Rimutaka Incline : Hike

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The 'incline' is a decommissioned railway track that crosses the Rimutaka ranges, connecting Wellington with the Wiarapa.
The tracks have been ripped up, and thanks to the requirements of rail,  there is now a pleasant hike along a gentle grade.

I set off with a mate on an Sunday afternoon hike. We were dropped off on the Wellington side, and the plan was to meet up with our transport on the Wairarapa side three hours later for a fish and chip supper.

The grade of the track starts out very easy, and there are regular info pillars inscribed with facts and histories.
We passed a camping site on the way up and discovered a second site up at the summit.
There are four tunnels on the hike so packing a light is a good idea.

Once off the summit and heading down towards the Wiarapa, my hiking partner was starting to despair. The terrain is much more 'mountian like' and she was getting a bit tired and cranky with the much steeper grade.
I'm glad we were walking downhill for the final stretch.

The hike finishes with a almost level 2km stroll to the Cross Creek car park which follows the river through a picturesque forest.
People who don't have the luxury of a pickup tend to park, walk half of the track, and return to their vehicle.

We passed over a few interesting little detours on the way up, and I'd like to make a return trip to camp out overnight, and spend more quality time up there.



links...
http://www.gw.govt.nz/Rimutaka-Rail-Trail/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rimutaka_Incline

Below is a map of our hike including points of interest that you can click on...

  • Starts at the green 'hikers' icon.
  • Several embedded photos
  • The last red pin has detailed breakdown of the hike.


View Rimutaka Incline Hike in a larger map

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