Blue Ducks & Cecil King's Hut Beginner - Intermediate

Description

Starting at the Rolling River car park, follow the track, which soon takes you over a swing bridge. Much of the track follows the river edge, or above it, along easily run-able trails through native bush. The river is beautiful, with a mixture of rapids, large boulders and inviting swimming holes. The trail is undulating, nothing too serious in terms of ascent. Keep going until you get to Cecil King's Hut, enjoy the hut, then return the way you came.

Features of interest

The 59km long Wangapeka Track goes all the way to Karamea (not on this particular run though, you turn around before then). The track was built after gold was discovered in the Wangapeka Valley in 1859.

For this particular route, you run along the river valley to the historic and distinctive-looking Cecil King's Hut (details below), and back again.

Keep an eye out for blue ducks as the Wangapeka Track runs through one of eight DOC sites nationwide to secure the survival of this endangered species.

From the DOC brochure:

The 1929 Murchison earthquake caused severe damage to sections of the Wangapeka Track and totally destroyed the Mt Zetland route on the western side of the Little Wanganui Saddle. These sections were rebuilt during the 1930s depression when the government introduced a gold mining subsidy scheme for unemployed men.

Cecil King's Hut is a relic of this time. King built the wooden slab hut in 1935. He lived in Lower Hutt and after his retirement in the 1960s, spent every summer fossicking there until 1981. He died in 1982 at 78 and his family spread his ashes around the hut. After initial restoration work in 1991 the department continues to maintain the hut to preserve its historic values.

The area contains some of the oldest rocks in the country and a wide variety, including granite, sandstone and limestone.

Make Up of Run

Technical Single Track: 20%

Moderate Single Track: 30%

Easy Single Track: 50%

Route Data