6 – 8 February
With a three day weekend, 10 club members took the opportunity to visit the Ōrongorongo area. Friday 6th February (Waitangi Day) we left Pukahu at 7.00 a.m. with 8 on board and picked 2 more up on our way south.
Our first stop was Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre (Mt Bruce) which offered something for everyone whether it was the information boards within the centre, the aviaries, the eels, or the kiwi house. We each visited those areas of interest to us. At the information desk we were told that the Te Arapiki o Tawhaki loop walk would take 1 ½ – 2 hours. We were not advised that the halfway around the track was closed for maintenance. Did the laminated A4 stop us? Yes there was maintenance on the track but the track was still in better condition than many of our local tracks; mostly there was foliage being trimmed from the path. Once we had had our fill of the wildlife and environment we had our lunch at the Kaka Café or on the BBQ tables outside the centre.
Next it was up and over the Remutaka summit to where Te Ara Tirohanga (formerly Remutaka Trig Track) starts near the summit of Remutaka Hill Road on the Upper Hutt side. Starting at 555 metres, it climbs to the northern crest of the Remutaka range at 725 metres. The path zigzags upwards on an exposed slope through regenerating native trees, shrubs, sub-alpine grasses, and lichen. The more we climbed the pathway, the better the view; looking back to the summit and SW towards the Hutt Valley. It was a day with an anticyclonic haze but once we ascended the trig and braved the strong wind gusts there was an excellent view of Lake Wairarapa.
Our campsite for the next two days was the Catchpool Valley Campsite which is situated south of Wainuiomata. We had booked 5 campsites but as they weren’t marked sites we took over an area close to the entrance of the campgrounds and near to the Camp Host. This was a quieter area of the campgrounds. Okay it was quieter to the noise of other campers but oh my can the cicadas make a racket. There would have been thousands of them with the last cicada noise stopping around 9.30; however they are early risers – 3.30 a.m.!
Saturday we were off along the Ōrongorongo Track towards the Turere Stream. About 1km along the track Murry and Judith went up the Butcher Track to join the Cattle Creek Track which re-joins the Ōrongorongo track close to the Turere Bridge. A section of the Ōrongorongo Track at Jacob’s Ladder (the area where the track descends steeply down towards the Turere Steam) has been rerouted due to the risk of imminent collapse. The reroute was well marked and is a temporary tramping track with some large unformed steps. This is soon navigated and we are back on the well benched track. A curved bridge crosses the Turere Stream.
Once across the bridge, the eight of the party regrouped and decided their next steps. Selina, Donna, Paula, Lou, Brendan and Jude traversed the Big Bend Track to bag all the D.o.C huts on the river. Susan and Anne walked and waded up the Ōrongorongo River.
Susan and Anne retraced their steps encountering numerous people who were staying in the many private huts. The 6 hut baggers returned via the Cattle Creek and Butcher Tracks. Murry and Judith continued up the Big Bend Track to join in the hut bagging. The Ōrongorongo Track is family friendly it is graded by D.o.C as an easy, family friendly 5.2km track (one way) and therefore this is a popular track with family using this as a day tramping or tramping in with the family to overnight at a hut.
Sunday we broke camp with damp tents requiring an airing when we arrived home. After leaving the campsite we travelled east to the Turakirae Head Scientific Reserve where we visited the Wellington region’s largest NZ fur seal colony. This was a 3 km gentle walk along a stony path. There were numerous seals basking on the rocks, although a way off they were a joy and relaxing watch.
The Turakirae Head Scientific Reserve was the last area on our itinerary so it was back to Wainuiomata to fill the van with diesel and back over the Remutaka Road. At the summit of the Remutaka Road we stopped to investigate the possibilities of walkways there and view the monument to the WW2 soldiers. Once our curiosity was satisfied we descended down to Featherston grateful that we were heading north rather than the congested southbound traffic. At Featherston we had a lunch break. Part of the group went to C’est Cheese who were selling toasties but as there was about an hour wait for the barista to return the rest of the group went to Everest Café.
Party: Selina C, Murry A, Brendan Mc, (drivers), Susan L, Donna W, Jude H, Paula K, Judith M, Lou C and Anne D
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