Rangiwahia Hut and Deadman's Track - Take Two

Ever since our last adventure up to Rangiwahia and Deadman's track we have been desperate to go back. You may remember our "icy" account of this tramp back in July, well we have been waiting for the chance to go back and see the views from the top that were hidden in fog last time.

We decided this time to do the track in two days so we could really enjoy the sights and take it easy; so after work yesterday we headed up the first part (which is only about two hours) to the Rangiwahia Hut.

There are some challenging parts to this track - thanks to the big slip that turned this "easy" tramp into a more moderate one with a good 40 minute detour that climbs up and around (essentially you are lifting your legs up as high as they will go and pulling yourself up the side of the mountain for a good 40 min! ha...It's a great workout, let me tell you!)
The day was perfect with good cloud coverage to shield us from the sun, and a light breeze flowing through to cool us off while we tramped uphill!

This is a really cool wooden bridge that overlooks a deep gorge - I remember this one well as it was covered completely in ice when we crossed it last time!

Cool view from the bridge!

Not long after arriving at the hut the sky started to change into the most brilliant colors as evening began to fall. We came to the hut right at dinner time so our plan worked brilliantly. We met three other folks that were tramping together and a hunter and those were the only other ones up there. They were such lovely people (from Palmy), and the hunter from Wellington. It is awesome how you just go into the huts here and make friends with other trampers and just sit around the table chatting way into the evening! It's great....I love NZ, man!
There was a beautiful sunset last night so we were really lucky! We played rummy and sat around talking to the other folks on into the evening. I confess that I did not get a good sleep, but that is because I was not dressed warm enough for the chilly mountain air! Next time I am bringing my long johns!
This morning we woke up nice and early and got a fresh start with the cool morning air. If you really focus you can see Mt. Ruapehu in the distance, but this picture has been downsized to load faster for your computer.
While Travis cannot cook or anything at home, it is so amazing to have him cook for me when we go tramping! I love it! Doesn't matter if it's only minute noodles or porridge - when you are out like this it feels like a five course meal!
This is the Rangiwahia Hut - holds 12, but there were only 6 of us which was nice and comfortable.
This morning we took the Deadman's Track up the ridge line to the summit and then back down and around. It was absolutely a gorgeous morning! We were able to really see all the mountain views that we missed last time, so this was great.
Tramping through the tussock grass is not easy going;however. You really cannot see where you are stepping and it will just drop down into mud holes and such so you really have to be careful. This bit of the tramp was probably the most slow going just trying to keep a good footing.
And yes, that is me at summit - the crazy girl in the stupid orange shorts! ha - People, let me remind you that tramping is NOT a fashion show!
Eventually this trail drops down into a forest path. It is really well maintained and in some places even has old stairs kind of built in...Don't let that fool you; however, because it is still a constant down-hill tramp from there on and it does wear on your joints after a while. I definitely still count this as an easy track, but it's just a fair warning that it can still be hard on your legs after a while.So, that was us! We didn't carry watches but our best judge of time according to the last time we looked at the hut and at the car we think it took roughly 3.5 hours coming down (may have been closer to 4).

This fantastic tramp was only an hour from our house, so definitely doable to anyone around this area. As we proved back in July you can even do it in one day and make it back in time for work that night! (Although not recommended.) This was a wonderful weekend and a great way for us to get away for a little bit on my last weekend before school starts up again. It was a great adventure, and we look forward to going up here again - perhaps next time we will venture down to Triangle Hut and see what that is all about.