Mt. Holdsworth Hike

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It was late in the week in late November when Nimarta and I got invited to join a big hiking trip in the mountains north of Wellington. Not having any real plans, we said why not and joined a group of 21 (mostly from my office) on an adventure to Mt. Holdsworth.

Most of the group went up Friday night and camped out, but I wanted to do some things after work and decided to just drive up early Saturday morning. My friend from work picks us up at about 6:15 AM and we're on the road. We were told to be there by 8 so we wanted to get there with time to spare. After one stop for food we make it to the trailhead/campsite by 8 AM. The rest of the group was up and cooking breakfast. I snack on leftover bacon and cheese while the group gets prepared to go. There are 21 people in all, so you can imagine how tough it is to get everyone coordinated.

We set off on the trail around 9:45 (yes, we should have slept another two hours, oh well). Nimarta and I have one large backpack and one small backpack between us. In the large pack I have some sheets for mattresses, some food, and a 12 pack of beer. The beer is heavy, but a must have for the night, which we will be spending at a hut at the top of the mountain. In the small pack Nimarta has all our clothes and a few random things. Our final destination is Jumbo Hut, a wooden shelter at the top of the mountain that sleeps 20. We have about 10 kilometers to go to reach the hut. Word on the street is it takes about 4 hours. There's a map and elevation graph at the start of the trail. It looks like it stays flat for a long time then goes straight up for a few km's to the hut. It looks steep, but I decide that it's just an exaggeration. We'll be fine.

The first 2 hours on the trail are pleasant. The sun is starting to come up but it's not too hot. We cross multiple bridges. Some of them are like those loose hanging jungle bridges you see in the movies that are always collapsing as someone is trying to run across. These bridges have a limit of one person on at a time. Better follow the rules, don't want to end up like those guys in the movies. There are also some steel suspension bridges, wooden bridges, and steel plate bridges. It's like they tried to make one of every single type of bridge possible. It adds some variety to the mainly flat first half of the trek.

We arrive at the first hut on the trail around 11:30. This isn't our hut, but we stop for a while and have some food and rest. Everyone has heavy backpacks on so it's a good time to rest the shoulders. If only we knew what was coming next, we might have just stayed here....

As soon as we set off for the second half of the trek we are greeted by a rocky, root-covered hill that appears to be our path. "Holy crap that's steep" someone mutters out. We all agree. This is going to be rough. Now, I've done some steep hikes all over the US and world before. The steepest I've probably ever done is Camelback Mountain in Phoenix or Saddleback Mountain in Alberta, Canada. But this "trail" is right up there with those two behemoths. I'm not worried about myself. I'm in well above average physical condition and have done things like this before. But some of the others, especially the girls, are not accustomed to this. And even with my level of fitness, this is not going to be easy with a 12 pack on my back.

As we struggle up the hill the group begins to split. Nimarta tells me to go on but I tell her I'm not leaving her behind. She is having trouble breathing and getting lightheaded. She's had issues with this dizziness before, most likely caused by dehydration or an iron deficiency. So this freakishly steep trail is not helping. I grab her backpack and trek up behind her carrying both packs. Our American friends Matt and Danielle are bringing up the rear of the group with us. Danielle hasn't experienced a hike this steep before either. It's not a race, though. We'll make it up there. Hopefully my beer will still be cold.

The trail is a classic New Zealand bush walking trail. There are no views as you climb, just endless rain forest and orange triangles marking the path. We stop multiple times to refuel. Every once in a while we think we see a clearing, but it's not to be. Just a mirage in the desert. Seems like we've been on this climb forever. It didn't look that long on the map. I guess that elevation graph was pretty accurate though.

We've been truckin' it up the hill for about 2 hours when we see some people on the way down. We ask them how much further to the top and they say about 15 minutes. Finally, an end is in sight. There are no signs on the trail telling you how far to Jumbo Hut. And you can't see far in front of you with the rain forest, so it can seem like an endless maze as you head up. It's nice to finally know we will be there soon.

We power through the last haul up the steep mountain and arrive at Jumbo Hut around 2:15. The first guys have been here about 20 minutes now. Everyone looks exhausted. I'm excited to finally get this damn pack off my shoulders and drink some of my liquid weight. We claim two mattresses inside and sit down for lunch. I pop open my first beer. It's not cold, but not warm, and it tastes good after the intense hike.

It starts to rain about 30 minutes after we arrive and we are all thankful that we made it before the rain. That would have made the trail very slippery and dangerous. We'll just stay inside for now. We play some random games and then decide to go lay down for a bit. About half the group is taking a nap by now so the games have kind of died off.

By 5:00 I decide to get up and Nimarta continues sleeping. I've got a 12 pack of beer to drink. The rain has subsided and the sun is shining again. The night is spent drinking, shotgunning beers, playing card games, eating, and sitting outside enjoying the view. As the sun sets around 9:00 we all go outside to observe. The colors in the sky create orange waves in the air. It almost makes the struggle up the mountain worth it. After the sun sets we're greeted with the view of millions of stars. It's a remarkably clear night and New Zealand is one of the best places in the world to see the cosmos.

After my beers are finished I hit the sack. I'm not even drunk (4.0% ABV volume will do that) but so incredibly exhausted that I can't wait to fall asleep.

The next morning I wake up to the sound of people cooking breakfast. All I have is tuna. But that is fine with me. I don't have to do any dishes or cleaning. We're packed up and ready to go before 10 AM. The group has decided to split into two: one that wants to go the long way over the ridge and down a different path and one that wants to go back the same way, the quicker way. As much as I'd like the extra exercise, I feel like the long way would have no different views coming down than the way we came up. So Nimarta and I decide to go back the same way, down that treacherous hill. 11 people go our way and 10 head off the other way.

I had thought that the way down the trail was going be difficult as well, due to the steep nature of the hill and the lack of established trail, but we move quite fast. Not having to stop and take breaks makes the time move faster too. We reach the halfway point hut in little over an hour, about half as much time as it took us to go up the hill. We break for about 30 minutes at the hut and go sit by the river to relax. When we start up on the trail again we are sore as hell and just want to get to the car. The journey takes about the same amount of time as it did the day before and we're back in the parking lot by 2:30.

It's been a good workout and a good bonding experience with friends, but it's time to go home and relax. I am exhausted. We stop for lunch in the small town of Greytown before heading back to Wellington. Till next time!

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