Hiking and Camping the Kaimanawa Mountains: Thunderbolt Route
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- An absolutely stunning loop in Kaimanawa Forest Park, intended to be a 3 day trip, but ended up being an overnighter. After biking to the start of the Urchin Track, I climb to the Urchin tops, drop to the Waipakihi River valley, climb back up on to the Middle Range and camp at around 1500m. The next day I continue on to Thunderbolt, taking in spectacular scenery and arrive at Waipakihi Hut. Making good time, I decide to continue walking and finish the loop via the Umukarikari Range.
Music is my own.
Nice one, love that campsite on the middle range 👍
Thanks very much for watching, cheers
Oh to be young and fit again! Thanks for your vlog I got vicarious enjoyment out of it. Looks like a great walk!
I try to have a good bash when I can! Thanks very much for watching
You are very blessed with beautiful vistas in New Zealand and I know you appreciate everything and never take your land for granted. Keep sharing!
Thank you very much and well said!
A great tramp and a great video! It brought back memories when I went over Umukarikari to Waipakihi Hut, & back down the Waipakihi River & then over to Urchin and down to the road. Thank you very much! Ol' Pete.
Thank you Pete. That was my first trip in the area. It's an incredible area. Cheers
stunning place, one of my faves.
Magic place, cheers!
Just fantastic work my friend, landscapes are literally breathtaking here. Amazing work🔥
Thanks very much, I really appreciate it!
Great vid man!
Ayy cheers bro, good to see you lurking!
Thank you for reminding me of how much I loved the few trips I did into the Kaimanawa's. The ridge top walking and views totally made up for the relentless grinding climbs (so they seemed to me after the crazy rush of planning for the following week's teaching plus sleepless Friday nights) from the Desert Road side. A wonderful video of my favourite place.
Thanks for watching Robin. It's a truly stunning place to tramp. A real gem of the North Island.
Epic trip bro. Looks like you had great weather for it! Cool bit of inversion going on below thunderbolt there. Cool music aswell.
Cheers
Thanks man, an epic and long overdue trip. Appreciate it bro
Hey buddy, I save some videos to watch for stormy rainy nights and it's one of those nights here. Here's an interesting fact for you, Ben nevis is the highest mountain in the UK at 1345 meters. And your first hill Urchin was 1392m. The psychology of it is of interest to me, there it's just another mountain or even a hill, here it's a major destination and a real achievement to climb it. You were even camping I think even higher? Very talented with your music, hope you're keeping well, good watch, take care, Chris
Thanks so much for your time Chris. I agree the psychology is interesting! I suppose people adapt their normal to their environment wherever they are in the world. Some good climbs on this trip although the carpark is already at 700m. I camped just under 1500m. Weather has been terrible this winter so haven't been able to get out much, but doing well otherwise. Thanks very much again, hope you're well too!
See any deer in your travels?
Yep, I occasionally bump into one, of course when I'm not actively hunting with a rifle! Spooked 2 in the Kaweka last week
Always the way@@ReviloNZwalks
Enjoyed your video, have thought about this loop myself and using the bike is a really good idea. Is the route on the Thunderbolt tops area reasonably obvious?
Thanks very much Jason. The bike has worked well for me on a lot of Kaimanawa trips. I found navigation very straightforward (of course in the great weather I had) and nothing gnarly or technical. I had the usual GPS maps and compass just in case, which would be essential in low vis as there wasn't always ground trail.
Thanks for taking the time to film and edit. Is there any water up on the tops or do you carry it up? Was this before or after Cyclone Gabriel, much windfall damage if after? Cheers
@@fatbellydog Thanks Shane. I carried extra water thinking the same but there was good water at my campsite (saddle between main ridge and pt 1558) and also some boggy tarns on the saddle just north of Thunderbolt (would filter though). This was 2 weeks ago. I was expecting some rough windfall on the tracks up to the Middle Range but they were fine. The Waipakihi end is just a little overgrown. Quite a lot of windfall on the Umukarikari track but it's a prominent enough route to not cause any nav issues. Cheers