Cold, clear and only slight winds on the walk up to Armstrong Saddle

Sunrise Hut and Armstrong Saddle, Ruahine FP, Wednesday 3 June 2020
Banner Pix: The group selfie on the front porch of Sunrise Hut

We set off in four cars on a cool, clear, windless morning and enjoyed a lovely walk, at our own pace, up to the seat where the track heads down to the Waipawa River.  We had morning tea here and then climbed on up to Sunrise Hut.  We weren’t able to go into the hut as contractors were painting and renovating it.  However, we could sit on the hut’s bench seats where we enjoyed a break, a drink, a bite to eat and a chat.

Some of us headed up to Armstrong Saddle.  We were fortunate because the wind wasn’t too strong crossing the saddle although we did stop and put on gloves and another layer of clothing as it was pretty cold.  We appreciated the stunning views all around us and the rocky drop to our left as we made our way along the narrow track.  When we reached the saddle, we were greeted with a spectacular view of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Tongariro.

A few trampers climbed further up through the beautiful flora and lunched out of the wind, while others lunched on their way back down to the hut.

We made our way back down to the car park and chatted with two DoC workers from Palmerston North who had been up checking the work being carried out on the hut.

The amazing Vic tramped to the Waipawa River and towards Smith Stream Hut and looped back to the car park, arriving back in time to meet us coming back down from Sunrise.

Another fabulous day with a lovely group of trampers.

Trampers: Shona Tupe, Mary Campbell, Alison Greer, Kelvin Shaw, John Burrell, John Bennett, Murray White, Vic Bullock, Dorothy Sole, Lynette Morgan, Sue Gribble, Cherie LeLievre, Bruce Hodgson, John Dobbs and reporter Sally Woods