7 April 2024

The drive to the start of the track on Timahanga Station was uneventful and took about 90 minutes.  We started walking about 9 o’clock and all was going well until one lady came to an abrupt stop.  Well, her feet were still moving  down the track but her head was yanked back, held by a lawyer branch entwined in her bun.  After freeing her, by breaking the lawyer either side of the bun, we continued on down the 4 wheel drive track to the Mangataramea Stream.  

Here the track continues sightly upstream on the other side passing up what looks like a wide ferny gully, but is really and old logging track before gaining altitude and heading towards the tops.  It is nice bush in the bottom section of the track although regeneration has been severely restricted due the deer numbers so mainly only the non palatable species are succeeding, but there were a huge number of rimu and other podocarps coming away through the kanuka

We split into two groups so that those (Peter and Glenda) who wanted to walk more sedately didn’t stop the others from reaching the Hogget high point. There was plenty to view and photograph in the bush; robins, whiteheads, mountain cabbage trees, ferns, lycopodium  and fungi and when out on the tops, add Mount Ruapehu (although much of it was in cloud) and the occasional mountain flower.  

Peter and Glenda stopped for lunch on a ridge about 500 metres south of the Hogget before turning back while the others went slightly past the Hogget before turning back.  All were back at the van in time to have a quick walk up the track to see the old Boyd’s homestead which is getting more and more dilapidated.

Party: Judith M, Gabrielle S, Simon W, Paula K, Flynn G,  Des S, Peter B  and Glenda H