2023-02-15 < Weekly activities > 2023-03-01
Activity summary:Wednesday 2023 Feb 22 to Tuesday 2023 February 28
Wellington Railway Station - Kilbirnie/Otari – Crofton Downs/Cone Saddle/Belmont/Waitaha River
Wednesday
E Trip ‘Wellington Railway Station to Kilbirnie’ led by Paul Jones, Wed 22/2
Wellington rail station to Kilbirnie, bus return. Members met 10:00 am in the main concourse of Wellington rail station with a packed lunch and their Winston Peters card.
EM Trip ‘Otari - Crofton Downs area’ led by Penny Salmond, Wed 22/2
Postponed on Wednesday 15th due to the weather, a bunch of 15 club members met at Crofton Downs a week later. A morning more promising than the week before but with a risk of wind and a weather change later in the day. After about 20 minutes heading uphill on suburban streets we entered Otari Wilton’s Bush from John Witton Drive. Enjoying our traverse through undulating bush to the Flax Clearing on the RedTrail we continued on via the Yellow and Blue tramping trails down and up to ‘Moko’ the 800 year old rimu tree for morning tea.
From there we turned up the little known but extremely attractive’ Kohekohe Walk’ track which prompted some botanising and suggestions we should come again when the kohekohe are in flower later in the year. The track took us up to our third creek crossing then steeply up to the junction with Skyline Walkway. Out of the bush, warm and sunny conditions accompanied the delightful views.
Following the Skyline, we stopped for lunch in a sheltered comfortable spot. As we prepared to leave after our break we began to feel the weather change approaching. It was not far down a short rocky area before we turned off the Skyline onto the pylon road towards Crofton Downs. A downhill trot took us to the turn off into the Silversky zigzag trail taking us back to Silverstream Road and the station. Out of the bush we were aware that light misty rain had begun!
In all, not ‘just a walk in the park’, but just over 4 hours of enjoyable workout through a varied mix of lovely bush, open territory, and differing terrain.
Participants - Carolyn Jenkins, Cheryl McDonald, Paddy Gresham, Lynne Pomare, Rosemary Wilson, Bob Stephens, Janice Tijsen, Alison Stephenson, Sue Scott, Diane Morgan, Helena Weller-Chew, Christine Whiteford, Dianna Barnes, Mary Perkins, Penny Salmond.
M Trip ‘Cone Saddle circuit’ led by David McNabb, Wed 22/2
Five members followed the Lower Waiohine Track as far as Clem Creek. After crossing the creek we headed off track, navigating through or around supplejack, keikei and windfalls with relative ease, and open areas with large rimu, rata and so on, up to Pt 572 on the Cone Saddle Track which we followed towards Cone Saddle, enjoying lunch beside Clem Creek in sunshine mixed with a fine drizzle. From Cone Saddle we returned to the car on the main track.
6½ hours. The weather remained dry for our off track ascent, and we only had light showers after that. No wind.
SF Trip ‘Belmont exploration’ led by Diana Munster, Wed 22/2
The original trip shrank in destination, trip duration and in trip participants, due to the forecast among other things. In the end 2 club members (Alan Knowles and myself) enjoyed a loop walk from Oakleigh Street Maungaraki over Belmont in fine weather.
F Multi-Day Waitaha River trip led by Lynne White, Wed 8/2 – Thurs 16/2
Four members and one non-member had plenty of memorable moments following dubious track descriptions and non-existent routes up the Waitaha River to Ivory Lake Hut, over West Beaumont and back down the Tuke River to sanity and civilisation. While North Island endured Cyclone Gabrielle, we had eight days of blue skies and amazing views. A once in a lifetime adventure, for us at least
Total 26 members and 1 non member