Remutaka Circuit – Te Ika-a-Māui / North Island

Words & photos: Finn McLachlan

I had biked the Remutaka Circuit once before, and promised myself I would repeat the route heaps! But over the last few years the closest I got was an overnight trip to Summit on the Railtrail to test a uni bike bag project. With Waitangi weekend approaching, I had my eyes set on the circuit again, and possibly Mt Matthews too – the tallest maunga in the Orongorongo range. It was a great chance to test out my Revelate front harness too, and finally go overnight with no weight on my shoulders.

To skip the dodgy motorway shoulder grovel between Pōneke and Petone, I caught a train-replacement bus to Upper Hutt (a bit of a cheat I know, but worth it). Our driver Rob, did his best to turn the trip into one big karaoke machine, but in the end it was mainly him singing. We had many “bus journey appropriate” tunes such as ‘Road to Nowhere,’ ‘500 Miles,’ ‘These Boots Were Made For Walkin’, and ‘The Wheels On The Bus’ (not kidding).

On my own two wheels, I headed along the Hutt River Trail, past many blackberry pickers and walkers, then up the Remutaka Rail Trail. Always a great ascent, but once through you’re through the Summit tunnel, the descent is even better. With everything secure on the handlebars, it was a mean 20min hill-bomb down and out to the shores of Wairarapa Moana.

Last hill, day one, view of the bluebird te Mātakitaki-a-Kupe/Palliser Bay.

Now the 35km south to Corner Creek are easy to breeze by and forget about, but on a scorching day, the coast seems to take its sweet time. Fair to say I was exhausted by the time I got to the Corner Creek campsite. Waitangi Day in Palliser Bay meant many vehicles, BBQs and a full campsite. I found a patch of gravel up the back in the shrubs (definitely not an official tent site), big enough for my fly. After a swim and some pesto rosso pasta in the pot, I realised I’d packed so light I had no fork. No worries though, a sharpened manuka twig did the job.

The next day, I was up with the sunrise, aiming to get up into the Mukamuka Stream as early as possible. The braided edges of the Mukamuka reach the coast only about 30 minutes from the campsite. Last time I looked up the immense valley, it drew me in, but this time I listened to its pull. My goal was to follow the route to the saddle, then up the Mt Matthews track to the top. It was rideable up the gravel braids for just over a kilometre to the fork with the Hīnakitaka, but there I ditched my bike, had breakie and headed off on my cleats.

The first rideable bit of the mighty Mukamuka.

Heading up, with not much.

It was an awesome climb. I had to leap over the river many times, made trickier with the slick metal-on-rock of my cleated shoes, but it all added to the experience. The river became a stream, then after a while, a trickle. I was hauling ass up the valley and at one point grabbed onto something stinging hot and painful, only to remember in hindsight that the route guide had said to watch out for Ongaonga (gnarly native nettle). The saddle was great, up in the wind and the clouds, my plan was all working out! But the wind was bordering on concerningly strong, and the cloud still hadn’t cleared from the couple of hundred metres from the summit. I decided that maybe Mt Matthews belonged to another day, but spied a spur just a bit up from me that might provide more of a view:

The Mukamuka and Palliser Bay to the left, and the Orongorongo River on the right.

From this bare spur (650m), I caught a glimpse of the capital! Not quite as good from the top, I’m sure, but it still felt sick.

Yes, yes, then down, down, down again. Just as my walking legs were getting sore, I reached the bike and blatted off down the riverbed. The 4WD track to Turakirae Head is always great. I experienced ancient karaka groves, wild horses, dolphins, dunes and on this busy weekend, many friendly faces and a chain of about 30 off-roaders.

Late lunch at Turakirae.

Around the head, it was the home straight! And headwind. Last time I’d biked the circuit I’d taken the conventional route, which goes slightly inland at the Wainuiomata river, then taking the first bridge, climbs a hill and drops back to the coast just past the Pencarrow Lighthouse, but this time I was feeling something more direct. I rode along the vast shingle shore towards the mouth of the river’s lagoon, hoping it would be one of those elusive days where the bank was built up, and the mouth closed, it wasn’t. But after a simple shin-deep crossing, I was onto yet more new trails.

The Wainuiomata rivermouth.

It was a strange vibe out there. Large heaps of poisoned shrubs lay dotted around the ‘track’. It soon led to towering rocks where I thought I heard voices and found a cat skull in the sun. The track then led to a ‘private’ gate. Bugger. I didn’t want to hop any private fences, so I walked down to the loose stony shore and simply walked around it, feeling like a mischievous roaming livestock. No problems and no confrontations though, and soon it was Fitzroy Bay where the official trail drops in. I got to witness a huge off-road coach clamber down the steep road that leads to Pencarrow Lodge, where punters eat exclusively off charcuterie boards and drive golf balls down the hill. A funny contrast to the sense of wilderness I was unravelling into. But from the lighthouse, it was a lovely ride back to the Days Bay Ferry.

Although the vague goal of Mt Matthews wasn’t entirely achieved, I still got the glimpse of the city I was aiming for, and a new love for another wild place. The Mukamuka, although not nearly as immense as some valleys found deep in Te Waipounamu/South Island, it is still incredible, and so close to the capital! It was a successful Waitangi Day for me, but maybe the summit is calling me next year, or somewhere farther still!

Some nitty gritty... Starting on the edge of Wellington Harbour at the bottom of Te Ika-a-Māui / North Island, the Remutaka Cycle Trail Great Ride winds up the leafy Hutt Valley before climbing gently over the forested Remutaka Ranges and skirting around the rugged coast back towards the capital. The trail traverses Petone, Lower Hutt city, Upper Hutt city, Remutaka Ranges, South Wairarapa and the south-east coast. It can be ridden in either direction, but is commonly started in Petone and takes 2–3 days to complete.