This was a great overnight tramp through the scenic Whareorino Forest to Leitch’s Hut in the King Country. Friday Eleven eager trampers departed Auckland around 5.30pm on Friday 30th July and travelled together by van to Te Kuiti. The first challenge was finding our way through peak hour traffic on the Southern Motorway but after leaving Auckland we made good time in reaching Casara Mesa Backpackers at around 9.00pm at night. At Casara Mesa the group meet up with Phillip who had travelled from Tauranga to join and co-lead our group which was now 12 strong. Casara Mesa Backpackers is located just out of Te Kuiti on a hilly farmland that provides good views of the town and the surrounding countryside. Saturday Saturday morning started with a hearty breakfast of porridge and toast at 7.00am before venturing into the brisk Te Kuiti morning air that was just plain cold!  We were fortunate to have Mark (Phillip’s brother-in-law who lives in Te Kuiti) join us after breakfast to drive the van to Gribbon Road where the track started. The first part of the tramp involved sloshing our way through muddy tracks over farmland in the damp mist that covered the lowlands. The landscape in this area was dominated by trees covered with long pale green lichen that hung from branches like ghostly torn veils. This coupled with the misty surrounds created an ethereal landscape though this may have just been the writer’s over active imagination. In any event it was a very interesting sight to behold. After 45 minutes we began to climb into the bush and followed the narrow track that wound itself along the Awakino River banks to Leitch’s Hut in Leitchs' Clearing. Although the track was narrow it was an easy and steady climb through dense bush which provided scenic views of the Awakino River which at times became a rushing torrent. The river was fed by small waterfalls and streams along the way. Care was still needed during stream crossings and in areas where the track remained damp underfoot and slippery and muddy in parts. Every now and then the bush track was broken by grassy flat clearings. In one clearing we came across tall kahikatea trees and in another we saw tracks of vegetation which had been up rooted by wild pigs.  A pig was seen running up a bank and a feral goat startled two members of the group when it found its way on to the track. It quickly disappeared back into the undergrowth to the great relief of one member who almost walked into it.   An hour before the team reached Leitch’s Hut, Phillip had an unfortunate accident slipping down a muddy and steep incline injuring his right leg. With the support of the team he managed to reach the hut before dark and despite his broken leg still managed to entertain us with his ditties, stories and songs.  He was airlifted out the following morning by the Westpac Rescue helicopter which took him to Waikato Hospital for treatment. Sunday The rest of the group tramped out of the valley at 8.30am on Sunday and reached Leitch Road at 11.20am before the heavy rain forecasted for the area set in. This track was also a scenic and easy track to walk with no stream crossings, goats or pigs. Mark was waiting for us at Leitch Road with the van and from there we travelled back to Te Kuiti. We had a simple but hearty lunch at a café just out of Te Kuiti and then headed to Hamilton to check on Phillip at the Waikato Hospital and to drop off his vehicle. We all arrived back in Auckland safely around 6.00pm. The cost for the weekend was $80.00 which covered food, petrol, hut fee and accommodation at Casara Mesa Backpackers.