Remote Rangitikei

On the weekend of 6 May, our friends Chris and Delwyn Clark introduced us to a new part of the North Island, the inland gorges of the Rangitikei river. The river, which rises in the central plateau mountains, cuts its way through papa (clay) country, deepening at a rate of about 4 mm per year. Over tens of thousands of years, the river has created deep gorges, in places 180 m below the surrounding bush and farmland. It is a superb trout fishing river.
Chris and Delwyn organised a weekend together at Tarata Lodge, a farmstead with outlying lodges, overlooking the gorge. The farm is accessed by driving about 22 kms inland from Utiku, just south of Taihape. The route takes you over "Gravity Canyon" the deepest bungy jump in the North Island.

This series of photos shows us on our 3 hour rafting trip down the gorge, and finally, the view from our lodge "River Retreat", topped off with Miang in the hot tub on our verandah.

It was an idyllic weekend, with walks on the farm inspecting the chickens, Llama, goats and rabbits, being entertained by Lodge host and possum-trapper extraordinaire, Steve, and with delicious meals in the farmhouse provided by Steve's wife Trudi.

Steve is full of wonderful tales of the bush and river. He is a "catch and release" fly fisherman who seems to know nearly every fish in the river. The hospitality of Steve and Trudi is really exceptional. Miang and I were so grateful to Chris and Delwyn for bringing us to this place.

If you want a break with a difference, and at extremely reasonable prices, check out Tarata Fishaway Lodge on the web. It is a gem.