Traveling light in the Kaimais.
Our first ultra light trip.

This story begins with a back injury that made it impossible for me to carry a pack much heavier than a daypack. As the injury was very slow to improve, I grew more and more pessimistic about ever going on long tramping trips again.
At some stage I decided to start collecting together equipment that could drastically reduce my pack weight.
I constructed a number of pieces of equipment including a pack weighing 500gms and a light fly. I also searched the internet for hints and ideas hitting the jackpot when I reached the Ray Jardine Website. His ideas on lightweight travel convinced me I was on the right track.
So my wife Anne and I started heading up the Waitaphata river in the Kaimias. The plan was to traverse the range from north to south.We planned to take four and a half days. My pack weighed 6.8 kg Anne's weighed more as she took a normal sleeping bag.
The trip up theWaitaphata river was as wonderful as ever. The Track is gentle and well graded and the river itself a pleasure to be near as it wound down past high cliffs and through deep pools.
We passed the Spartan comforts of the hut and made a fly camp near the head of the valley.
Next morning we left early and followed the track up to the top of the range. The day was overcast and as we got to the top it began to pour. For the first time I tried out the poncho that I had made. It doubled as a groundsheet and also as a pack cover. In the humid conditions the 200gram garment proved ideal.
At the top of the range we found our 1978 map wanting. The track now descended into the Wharawhara river, instead of following the tops. This added more time to the journey.
The descent took us down to the river where we stopped for lunch in the pouring rain.
In a couple of minutes we erected the light fly and I threw down the poncho to act as a groundsheet. The advantages of simple light equipment started to become apparent.
As the fly  (700 grams)was so light we had taken it with us. Because it was so simple to erect we had used it at lunch time and so avoided getting chilled.
After lunch we headed up to the top of the range again and reached Te Rereatukahia hut about four in the afternoon. We were impressed with how much easier it was to tramp with such light packs. At rest times we were forgetting to put them down they were so little trouble.
It was just as well we had arrived early. I had invented a little twig burning stove from thick tinfoil. At home it had worked beautifully. However here the wood was wet and my budget, cheap lighter with the kiddylock, must have reasoned that I was underage.
Dinner took three hours to prepare. Still, as I kept telling Anne , the stove  weighs only 200gms. She was not impressed.
We left the hut and had wonderful views of the Hauraki plains and the Bay of plenty as we traveled along the tops. At lunch we called in at little Motutapere  hut .
Here with some dry twigs available the little stove quickly produced a cup of tea for us both.
Later in the afternoon we reached Thompsons track and Anne described a nice little hut she had visited some ten years ago. We found the track south and confidently headed for the hut.
As time passed we started to realize that things had changed since Anne's last visit and the map was printed..
The track descended off the main range and swung east. 
At about seven at night it was obvious that the hut if it still existed would not be reached on this track. On reaching what we worked out as the Kauritatahi river we set up our camp and fired up our reluctant little stove. Things worked a little better and by dark we had eaten and were in our sleeping bags. Again we felt that by having the light camping gear an unexpected night out was not a real problem.
That night it was quite cold and I woke shivering in the snowflake sleeping bag. Anne who considered 500gms a little too light for a sleeping bag had an extra 1kg down and slept soundly unsympathetic to my plight.
The next day was fine and we followed the track to see where we were. We had suspected the track had been rerouted away from the tops to avoid the very swampy area and we were correct. The track proved very enjoyable and crossed numerous streams where we were able to wash ourselves and our clothes. Keeping everything clean is a way of reducing bringing extra clothes.
In the afternoon the track again headed up to the top of the Range. This southern section of the Kaimais is a big plateau . Here the dark rivers wind slowly through the forest. and finally all tumble over Wairere falls.
It was close to the falls where we made our last camp. Dry wood and a warm night made my night very comfortable . Anne surrounded by 1kg of extra down complained of the heat.  I tried to sound sympathetic.
On our last day we were away by 7am and reached the Tauranga  road by 4pm. A call on our little cellphone and we were heading towards the bright lights of Tauranga.

So ended a memorable trip into the hills. This was made more memorable by our lightweight approach, which enabled us to travel with greater ease and safety than a more traditional approach.
 I do not think that I or anyone  has all the answers for traveling light through the New Zealand hills but we discovered a lot on that trip
More trips to come..