Ruapehu Part 2: Mangaehuehu & Friends

 Overview: hot off the heels of Whakapapaiti, I drive round to Ohakune for an overnighter to Mangaehuehu Hut, with a spot of hut bagging on the return journey.

It turns out that a 40-ish minute drive is not quite the rest for weary legs that one might hope. Nevertheless, after driving around from Whakapapa Village to the Waitonga Falls parking area on the Ohakune Mountain Road, it was time for tramp #2 of my Ruapehu trip.

I've written about the hike in to Mangaehuehu Hut before, so I'll try to be brief. The only real difference was improved weather this time around. The track to Waitonga Falls is well graded and easy-going.  Shortly before reaching the falls, a tussocky bog home to the tarn named Rotokawa is passed. From here, it's a fairly quick descent down many stairs to the falls.

 

Departing from the falls, the track crosses the Mangateitei(?) stream and a tributary right above their confluence. After a brief walk through the beech forest, another unbridged stream is crossed followed by an ascent to the Blyth Hut Track turn off. Staying on the Round the Mountain Track, I continue plodding through the forested lower slopes of Ruapehu. A few major streams are crossed, all bridged. One crossed by an old forest service style swing bridge has some particularly neat little cliffs on one bank.

Swing bridge #1

Swing bridge #2, looking back at the cliffs

The sunny breaks in the light showers are welcome, though its brightness combined with the low angle of winter sun makes photos more difficult.
After the final of three bridged streams, the track climbs to leave the forest behind. From this point, almost 5 km from the start, the track is almost exclusively above the tree line. There's occasional boardwalk, and where there isn't the track is frequently waterlogged and the soft volcanic soil sometimes eroded.

Swing bridge #3

Later in the afternoon, the rain showers transitions to sleet and eventually snow (though never enough to settle). There's a couple of unbridged crossings of small streams and some great views up the tussock-covered slopes toward Ruapehu (if the weather gods allow).
It was closing in on 5pm by the time I reached the hut and it was with much joy that I began the arrival rituals of getting firewood and kindling ready, lighting the fire, putting on dry clothes, unfurling the sleeping bag and generally getting warm and comfortable.

The next morning, a light dusting of snow lay over the surrounds. Clear skies meant there were great views of Ruaphehu.

It was a slower morning than yesterday, it wasn't until 9:30 that I left the hut. The clear weather meant views in all directions were exceptional. The smatterings of snow and ice were a cool addition, at least visually. The previously waterlogged bits of track were now often frozen into back country ice skating rinks. Any bits of water-covered boardwalk had turned particularly deadly, this all meant it was relatively slow going along the open sections.

A further downside of such a frosty morning is that water not only freezes on the ground, but also in the pipes, meaning no topping up the water bottle for Braden.
Today's walk was not simply the reverse of the day before, I'd decided to indulge in a spot of hut bagging - specifically Lupton and Blyth huts. I would have to hope that the time it took to reach Blyth was enough time for the pipes there to defrost.

 

 

Making a right turn at the signposted junction, the track initially climbs up along a forested spur, eventually emerging into the open near a small waterfall. The track crosses over this stream a couple of times before reaching Lupton Hut.

Lupton is a private hut, owned by Whanganui High School. DOC's Blyth Hut is about 500 m further up. The track crosses the stream again, then zigs up a loose screen slope, reaching the hut very soon after. Very close to the scree slope is another small waterfall (not marked on Topo50 maps). It's not immediately visible from the track when heading to the hut, but more noticeable coming back down.

Blyth Hut is a similar construction to most other huts in the park, and has recently been re-painted and re-roofed. It's named after Joe Blyth, who lead the cutting of the first track up the mountain from Ohakune and building of the first hut on this site. The original hut was replaced by the current in the 1970s.

It wasn't long after midday when I reached Blyth, so it was good opportunity to sit down, have something to eat, and drink some thankfully defrosted water.
It wasn't long before I'd left Blyth and was back at the track junction, now on the home stretch toward Waitonga Falls.

It was closing in on 2 pm when I was finally back at my car, ready to head to Ohakune for some of their famous chocolate eclairs. Ruapehu Tramp #2 had been great, maybe even better than first time I came here. Making the effort to bag a couple of extra huts was well worth it for the scenery too.
All in all, another great tramp in Tongariro National Park (not that there was ever any doubt).

Times and Distances

Inbound:
Trailhead to Old Blyth Track: 900 m, 18 min; to Rotokawa: 1.15 km, 23 min; to Waitonga Falls: 1.93 km, 39 min.
Waitonga Falls to Mangaehuehu Hut: 5.17 km, 2 hr 14 min.
Total: 7.10 km, 2 hr 53 min

Outbound:
Mangaehuehu Hut to Blyth Hut Track Junction: 4.63 km, 1 hr 59 min.
Junction to Lupton Hut: 1.12 km, 30 min; to Blyth Hut: 1.62 km, 50 min.
Blyth Hut to Waitonga Falls: 2.01 km, 50 min.
Waitonga Falls to Parking Area: 1.93 km, 39 min.
Total: 10.2 km, 4 hr 18 min

Map:

Elevation Profiles: