An Insider's Tour of New Zealand - The Hakarimata Ranges

I love living in New Zealand. Having said that, I loved living in England. You know what they say - you can take the girl out of England, but not England out of the girl. Apparently I still sound English and I’m told occasionally that I look English (whatever English looks like) but I am very at home here. It’s incredible to look around you and see a natural feast for your eyes in every direction, whether it’s looking across at Mount Ruapehu, especially when it’s blowing its stack, or across the black sand at Raglan beach towards the green tinges of the Tasman Sea.

Tourists always look at me wistfully when, faced with their 24 hour plane ride home, I smugly inform them that I live here. There is something wonderful about having the front door key to paradise.

 

I thought seeing as I am fortunate enough to be here, I would run a blog series about my specific area of New Zealand, namely the Waikato. People are always asking, “What is it like there?” so I will do my very best to show you - if you’re interested.

When I look out of my back windows, I can see the mighty Waikato River running past. It is the largest river in the North Island and was used by the English during the Waikato Wars in the 1800’s, to sail their gunships along and blast the snot out of the poor Maori strongholds along its banks. It seems to be a forgotten fact nowadays that the Maori were only trying to hold onto land which had been theirs for generations.

From the front windows, I can see the Hakarimata Ranges, 1850 hectares of native bush covered mountain ridge, which many tourists drive past and notice, but sadly not many climb. I guess it’s not as popular as a volcano crater, or a waterfall, or a large plastic ball rolling down a steep hill with people inside it. It’s off the beaten track really, accessed from the wrong side of the river to State Highway 1 and to be honest, you have to really want to go there. Its highest point is the summit of Mount Pirongia and it also incorporates Taupiri Mountain, where the Maori royal family is buried.

 

My Hana Mystery Series is based here. Hana’s house was incorporated into the mountain range and she regularly visited the little town of Ngaruawahia, which nestles at the foot of the range, at the point where the twin rivers of the Waipa and the Waikato merge and swell to massive proportions. She visited the pharmacy there in the second book, 'Hana Du Rose' and was almost caught by her pursuers in the main street near the video shop.

The Northern Lookout of the range is accessed by a series of gruelling wooden steps, which account for most of the climb. It’s not a steady stroll uphill, but more of an intimidating step workout and not for the faint hearted. Don't be fooled. It’s likely that whilst climbing it, you can be forgiven for thinking every step is your last and that you would cheerfully brain the sprightly chap who just overtook you, running at a steady smack with his headphones on loud and a bright, happy wave at your overheating, sweaty face. But there comes a point at which you aren’t quite sure which is nearer, the bottom or the top and that is truly the worst part, because quitting is humiliating, especially when that guy laps you on the way down as well and knows that you didn’t make it. (For the record, that guy is usually my soccer referee husband who uses it like a time trial. I’ve told him that people hate it when he smiles at their pulsing, agonised faces, but he won’t listen. He just argues that to give him a slap, they’ll have to catch him first.)
The climb is well worth it. The Waikato River opens out in front of you like a ribbon, trailing north through Huntly to its union with the sea at Port Waikato. It’s simple beauty at its very best. Its the experience of nature enfolding you. I've been up there when it's been sheet rain elsewhere and gusting winds of horrific proportions, but inside you become cocooned within the canopy and would hardly know that it's blowing a gale outside. There is a Kauri Loop Walk, but it’s probably best to do that on the way down as you can look at the native specimens without hallucinating and read the descriptive boards without your pulse thudding in your head. There are some awesome trees tucked away in there, which are well worth a visit. Kauri’s are unique in that they grow straight up towards the light, shedding lower branches as they grow. A plank of kauri should not have a single knot in it, which is why Maori used them to make their canoes or waka. A good waka will be unadulterated by any other product, created completely from kauri wood and lacquer made from kauri gum.

The Hakarimatas can be walked from end to end, along a Department of Conservation track. It’s meant to take about 7 hours, but my Youth Search and Rescue daughter did it in 5 with a group of friends, just because they could. Having said that, I’ve been up there with her before and because she understands what’s hazardous and what isn’t, she eats from the bottom to the top, grubs, leaves, shoots. I just can’t bring myself to do more than just nibble a pepper tree leaf. I will stick to my museli bar, thanks very much!

It is well worth a visit, even just for the views. There is nothing flash about the gravel car park or the typical New Zealand long drop toilet, but if you want authenticity in this beautiful land, you will definitely get it here.