Bog Inn Hut May 2021

Day trip to look at a bog

Day trip to Bog Inn hut, Pureora Forest with Roger 5th May 2021

Roger, Glenys’ brother was between jobs and wanted to bike into the Bog Inn hut in Pureora Forest Park. The hut is not far off the Timber Trail, an 85 km MTB ride from the Pureora Forest headquarters to Owhango. I’ve ridden the track a number of times and really enjoy the trip.

We estimated that it would be around 16km to the hut mostly on an excellent track so didn’t need to rush out there. It appears that a few other groups had already left the carpark before us. We caught the first one after 5km and it was a group from Cambridge of who I knew most of. After catching up we headed off ahead of them through the regenerating cutover. The first 4 kms are through some lovely forest opening up for a while until hitting bush again.

The first 13km are all uphill until we top out at 990m after a 430m climb. The first 11km being the steepest. There were a couple of groups resting at the toilets where the summit walking track heads off. Our mission was elsewhere today so after a rest we pushed on.

The turn off to the hut is about 15km in and the track quickly deteriorated requiring some bi-hiking on what is really a tramping track. I wouldn’t like to take my fully loaded bike in here. Roots, mud, gradient and foliage conspire to slow our progress, fortunately we are soon at another turnoff and manhandle our bikes to leave them in the gulley just shy of the hut. Blue mushrooms stand out of the green & brown forest floor, once you’ve seen one, you pick them out in many places.

After inspecting the hut we rest & have lunch. Years ago the hut was the research base for scientists as they studied a bog close by that we walked over to. There are no trees growing in it as it is waterlogged, nutrient poor & acidic. Now refreshed we returned on a loop track to the Timber Trail and meet my friends again. After solving the world’s problems with Al, I push on to catch up with Roger. The climb is less this way so we’re soon charging downhill losing the 430m quite quickly.

Would I recommend the trip? Maybe as a nice day trip but certainly not on a loaded bike.