Tramping Up to Waiopehu Hut

I seem to wake up much earlier on weekends than weekdays here. That is because I am usually off on an adventure on the weekend in New Zealand. Saturday, June third was no exception.

I got my pack together and headed off for my overnight Cheese, Wine and Painting tramping trip with Victoria University Tramping Club (VUWTC). I met up with Skye at Kelburn Park and we walked together to campus for our pickup.

A guy we met on Freshers (the overnight tramping trip back in March) who had since moved away to the Bay of Plenty up north had flown down for this trip. That’s dedication. I think it would be so funny to fly from the US to Wellington for a tramping trip with the club. We all hung out in the parking lot and waited for the leader to show up. Turns out he and his girlfriend had missed their alarm so they had just woken up and rushed over.

Skye and I were signed up to ride in the leader’s car so we hopped in and were on our way. We drove up the coast a while, stopped so the leader could get a meat pie for breakfast and we eventually ended up at the trail’s carpark. More of our group was waiting for us there. There was twelve of us total on the trip.

A mom came over to us to see if we were going up to the hut as well. She was clearly worried we would be taking up the hut and she was planning to stay with her husband and two kids. At that point, it started feeling like we better start hiking so we don’t end up on the floor because the huts are “first come, first served”.

The hike to the hut was brutal. I came into this trip thinking more about the cheese, the crackers and the painting. I didn’t expect the actual hike to be too hard but man it was! Two people in my group had sprinted ahead (they are just built different) but I stayed with the leader, and few others at the front of the pack. Some people on our trip hadn’t really done a hike like this before and were going much slower so we were getting worried they wouldn’t make it to the hut before dark. Luckily the leader had cell service and could call one of them and have them wait for the others so at least no one was alone.

I was hitting my limit near the top when all of a sudden I heard folks yell “David!” They had made it to the hut! I zipped up the hill with my remaining energy and we took a much deserved photo of our success!

The hut was pretty simple. There were two picnic-type tables and two areas with bunk beds but the beds were really just mattresses pushed next to each other. We brought up our sleeping bags to sleep in on the mattresses. We quickly claimed our bunks and unloaded all the food we brought for our charcuterie board.

We enjoyed the sunset as more members of our group started showing up. Soon, the mom, her two children and her husband also arrived. The children were very cute and started running between us in their onesies screaming “Blah Blah Blah” to annoy us. I found it funny because I definitely did things like that when I was little. They also started grabbing on to our legs and one of the kids licked someone’s foot (lot of energy after hiking all day!).

At one point the mom said “Do you want pasta?” and we were all like “That’s so sweet but no thanks” but she was actually just talking to her kids so that was an awkward moment for sure. Luckily just after dark, the final members arrived. We all went inside and started devouring all the food we brought!

Huts are fascinating because where else can you end up living and sleeping next a random family and two hunters?! Luckily, I didn’t have to sleep next to the strangers but some people did. We never got around to much painting but a few members did.

At night, by the light of our torches, we played a fun game called “Werewolf”. Its a game where you have to guess who is the “werewolf” before they kill you. You can nominate people you think are guilty and they have to defend themselves. We were getting pretty loud though and before we knew it, a man was standing next to us shining a light down on us. Now, I thought (hoped) that that man was our leader seeing how the game was going. In fact, it was the father of that family who had a huge beard which he decided to shave the middle part of, creating an ugly look I recommend to no one. After many seconds of him standing there, we all became quite quiet and he announced aggressively: “There are other people in this hut”. So that was the end of our game.

At that point, I decided to head to bed. I climbed up to my bunk and began my night of tossing and turning. Unfortunately, during the night, one of the little kids started throwing up. The mom had plenty of ideas for what caused it including there being a possum in the water or him possibly eating something in a field. The latter wouldn’t be too surprising given how comfortable he was licking a smelly sock. Or perhaps he had a stomach bug. She never suggested that one.

The weather in the morning was rainy and foggy. People tried to see the sunrise but it wasn’t doable because of the fog. We ate breakfast, listened to the parents try to teach their children math, donated our paint and canvases to the kids and headed out on our way. We went up to the goblin forest which looked otherworldly and then headed back down the way we came yesterday. I have never hiked in such rain and mud. Luckily, I had come prepared with all the rain gear I had brought from home and bought back in March when I went to all those outdoor stores.

We made good time on the way back and arrived back at the car park in the mid-afternoon. Some people were already at the bottom including one tramping club member from the Netherlands who in the last four months has learned so much about New Zealand parks and huts that I would have though he had been a part of the tramping club for years. At the trailhead, he started cooking some coffee on his personal burner. When the leaders arrived, they took me and Skye in their car and we drove back to Wellington.

After getting dropped off in Wellington, I went to my flat, ate dinner and recorded a short video for Concord Carlisle Theatre. They are doing a Gala for graduating seniors and wanted to have videos from alumni. It took me way too long to record it! I had so many mess-ups. Anyway, then I met up with Skye and Lauren and we ubered (because our legs were dead) into town for a night of comedy at the Fringe Bar! We met up with Rebekah and some of her flatmates at the bar.

Every first Sunday of the month, the Fringe Bar has a collection of six comedians perform. I had seen two of them before in the Comedy School Alumni show so I felt like quite the local recognizing them and their acts. This was our last night of comedy in Wellington so it was bitter sweet. The acts were hilarious and it was great night!

And thus, my weekend came to an end. But with no more classes, weekends and weekdays are kind of the same which is cool. See you next time when we find out what I did the following week!