Ruahine Forest Park is a fickle mistress — teasing and tantalising, rewarding and punishing but, despite everything it's a great place to tramp.
And a party of four from the Wanganui Tramping Club, Cherry Channon, Val Wackrow, Mark Sutherland and Dave Scoullar, endorse that view.
Day one began with a leisurely stroll — three-and-a-half hous walking — up the Oroua River past Alice Nash Heritage Memorial Lodge to Iron Gate hut sitting prettily by the river.
The weather was overcast and the track, meandering up and down, was mostly in good shape. We were impressed by the number of bait stations and we were to see a lot more over the four-day trek.
The morning of the second day saw us climbing steadily upwards on to the Ngamoko Range in pleasant conditions. We sat on the tops for lunch, enjoying the views over Hawke's Bay and pondering our options — drop down to Top Gorge hut on the Pohangina River or on to Longview hut?