Rings film sites! Then onward to our journey home and some great memories.
Fact file: 2 hours drive from Wellington. 40 minutes from Martinborough towards Lake Ferry then follow the coastal road. 26km from Lake Ferry.
The Tora Coastal Walk
The Tora Coastal Walk celebrated 10 years of operation in 2005 and continues to be one of the best-loved privately run walks New Zealand has to offer.
The walk is situated in the Southern Wairarapa just outside Martinborough, a town renowned for it’s fantastic restaurants and fine wineries.
The three-day walk encompasses a variety of stunning and diverse scenery: expansive farmland, native bush, river valleys and the spectacular Tora coastline.
Spend each night enjoying the rural ambience of the three unique cottages whilst dining on the finest produce our region has to offer. The walk is family owned and operated and you will experience warm, rural hospitality from the people who own and farm the land.
The Tora Coastal Walk is a three day, three night adventure which encompasses private hill country coastal farms, river valleys, native bush walks, expansive ridge-tops (with unsurpassed 360 degree views of the Wairarapa) meandering creek walks and the spectacular Tora coastline. Over the past 13 years it has attracted a wide range of age groups - from as young as 5 years of age through to the grand age of 85 years!! The Tora Coastal Walk is a popular way to spend quality time with family, work-mates, and friends. The diversity of the walk and the high standard of gourmet food provided are the reasons why the TCW continues to be renowned as one of the most popular private walks in New Zealand.
You arrive anytime after 4pm the night before you start your walk. Groups are limited to 14 people per day, on a circular one-way track: No re-tracing steps, or bumping into other groups ! The TCW is not recommended for children under 4 years of age.
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