This article was first published in Tararua Tramper in April 2025
Two Wellington bumps and three Wadestown treats
EM - Wednesday 5 March
Alas, the weather forecast was for mean, cold southerlies. But the seven of us who turned up at the lower Ōtari- Wilton's Bush carpark remained staunch as we huddled under the tiny shelter waiting for the shower to pass over. Then off we set, clambering straight up to Te Ahu Mairangi via a series of less- familiar walkways and connecting roads.
On the ridgeline, the views were panoramic but the cold wind didn't invite us to linger. We scuttled across Wadestown. Sefton Street and some Anne St walkways led us to Treat 1: a little-known trig on the summit of Mt Kaumatatike 195m, for morning tea and views.
Treat 2 was the O'Neill Marriage Memorial. How many of us have wondered what on earth is that white monument thingy that rears up across the valley as you drive down Ngaio Gorge Rd? (Photo 2) Go to 113 Sefton St and potter down the public walkway (via steps and a grassy track) to see it for yourself!
The Letterbox Village on Oban Street was our third treat. (Photo 4) This whimsical hobby created by two retired school principals has even made it onto Google: letterbox-village. Take your grandkids there for a magical outing!
Several items of TTC relevance awaited us at the lower end of Oban St. We descended on the track which TTC's very own Barry Durrant was responsible for. At the bottom we crossed the Kaiwharawhara Stream on a bridge that TTC helped pay for. And then we ate our lunch nearby at the 'Peter Reimann seat'- yes, that's our Peter who is the Editor of the Tramper - honouring his huge contribution to Trelissick Park for more than two decades.
Basking in all these treats had made us way behind timetable - and the wind was still dissuading us from the planned forays up to the open tops. Instead, we wandered happily along the track through the greenery of Trelissick Park until we popped out on Churchill Drive, and finished our 11 km, four-and-a-half hour day with a road pod back to Ōtari.
Joan Basher (leader and scribe), Christine Ben-Tovim, Muriel Christianson, Trish Gardiner-Smith, Diane Morgan, Penny Salmond, Christine Whiteford.