Hiking the Timber Trail, via Bog Inn Hut

“Do we stay here and keep dry, or do we push on another 5 kms to Camp 10 and hopefully erect our tents in between the showers of rain?”  This was part of Yvonne and my conversation as we rested in a beautiful old wooden restored hut at Camp 11 on the Timber Trail. Little did we know what was about to hit us rain-wise!

I have previously cycled and hiked the Timber Trail, but this was Yvonne’s first.  I was keen to show her and let her experience this beautiful part of the central North Island.  Our plan was for three nights on the trail, one night in a hut, and two nights in our tents.

I found out later there are 31 bridges including spectacular suspension bridges. The trail has many single-track sections, mixed in with wider flowing tracks and gravel road sections – in other words, plenty of variety.

Start – Bog Inn Hut (20 kms)

On Wednesday, 25 January, 2023 we were dropped off at the top of the trail by Epic Shuttles.  We shared the van with three middle-aged men from Whangarei who were going to cycle the trail in one day.  They were obviously good mates by way they joked, laughed, and conversed.

The weather was overcast, and the temperature was mild.  We could see heavy dark clouds moving slowly towards the southeast behind Mt Pureora. Not always a good sign.

Those of you that have cycled the trail know how beautiful the bush is. It is a mix of impressive podocarp forests of rimu, totara, miro, matai, kahikatea, and secondary native undergrowth. And being surrounded and amongst these giants of the forest is very soothing and restoring to the soul.

The trail is easy to follow, the surface pretty even and solid underfoot – no thinking of where to place your feet – thank goodness for cycle trails. This enabled us to set a steady pace.

Yvonne had read on a website that extra water should to be carried, so we both carried an extra 2 litres each which of course adds more weight (1 litre = 1 kg)!!  It turned out there were plenty of access points to streams, but by that stage, we were too scared to empty out our water just in case the hut didn’t have a good supply.

The trail gently climbs to 940m above sea level. A variety of cyclists passed us on the trail, some stopping and chatting others racing past.  We did meet two mums and their sons (who were on muscle-powered bikes) completing the trail.  They’d pass us and then we’d pass them resting, as the boys were struggling with the uphill climb.  But on the downhill section, those two boys raced passed up – enjoying the rewards of their hard work and never to be seen again.

Bog Inn Hut

The turn-off to Bog Inn hut was a welcome sight. It’s a narrow unmaintained track that took us approximately 45 minutes.  Towards the end of the day seeing the hut is always a highlight and something you look forward to.  Both Yvonne and I were feeling tired and couldn’t wait to offload our packs.

Seeing the hut roof first amongst the forest was a relief. Always a highlight of our day and something we always look forward to.  We knew the hut was old (built in 1962), so we didn’t have high expectations about its condition. The good news though, it had four bunks, running water, a long-drop toilet (not that smelly), a long wooden table that was heavily carved with people’s names and initials along with two long wooden seats. Plus, outside under cover two good-sized stainless-steel benches – what more could a hiker ask for?  There was a gaping hole in the floor where the pot belly was to go (a good place for possums, rats, and mice to enter the hut was the thought that crossed my mind). At present, the pot belly was resting on the floor beside one of the bunks.

Choosing our bunk and emptying our packs are the first things we do when we get to a hut.  After a much-needed and appreciated hot drink, it was time to test out how comfortable the bunks were.  It wasn’t long before both Yvonne and I were resting our bodies and fast asleep.  Those sleeps or ‘recovery naps’ as I like to call them are the best – you feel so good afterward.

Hut companion

The Timber Trail is part of the Te Araroa Trail (TA), so we weren’t surprised when a TA walker Michael from New Orleans arrived.  A lovely young man just finished university and giving himself three months to hike TA.  He often walks 40 + kms per day!!

A very pleasant evening was spent cooking and enjoying our dinner, chatting with Michael and hearing about his life and adventures and finally crawling into our sleeping bags for a much-needed sleep.

Bog Inn Hut – Piropiro Campsite (21 kms)

The next morning, we were soon back on the trail after drinking an enjoyable cup of coffee and eating a nutritious breakfast (of muesli topped with dehydrated kiwi fruit).  This is my go-to breakfast every day.  Then packing our packs.  The last job before leaving any hut is to sweep it out and ensure the bench surfaces are clean for the next lot of guests.  Michael had long gone – he was hiking 36 kms today.

