Trails › New Zealand › Wellington › Tararua Range
Lower Ruamahanga Track to Cow Creek Hut, via Cow Saddle
Next nearby hike: Blue Range to Cow Creek Hut Track 1.8 mi · 2.9 kmExplore Tararua Range →
Lower Ruamahanga Track to Cow Creek Hut, via Cow Saddle other trails nearby (tap a dot to open it)
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NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0) · OpenStreetMap · Official page · Basemap: OpenFreeMap (OpenMapTiles, © OSM contributors).
7-day forecast
Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)Best time to hike
Best months: Sep–May · highs 11–19 °C (52–66 °F)
- J19°11°99
- F19°11°112
- M17°9°109
- A14°7°107
- M12°5°145
- J9°4°170
- J9°3°169
- A9°3°153
- S11°4°152
- O13°6°167
- N15°7°134
- D17°9°139
Average high °C · low °C · precipitation mm per month. Highlighted: best months.
How we pick months
Best months are those where the 1981–2010 average daily high is 10–27 °C (50–81 °F), the average overnight low is 0 °C (32 °F) or warmer, and average precipitation is 200 mm (7.9 in) or less. Values are long-term monthly averages for the ~1 km cell at the trail point on the map, from CHELSA V2.1 climatologies (Karger et al., CC0), not a forecast. Higher or more exposed parts of a route can be colder, wetter or snowier.
About this trail
This tramping track follows the lower Ruamahanga River then crosses Cow Saddle, to reach Cow Creek Hut.
NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0).
Trail facts
- Length
- 10 km · 6 mi (DOC route geometry)
- Source
- NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0)
- Difficulty
- Very hard (9/10) (Advanced, Expert · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0))
- Typical time (DOC)
- 5 hr from Ruamahanga Gorge Road to Cow Creek Hut
- Official page
- doc.govt.nz/link/1960c1673b384db0a23f1ac802c
- Mountain range
- Tararua Range (North Island Mountain Spine; GMBA)
- Nearest town
- 16 km NW of Kopuaranga (Masterton District, Wellington Region) · GeoNames
- Park or forest
- Tararua Forest Park
- Best months
- Sep–May
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Wellington
- Continent
- Oceania
- Route centre
- -40.7598, 175.5106
How it’s scored
Very hard (9/10). Official rating: Advanced, Expert · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0).
A score is omitted when we do not have an official rating or enough measured length and elevation gain to compute one. Nothing is guessed. Read the NPS method: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/how-to-determine-hiking-difficulty.htm
Hikers can rate difficulty from 1 to 10 (1 = flat, short, easy walk for anyone; 3 = gentle hills, a little effort; 5 = moderate climbs, some fitness needed; 7 = steep or long, solid fitness required; 10 = extremely strenuous or technical; long steep climbing; experienced hikers only). The community average is shown once at least 3 people have rated the trail; until then the official or computed score is used when we have one.
More trails in the Tararua Range
All 86 →TAR - northern crossing
37 km · 4.3 mi · 7.0 km away
Mt Holdsworth - Jumbo Circuit
21 km · 9 mi · 14 km away
Atiwhakatu Track
3.8 km · 9 mi · 15 km away
Waiopehu Track (Poads Road to Waiopehu Hut)
6.5 km · 9 mi · 15 km away
Te Araroa - 05 Wellington - a Poads Road, Levin to Otaki Forks
48 km · 10 mi · 15 km away
Burn Hut Loop
17 km · 10 mi · 16 km away
Nearest trails
distance from the trail centreBlue Range to Cow Creek Hut Track
1.8 mi · 2.9 km · Tararua Forest Park
South Ohau Hut via Waiopehu and Dora Ridge
2.5 mi · 4.0 km · Tararua Forest Park
Dundas Circuit
2.6 mi · 4.2 km · Tararua Forest Park
Kiriwhakapapa to Blue Range Hut
3.0 mi · 4.9 km · Tararua Forest Park
Roaring Stag Track
3.2 mi · 5.1 km · Tararua Forest Park
Mitre Peak Track
4.2 mi · 6.7 km · Tararua Forest Park
All trails in Wellington → · All 1,167 trails in New Zealand →