This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper, Vol 79, no 7, August 2007
Korokoro - Belmont Park - ‘New’ spur to Belmont Ridge - ‘Hawk’ spur to Korokoro.
Sunday 29 April 2007
As Saturday’s weather was predictably bad, I postponed the trip till Sunday. In sunny conditions, the six of us left George Gee Drive, Korokoro, at 8.30am and headed up the bush track to Acacia Avenue, Maungaraki. Then via Rees Jones Grove and Cherry Blossom path to the main entrance of Belmont Park. We headed north on the bench track and then down to Upper Korokoro Stream.
Our intention was to follow the route that Michael Bartlett and I had previously checked out, which is a diagonal side-spur leading to the Belmont Ridge, south of Belmont Trig. You pass old trapper tapes here and there (and higher up, new trapper rectangles) but minor direction changes keep you on the spur proper. There was much kiekie and supplejack off the route!
By late morning we were on the Belmont Ridge and only Diane thought we could have climbed about 300 metres. As we moved south we met a former neighbour of mine with the family dog, popular with Kerry and Bruce. Paul carried on to Baked Beans Bend while we took the shorter, stony path before the pines down to Korokoro Stream. We continued south on the main track to the base of ‘Hawk Spur’, which climbs steadily to the top of Korokoro. Lynne set a cracking pace in front now so that our late lunch wouldn’t seem too late! Over the fence from our lunch site was a 10 acre block where two shorn alpacas were grazing. Only minutes away was the surveyors’ point of Puketirotiro where Michele took several photographs.
Then down to Maungaraki Road and across it to the Akatea track. We went along for some minutes before using an old, steep bush route of mine which leads to the rocky Sugar Loaf Rock, where Michele took more pictures. An easy descent on an old route back to George Gee Drive by about 2.30 pm. The good weather stayed fine for us.
- Party members
- Michele Dickson, Diane Head, Lynne Pomare, Bruce Popplewell, Peter Jagger (leader and scribe) and Kerry Popplewell