It was about the 15-minute hike to join back up with the trail. I am pleased with did this little detour – well worth it.

Today the sun continued to shine and we hiked through the bush (much the same as yesterday) with the occasional forestry road to Piropiro campsite.

The simple activity of walking

Walking is such a simple activity, just one foot in front of the other – few distractions. I feel it gives my brain a complete rest from noise or electronic distractions. Sure, you hear the odd bird singing; your walking poles clicking each time they touch the ground, and chatting with companions, but it’s that silence that is so restorative.

Piropiro Campsite

Entering the Piropiro campsite was a great relief.  Fortunately for us, there was one shelter available for us to use.  With the sun still high in the sky and the temperature hot, our biggest decision was trying to decide where to erect our tents, as all the sheltered areas were already occupied by other campers/hunters. We did later find shelter amongst some trees, but by then we couldn’t be bothered moving.

There was access to water, long-drop toilets, and a table to sit at.

We were soon joined by Scott & Vicki (from Tauranga) in their campervan, along with a trailer that was carrying a 4-wheel quad bike, and firewood.  They also brought with them eight dogs (three indoor dogs and five hunting dogs).  They asked if we minded them setting up their camp next right to the shelter as they were here for the long weekend and expecting other family members and friends for a weekend of hunting and drinking.  We had a few ‘interesting’ conversations with them before crawling into our tent – hoping for a good night’s sleep!!!

At about 9 pm ish we were suddenly woken by a few rifle shots being fired somewhere in the nearby bush.  After being woken suddenly both Yvonne and I found it hard to get back to sleep.  Guess it’s all part of being at this busy campsite.

Piropiro Campsite – Camp 10 (24 kms)

We were back on the trail by 7.15 am (our earliest start yet) because we had a longer day (24 kms) and because I wanted to get across the 141 m suspension bridge before the cyclists started passing us.

As we left Piropiro campsite we could feel ‘rain in the air’, and it wasn’t long before we had to put on our wet weather gear and never took it off for the rest of the day.

Maramataha Suspension Bridge

(This bridge is the longest suspension bridge on any cycleway within NZ.  Click out this link to read about its construction.) 

The building of the suspension bridges is amazing – the skills that are required – not to mention the $s!   Even though I’m not happy walking them I sure appreciate them and the effort that has gone into selecting the right location and then constructing them.

We timed it perfectly; we had just crossed the bridge when two young female cyclists (both TA walkers cycling the trail instead of walking it) rode the bridge and then stopped for a short chat with us.

It rained most of the day, therefore our rest stops were limited, nothing worse than sitting in the rain getting cold.  Again, we were passed by many cyclists who were wet and covered in mud, no doubt happy knowing the end was not that far away for them.

Blackberries

On the side of the track, Yvonne noticed some ripe blackberries, about a dozen.  They were delicious, so sweet, and a bit tarty – what a treat. In a few weeks, they will be ripe for the picking.

Ragwort

When you see ragwort, please pull it out.  I grew up on a dairy farm in Ratapiko (Taranaki). One way we could earn a little extra pocket money was to grub scotch thistles and put something (can’t remember what) on ragwort.  I’ve just read that ragwort is poisonous to cattle and horses but not sheep and goats.  Anyway, I couldn’t help myself that every time I saw a plant – out it came. Even Yvonne got into weed control.  We were just trying to keep our landscape free of this poisonous/noxious plant.  There wasn’t a lot of ragwort but we all know how quickly it can spread.

Historic Camp 11

It was a welcome sight to see this partly restored hut (awaiting a fireplace).  We entered through the already open door and offloaded our packs – oh the relief. The billy was soon boiling and in no time all we were enjoying a hot cup of soup, with crackers, cheese, and salami. Life is pretty good eh?  Where else would we rather be?

Here we debated as to whether to push on to Camp 10 or stay here knowing we would be dry all night.  As the rain had become intermittent, we decided to push on another 5 kms to Camp 10 and hopefully erect our tents before the rain really set in.

Camp 10

Sometimes those final kilometers can seem to take ages. But because we had had a good rest the kms seem to fly by.  So, seeing the little orange roof shelter was still a welcome sight.

We quickly erected our tents before the rain really started to fall.  Thankfully we were able to store our packs and gear in the little shelter – what a difference that made to our night at Camp 10.

