This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 86, no 1, February 2014
Terawhiti Station, Ohau and Te Ika a Maru Bays
22 December 2013
For the second time since construction of the wind farm, a Sunday trip to the bays was planned for a December date, and eventually ran late in the month. The intrigue of this privately owned area with its vibrant history and normally restricted access encouraged a good sized diverse happy group regardless of the easy/medium grading. Sunny conditions for gazing at the turbines and vistas increased as a cool southerly breeze dropped during the day.
Entering Terawhiti Station from the main gates on South Makara Road, our route was broadly a loop from the cars left at a clearing west of White Rock Hill: down the sealed access road a few hundred metres, into an eastern creek of Shepherds Gully near the woolshed, up a western gully to the metal access road on the main ridge, along the metal road past bump 220, north on to the ridge towards Ohau Bay, dropping on the steep fence line into Ohau Bay for lunch, over to Te Ika a Maru Bay on the farm road above the cliffs (some taking a bush gully short cut), past the remains of the wharf originally used to load out wool bales to the barge, back up the ridge west of Sheep Gully, then up the spur to almost White Rock Hill and the cars. This provided a mix of sealed road, unsealed gravel road, farm track, stock tracks and grass slopes.
The woolshed is now rented out privately as a holiday home and Ohau Hut has a permanent resident engaged in trapping. Much of the gorse on the spurs behind Ohau Hut has been killed off by spraying. We were informed that a fencing gang work during the working week, installing fencing that will enable more goat mustering. Plenty of goats were seen of course, and the usual pukeko and sea birds. It was notable that the Station now appears to have more stock, both sheep and cattle than seen on previous visits.
No four-wheelers were about, but their club had been busy with a beach clean-up the previous Sunday, continuing the good work undertaken by TTC in August.
We record our thanks to the Terawhiti Station manager for entry permission. MD
- Party members
- Tim Stone, Julia Fraser, Liz Martin, Sally Hasell, Brian Hasell, Alan Wright, Ken Fraser (sitting), David Ogilvie, Marris Weight, Christine Leighs, Diana Barnes, Janet McMenamin, Jenny Lewis, Peter Reimann, Muriel Christianson, Ray Markham, Bill Wheeler, Sheena Hudson, Bob Cyffers, Peter Shanahan, Michele Dickson (leader and scribe), Hugh Barr