Papatahi hut overnighter

Trip: We will be walking to papatahi hut (which sleeps 10) and back on the 6th-7th of April.

Vibe: It is an easy mostly flat walk with a focus on fun. We will go past a bridge and some swimming holes (river crossings), stop for lunch along the way (probably play with a frisbee), and get to the hut for dinner. At the hut we'll drop our bags, go for a swim (bring togs!), explore, and play some board games. 

Getting there (from the doc website): Papatahi Hut is a 3 hr 30 min walk from the Catchpool car park via the Ōrongorongo and Big Bend Tracks. 

From the end of the Ōrongorongo Track follow the marked Big Bend Track for approximately 1 hour to its junction with the Whakanui Track. At this point you enter the riverbed and follow the Ōrongorongo River upstream.

The route contains approximately four crossings of the Ōrongorongo River but this can vary as the river is constantly rerouting in floods. As you move up the riverbed note the Matthews Stream fan and Mount Matthews Track on the true left, and a large slip face on the true left.

Gear requirements - Sleeping bag, head torch, plate and cutlery, warm clothes, rain coat, good walking shoes (they will get wet), togs and towel, not cotton clothing. Optional games/activities. 

Food requirements: Each person coming on this tramp must sort out there own lunch and dinner for the first day and breakfast and lunch for the second day and lots of snacks. Please also being at least 1.5L of water. The hut has water that we can treat/boil for the second day. 
It is smart to pack food for an extra day incase we get stuck in the bush (unlikely as this is an easier trail but still a possibility). 

Transport and Meeting: We will meet at 10am on Sunday the 6th of April at the Hunter car park/gear shed. We've got one car to drive up so far and will need one more car and person with a full license. If no one else with a full licence signs up we will figure out how to public transport some people closer to the trail head and then do two loads of driving people. The drive is an hour so we'll arrive by 11ish at the car park and start walking getting to the hut between 2 and 5 depending on our pace :)