Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8
WARNING
Wind, fog and rain are the park's trademarks: the Tararuas are exposed to westerly
winds that funnel through the gap between the North and South Islands. The range is
often the first thing the airstreams hit, which they do with full force, smacking against
the high ridges and peaks. At times it's almost impossible to stand upright in the wind,
especially with a backpack on. On average, the summits and peaks are fogbound two
days out of three.
Storms arrive with little warning and have dumped more than 300mm of rain in a
single day. Trampers must be prepared to spend an extra day in a hut if such storms
blow in, because they quickly reduce visibility in the uplands and cause rivers to flood
dangerously.
8
Planning
MAPS
The Tararuas are covered by
NewTopo Tararua Tramps 1:55,000.
INFORMATION
St; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3.30pm Sat)
handles bookings, passes and information for na-
tional and local parks and tracks. Closer to the park, the
Wairarapa Area Office
( 06-377
0700;
www.doc.govt.nz;
220 South Rd; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri)
provides detailed information on the
Tararua Forest Park and sells hut tickets.
8
Getting Around
Holdsworth Lodge, in the Mt Holdsworth recreation area, is reached from SH2 by turning
west onto Norfolk Rd, just south of Masterton. Norfolk Rd leads into Mt Holdsworth Rd,
which ends at the recreation area, 15km from SH2.
If you don't have your own vehicle, getting to Holdsworth Lodge can be a bit tricky.
Masterton Radio Taxi
( 06-378 2555)
charges around $65 for the trip. Or you can call the
Holdsworth Lodge caretaker and see if you can arrange a lift if they are coming into town.
Then there's hitching. The roads aren't quite the hitchhiker's nightmare they appear to be on
the map - there are a number of farms along the way, and between the farmers and day visit-
ors to the park, you can usually pick up a ride if you're patient. See our info on hitching
(
Click here
)
.
