LUNACY
Ascent of Mt Luna, Kahurangi National Park | 31 January – 2 February 2026 [Anniversary Weekend]
Day 1 [22km, 880m]
Our team of intrepid trampers assembled in Richmond, and Tom escorted us to the Rolling River road-end. Thankfully, the notorious Dart Ford was at a low flow. (We checked the Wangapeka River was flowing below 40 cumecs on the Tasman council website.)
Packs on, we crossed Rolling River on the vintage NZFS swingbridge, and were soon speeding along the Wangapeka Track.
Until we hit the swamp. Boot-sucking mud slowed our progress for a while. Next, we traversed above the river on a sometimes very narrow ledge. The historic gold digger’s bridle track, built in 1900, has eroded in places.
Under wall-to-wall blue skies, we breezed past pristine canyons lined by schist. We strolled along shingle banks where the 2012 flood had formed a temporary lake here. Lunch was eaten trackside, while Tom and Ray photographed a pair of whio.
Once over the Wangapeka Bridge, and a smaller wooden bridge, we headed up the hill, up the pleasant track alongside Kiwi Stream. However, in the middle section of the route we were impeded by windthrow. Here the track veered in and out of a dozen waterways. Near the saddle, we swung around in awe. Towering above us was the triple-spired bulk of Mt Patriarch (1701m), the monumental mountain which stands sentinel above the Waimea Plains.
A resident weka welcomed us to Kiwi Saddle Hut. A few members made a recce up to the bushline before we were engulfed in darkness. Then we hit the pit.
NTC trampers at Kiwi Saddle Hut, Kahurangi NP
Day 2 [11km, -1000m]
Sunday saw us enjoy a well-deserved sleep-in. By 9am, Ray led us into the beech forest, gradually ascending the blade-like ridge to the west. We were a ‘tight five’, moving together as one. Not a zephyr of wind shook us as we sidled below a rocky gendarme and regained the ridgeline to reach a 1340m knob. Over our left shoulders was Luna Lake, a sizeable tarn glistening like a diamond far below.
Steve Andrea Tom Ava + Mt Luna, Kahurangi NP
Continuing on, we sidled below the next knob (1578m) to maintain our elevation while heading north toward our objective, Mt Luna (1630m). Here, we dropped packs for a leisurely lunch, soaking up the sun. Suddenly we spotted a pair of hikers on the summit. As they descended, we took note of their direct route, and the couple soon joined us for a chat.
Mt Luna 1630m peak, Kahurangi NP
After our ridgetop rest, we were surprised at how the formidable, foreshortened pyramid was easily climbed within about half an hour. On the flat summit, we drank in a stupendous panorama of Mt Kendall, the Tasman Mountains, Tableland and Arthur Range. We felt insignificant amongst the vast spread of Kahurangi wilderness.
Rays five atop Mt Luna, Kahurangi NP
We dropped down into the shadows and donned packs for the grassy descent into Stone Creek, where we rehydrated. A large orange marker signaled the start of the bush track, where we found an ideal tent site. This rough trail dropped continuously for two hours until Stone Creek merged with the Wangapeka headwaters. We skipped over to the true right where Stone Hut stood proudly on the river bank, guarded by an army of namu and weka.
Day 3 [20km, -400m]
Tom stormed into the hut at some ungodly hour, rousing us from our slumber. Another perfect day beckoned, so we downed breakfast, loaded our swags, and headed downstream. Moss-lined, leafy pathways were a delight to follow, crowded in by luxuriant crown ferns. At every stop, robins belly flopped at our feet. It seems that birdlife is recovering in this corner of the country.
Soon the languid river squeezed through rocky canyon walls, forcing us to sidle on a narrow track high above an endless gorge. After two hours we were spat out into the sun-lit clearing at the Forks. Here we marveled at Cecil King’s slab hut, still standing since 1935. Half an hour later we completed our loop, reaching Wangapeka Bridge.
The relentless summer sun had now crested the mountains. Seeking to cool down body temperatures, some bodies were seen diving into a deep swimming hole.
Near journey’s end, a corridor cut through swampy grassland, where we ate blackberries from thickets that lined the track. A final bridge was crossed and we were finished. Ice creams and berries at Tapawera were a fitting treat before we returned to ‘the real world.’
Lunatics were: Ray, Steve with visitors Angela, Ava & Tom.