Remutaka Incline Summit from SH2 Remutaka Road – Sunday 28 September 2025
Participants: Margaret, Nigel, Christine, Josh, David, Izzy, John, Geraldine & Conrad
The weather forecast talked about strong winds so we were hoping these would not be too strong.
Six of us met in Masterton where we then headed South picking up another three on the way. By
the time we reached our starting point in a carpark on the left-hand side of SH2 heading down from
top of the Remutaka Hill, there were very strong winds. But we decided to make a start and see how
things went.
We headed off, over or through the gate, then on to the wide and solid Via Dela Rosa track. In a
very short time we were relatively sheltered from the wind. There was a short bit of uphill before
heading back down towards the Remutaka Incline Track. We had a few stops along the way to
investigate flora and fauna, find a couple of geocaches and to have morning tea. Then it was
decision time – head along Back Road with a few ups and downs and a possible washout (reported
from a few years back), or straight out on to the Remutaka Incline Track. Both tracks were similar in
length and Back Track won the day. We didn’t find the washout so it must have been repaired a few
years ago.
Before long we popped out on to the Remutaka Incline Track at the Summit where the wind was
very blustery. So we headed for the shelter which luckily a group had just vacated. It was a nice
sheltered spot for lunch. After lunch everyone added their windproof gear before heading towards
Upper Hutt on the Incline Track for about 3 ½ km in a head wind. Considering the weather there
were quite a few others out on the Incline – mainly cyclists, but some walkers and runners too. We
were pleased when we reached Ladle Bend where we turned off up Back Road where it was a lot
more sheltered. This part of the track is obviously not used that often with gorse growing along the
sides and middle. But the herd of goats we came across didn’t seem to mind. There were at least 10
of them including some kids. There was one relatively small stream crossing where some managed
to cross with dry feet and others ended up with varying degrees of wet feet. After completing the
loop, it was back uphill along Via Dela Rosa to the cars.
This was a new area for quite a few today, and was an enjoyable 16km which took us about 4 ¾
hours. Luckily, we were out of the wind for most of the trip.
