Kahurangi calling
A trip through the Matiri Valley and onto the Thousand Acres Plateau includes some of the best wilderness in Kahurangi National Park
Features on a map can catch the eye, such as where time has challenged the land and taken artistic liberties with unusual contours. The southern Matiri Range’s twin plateaus – the Thousand Acres and 100 Acre – are striking examples: prehistoric limestone remnants of the seafloor thrust high above the waves.
Four of us – me, Regan, Ellen and Jane – set out for the plateaus. We were to head to Lake Matiri, up to the plateau and then climb over The Haystack (1526m) to traverse the Matiri Range to Hurricane Hut and return via Matiri Valley.