Kawakawa Station is located in Southern Wairarapa. It takes only a couple of hours to get there from our place. We were expected to arrive at the station in the late afternoon so we decided to stop for lunch and window shopping in Martinborough. The Village Cafe and Bar was a good choice. I can not remember what we ate but I can recollect strong, hot drinks. The rest of the afternoon we spent visiting multiple small stores selling a variety of items, some of which I had no idea what they were for. The last visit was to a Four Square food market where we stocked up on wine and beer before continuing our journey for another hour. Upon arriving at the station we were welcomed by the owners and shown to our accommodation. That evening we met other members of the Scenic Walkers group, heated a nice dinner prepared for us by the host and were introduced to the logistics of the walk.
Day 01
It was a very interesting day. It started innocently with an easy walk along the beach towards Ngawi settlement. This coast is well known to Wellington water enthusiasts so it was not a big surprise to see Magnus there having a go on the SUP. Once we reached the Ngawi golf club we turned left towards the hills. At the bottom of the hill we had a short rest to allow access to the public toilet and then started a slow ascent to the top of 'The Ant' at 616 meters above sea level. Overall the climb was not too difficult but had its moment. Once we reach the summit we were awarded spectacular 360-degree views. From there the track leads all the way down to Jakeb's Cabins. All our gear, food and drinks were already delivered by the host. All we needed to do was to heat the semi-cooked meals and enjoy dinner in a big common room.
Day 02
Soon after packing the gear, having breakfast and making lunches we were ready for another day of adventures. But first, we had to retrace our steps back to the signage pointing to Purple Hut. A short uphill helped us to warm up the legs. Once we passed the signage we were in new territory. Double Saddle is a native bush track with fine examples of mature native bush. A very enjoyable part of the day. At the end of the Double Saddle, we reached a clearing with great views over the station. Just before the Purple Hut, we came across a spooky-looking place that probably was a trapper's hut. Old cages, animal bones and skulls, odd pieces of furniture that looked like scenery from the Deliverance movie. Luckily the Purple Hut was spacious, very tidy and very comfortable. Again our gear and the food were waiting for us. Big steaks waiting to be barbecued, salads, desserts, cold wine and beer were the perfect items to call it a day.
Day 03
We took our time to get ready for the last walk of this trip. As stated in the guide it was a very relaxing stroll back to the farmhouse. The track went first through some native bush before, turning into multiple crossings of the shallow clear-water stream. Nothing extreme, just a little bit different from the rest of the walk. Around midday, we reached the end point of our journey, station Homestead. We packed the car, said goodbye to our hosts and co-walkers and drove back home