Unexpected visitor

We got a huge surprise to see this lone hiker heading north.  Trent was his name, and he was hiking the Te Araroa northbound.  He stopped to boil his bully and tell us his life story!!  Now, whether it was because he’d been hiking on his own or it was part of his personality, he was one of those people who never picked up on other people’s vibes – if that makes sense.   Anyway, he must have stayed at least an hour talking about himself while Yvonne and I patiently listened.  His wife had given him 120 days to do the trail, and then he must return home to Australia or else!!  Yvonne replied, “I got my husband a dog to keep him company while I’m away.”  Trent had no response to Yvonne’s comment.

While he was away refilling his water bottle, I tried to lift his pack, but could hardly move it – it was heavy (20 kgs he told us later) – no wonder he had lost 12 kgs and no longer took his blood pressure tablets!!  Finally, Trent headed off and we could get back to our evening chores – cooking dinner and preparing for bed.

A book can be a good companion

It was another early night to bed. Having a good book to read takes you on a journey and helps pass the time away.  My book of choice this time was “People and Places of Clonakilty Ireland”, stories gathered by my sister-in-law Alison Wickham (abwickham@gmail.com).   This is her third book. Alison’s previous books are about how Irish women lived their lives, cooked, and looked after their families.  Their thoughts on the past, the times they miss and don’t are some of the topics discussed.  These stories were gathered from one-to-one interviews Alison conducted.

It rained consistently all night.  I kept dry but Yvonne had the odd issue with precipitation dripping on her and she ended up having to cover herself with her survival blanket.  Not conducive to a good night’s sleep.  At least we didn’t have to worry about rising river levels and river crossings the next day!

Camp 10 to Bennet Road car park (19 kms)

“Thank goodness we had the little shelter” was all we could say.  It’s not fun packing up a wet tent in the pouring rain but what are the options?  At least we didn’t have to sleep in our tents again and could enjoy our breakfast and hot drink in the dry.

As the rain poured down and we plodded through ankle-deep puddles I said, “What does this weather remind you of Yvonne?” Sure enough, we were both on the same wavelength – hiking down near Mavora Lakes during our TA adventure last year, but here the rain was warmish.  Aren’t good experiences and memories wonderful – at a whim you can recall them and relive them?

The history of this section of the track is remarkable.  Ellis and Burnand built a tramline here to log and carry the timber out to their mill at Ongarue. The construction of the rail track started in 1922 and included a spiral, a tunnel, two great trestle bridges, and many impressive cuttings.

In 1955 the tramway was closed because of flood damage, followed by the mill closure in 1966.  Click here to see a video on Building the Timber Trail – the Ellis and Burnand story.  Well worth a watch.

Having read a couple of chapters of Alison’s book the previous night I couldn’t help but wonder about the stories of the women who lived in this area during that time.  Where are their stories?  What was their life like?  What hardships did they face and what constituted “happy times”?  Plenty to ponder as we pushed on to (Bennett Road car park) at the end of the trail.  All the while the rain kept pouring down.  The Ongarue Rd river beside the final section of the trail was flooded and in a couple of sections very close to the trail.

The end is always a relief, good to be back safely.  No time for dawdling as we both just wanted to remove our wet gear and get into some dry clothes and have something to eat.  It’s always a shock to see your wrinkled feet and unstuck (blister prevention) plasters – what did we expect after hiking five + hrs in the pouring rain?

As we were getting changed the cyclists started to arrive all looking very wet and extremely dirty.  There were a couple of family groups who still seemed happy and a few bike packers doing the Kōpiko Aotearoa cycle trail.  After their rest and food stop, they were riding to Whangamomona 100 kms away!  I did mention to them it’s a great ride on a fine day!! They were looking forward to a bed and hot meal at the Whangamomona Hotel.

Little did we know what had/was happening in other parts of New Zealand!

Thank you, Yvonne, for your company and companionship.  For never complaining or throwing your toys out of the playpen when the going gets tough!  😊

Our next adventure is a round-the-mountain – Ruapehu, hopefully, this coming week.

I like this quote, does it make sense to you?  Till next time, take care out there GoldCard Gal  😊

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
– Terry Pratchet

Alternative accommodation at mid-way of Timber Trail

Besides the Piropiro Campsite there are two other types of accommodation available at the mid-section of the trail:

1. The Timber Trail Lodge, and
2. Epic Cycles Adventures

Additional scenes