Mount Holdsworth

Highlights: Native bush, a mountain summit, and coast to coast views

Length: 7 - 9 hours

Where: 1 hour 30 mins from Wellington CBD

What to take: Hiking boots, wet weather gear, extra layers, lunch and snacks, plenty of water, camera

Not your average wander, Mt Holdsworth is an incredible day hike, that also has the wonderful benefit of being close enough to Wellington that, with an early start, you can have breakfast at home and make it back in time for dinner.

Getting there: Mount Holdsworth is located in the Tararua ranges, about one and a half hours drive from Wellington CBD. From the city, take SH2 over the Rimutakas and continue through Featherston, Greytown and Carterton. Once you have left Carterton, follow SH2 for fifteen mins and turn left onto Norfolk Rd (last left before Masterton). Carry on down Norfolk Rd for another fifteen minutes and take Mt Holdsworth Rd on your left which will lead you into the Mount Holdsworth car park and camping area.

Following the path at the end of the carpark, the walk begins with a casual meander through low lying native bush next to a stream. About twenty minutes in, and the Gentle Annie Track begins its ascent. An hour later and you will emerge above the canopy at the 'Rocky Lookout', a great spot to grab a small snack and a drink of water and assess how far you've come and just how far you have to go - you can see both the start of the walk, Powell Hut, and the trig at the top of Mt Holdsworth from here. Carrying on, the path snakes around the side of a hill and then enters a manuka forest in which you walk along a boardwalk. At the end of the boardwalk you reach the Mountain House Shelter, another great opportunity for a snack and drinks stop, as from here it gets hard. The track begins its almost relentless ascent up through alpine forest and later a goblin forest. After a series of never ending stairs, you break through the bush and are treated with an incredible view over the Waiohine Gorge. Ten minutes more and you will reach Powell Hut - a favourite with overnight trampers. After refuelling here, it's only another forty minutes or so to the summit. This part was a personal fave, with clouds swirling around the nearby peaks and views as far as the Wairarapa coastline. Reaching the summit is a breathtaking experience (literally and figuratively), as the Tararua ranges on the other side suddenly come into view, extending towards the coast, where you can even see Kapiti Island in the distance.

Return the way you came, and revel in the fact that it is a whole lot easier than the way up (although it can be quite hard on the knees).

NB: Be sure to check the conditions before you go (http://www.metservice.com/mountain/tararua-forest-park), it snows up top in winter and the winds can also be pretty dangerous. Register your intentions in the books at the huts, and let someone know that you are heading up before you go.