2025-04-02 < Weekly activities > 2025-04-16
Activity summary: Wednesday 2025 Apr 9th to Tuesday 2025 Apr 15
Wednesday 9th April
E tramp from Oakleigh Street to Baked Beans Bend led by Julia Fraser. 10M and 1NM
10 members and one non-member set off from Oakleigh St on one of the delightful days that we have been having recently, brilliant sunshine and no wind. The non-member was my brother's granddaughter, my great niece from Kent in England. She had been working on a sheep station, helping look after animals, in the Northern Territory, Australia and was having a couple of weeks in New Zealand before going home. We set off down to the Korokoro dam where we enjoyed the waterfall and morning tea. We appreciated the relatively new bridge over the stream on our way to Baked Beans Bend. Lunch over some of us clambered up a tributary to a well sized waterfall. Elizabeth Bridge and Sophie, my niece, went on to Belmont Trig and a couple of others went part way. The rest of us retraced our steps and took the steep side of the Korokoro loop track back to our cars. The others arrived back a couple of hours later. Sophie with quite tired legs! A wonderful day for us all.
EM tramp from Dale Reserve and includes Bothamley Park, Spinnaker Summit, Conclusion walkway led by Linda Beckett. 10M
We had gorgeous weather on Wednesday and a group of 10 to enjoy it with, during the 5 hours that we were out tramping. Along the walk, we had beautiful views over Whitby, Pauatahanui, Cambourne and the West Coast, birdsong and bush. The route included: • fairy walk in Bothamley Park • morning tea on Spinnaker Summit • both Whitby Lakes via the lovely Whitby walkway • via 2 bushwalks - Conclusion Walkway and lunch One of the great things about the tramp was the welcome input of the 3 Whitbyites which improved part of the routes to and from the Whitby Lakes considerably by offering lovely bush tracks which we had not known about when we reccied.
M tramp from Remutakea Hill car park then proceeds to Twin Bridges, the Pylon Track and Remutaka Pass led by Mary Perkins. 18M
18 club members walked from Abbotts Creek to the top of the Remutaka summit via the Pylon Track. Stopping for morning tea at Chimney Rock and enjoyed the wonderful view across the Wairarapa. Weather remained fine all day. Gorse on the track has been well cut back. Time taken 5 and a half hours.
MF tramp from Corner Creek to Mt Matthews led by Anthony Hill. 7M
It was raining lightly as we drove over Remutaka Hill in Karen Baker's shiny Land Rover. Gerald Leather had reminded me the day before that the last part of the coast road to Corner Creek could be rough, and I had once become stuck crossing Wharekauhau stream. I imagined Karen's ultra low profile wheels grinding through a washed-out creek bed. Mmmm. Luckily, we arrived at the campsite with dirty but unscratched wheels.
We set off from Corner Creek at nine am in the sun, and at ten past ten, had sweet swede pie for morning tea at the toe of the South Ridge where Hinakitaka Stream drains into the Mukamuka. In between mouthfuls, trampers reflected wistfully on recent wasp stings. I haven't been stung in ages so I felt slightly superior. Gerald was kind enough to lead up the spur, brushing the undergrowth free of raindrops.
It was too interestingly scrubby and scrambly to feel the effort up to point 704 where we had lunch. There was plenty of ongaonga to dodge on the way. I walked right through a dense, calf high patch. It felt as though I'd bashed my shin on a rock. After 704 the interest and the gradient eased. The vegetation became more open silver beech until the final few hundred metres of tangled goblin forest, from which we emerged dishevelled onto the top at two pm. It was steep but well-marked down the North West ridge to a saddle at 730 metres. The last bit down was bum sliding over mounds of flax. From there we dropped into a damp funnel.
I wasn't completely sure this was right. I had climbed up from Corner Creek about ten years ago but never been down this way. It would be a long day if we had to go back over the top and down Mukamuka stream, but when we emerged into a steep open gully, I recognized the patch of ongaonga blocking the way from ten years before. After a short distance the gully joined a slip covered in freshly groomed gravel that was a joy to slide down. Sieny Pollard, in a moment of irritation, attempted to dispatch Tim Stone with a well-aimed rock. It rolled and bounced, gathering speed towards the unsuspecting Tim. The fascinated party were too stunned to shout a warning. At the last moment the rock went between his legs and disaster was averted.
I asked Tim how he felt about the trip. He said something inaudible and possibly rude, and then that he deserved a knighthood.
Gerald and I both remembered Corner Creek as briefly steep near the top and well graded gravel the rest of the way down; a pleasant evening stroll. In fact, it was two hours of boulder hopping except for the last two hundred metres, which really was, well graded gravel. As we walked past the bulldozers and empty boat trailers on the way back to the campsite, we wondered where the boats had gone.
Trampers were: Anthony Hill, David McNabb, Karen Baker, Gerald Leather, Tim Stone Sieny Pollard, and Mike Wespel-Rose.
EM weekend trip to Mitre Flats Hut led by Lana Cleverley. 1M and 5NM
1 member and 5 non-members set out on a sunny day into the Tararuas. Lots of laughter, and great chats on the Barra track. Upon arrival, we discovered it was a full hut! Only 14 beds, and 30-40 people competing for them. Unfortunately, we arrived too late, so on the floor and by the fire we slept. A cruisey walk out the next day, another day filled with sunshine. Happy adventure had by all.
Sunday 13th April
E Photography tramp over Makara farm and along the coast led by Alan Knowles. 8M 2NM
Rare permission was granted to enter the farmland and the trip was accompanied by the farmer’s brother-in-law, Garry, a tramper, and another local, Denis, a photographer. It was a bluebird day and we climbed the farm track to point 146 and then descending to the coast north of the Te Hikowhenua Electrode for lunch. We explored the bach community in Smiths Bay and the huts on the coast south to Makara Beach. 5 hours
Multi day tramp
April 4th to 10th Lake Sumner led by Peggy Munn. 6M
The forecast river of rain changed plans twice and 6 people became 3. We started at the Jollie Brook swing bridge and reached Hope Kiwi Lodge via Lake Marion. Injury then curtailed plans so we spent a wet day at Hurunui Hut. After a long walk out to Lake Taylor Tim hitched a ride in a huge stock truck and trailer to fetch the car which was now in the wrong place. Interesting trip!
Total 58 members and 8 non members