Tunneling to Devonshire MkII

https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/f/5/0/600_456632592.jpeg

[NOTE the change from Thursday to FRIDAY to avoid forecast gales]

Last time we tried this, wet weather meant that we took a shortcut. Hope for a sunny day this time!

We'll catch the 10:05am train from Wellington to Upper Hutt, arriving 10:50am. Then we'll head over into the Mangaroa Valley to Tunnel Gully (http://www.gw.govt.nz/Tunnel-Gully/), following a bit of the old Rimutaka Railway line. This is a gravel road, and as the name implies, we'll go through a tunnel, so a torch might be nice. There's the option of sticking to the sealed road, if you'd prefer. We'll descend to Te Marua to sample Kevin's Devonshire Teas at Stonestead (https://www.zomato.com/wellington/stonestead-devonshire-teas-te-marua). Then down the River Trail (http://www.gw.govt.nz/huttrivertrail/) (may have to dodge some roadworks) to Upper Hutt, or further if we need to burn off the cream and scones.

Here's the map (https://goo.gl/maps/qWsh1tUEXuw). About 26km distance and 280m of climbing.