Labour Weekend - 23-26 October

Leader Marlene Lynam

Day 1

We all arrived at varying times on the Friday to spend Labour Weekend at the Top Ten Holiday Park at Waitomo.  Our plan for Saturday was for a light and medium group to set out along the Te Araroa Trail from Waitomo to Te Kuiti.  Marlene spent a significant amount of time, on Friday night, sorting out the car shuffles for this trip.  The shuffling of drivers and cars to various spots around the area started just after 8 am, and we didn’t actually set out for our walk until 9.20 am.  What a mission! 

All 26 of us finally gathered 1 km up Fullerton Road to start our walk on a fairly boggy paddock to our first navigational challenge.  The instructions provided were not that clear and if it wasn’t for “eagle eyed” Lynette, we may well have ended up at Tony’s aunt and uncle’s house, which looks down on the start of the track (apparently they have received a number of visitors who have got a little lost at this point).  Lynette spied a stile way in the distance, and after a ten minute delay we set off again.

At this point the light and medium groups parted company, and headed up the first hill of the track.  It quickly became obvious that it was indeed a new track, some of us suggesting that perhaps we should have brought our loppers with us to clear away some of the gorse.  The track was not very well formed, and the steep descent from the first view point, was quite slippery.  Apparently by the time the light group reached this point, it was even worse for them, after 17 medium trampers had exposed all the clay leaving it very slippery indeed.

After crossing some farmland, we began the climb to another viewpoint.  This was similar to the first hill, but the obstacles we encountered made it even more tricky.  However, the views from the two hills were spectacular. We could see many land marks which the Club had visited, such as Mt Pirongia and Maungatautari, as well as the general landscape of the King Country, which is very interesting.

The Pehitawa kahikatea forest was at the bottom of that hill, and at the other side of the well formed track that goes through this forest, was yet another hill.  We all decided it would be easier to walk up this before stopping for lunch.  Lunch was at 12.40 pm, and from this spot we could see where the light group had parked their cars, in the foreground, and Te Kuiti in the distance. After lunch we crossed Oparure Road, and over the stile to the next hill.   We were heading up to an airstrip, we could see at the top. Shane had received a text from his Dad, Chris, that he was heading down past Te Kuiti with a friend, in a light plane. Just as we reached the airstrip, we could see a dot in the clouds in the distance. It wasn’t long before the plane was circling above us, and it came in to land.  Chris and Grant jumped out, and the first thing we all asked was whether they had brought a special delivery of ice-creams for a group of very hot trampers.  After a five minute stop-over they took off again heading to Taumarunui, and we resumed our tramp. 

We had seen a trig in the distance since before lunch, and all of us wondered if we had to climb it.  Many of us were hoping that the track would circumvent the hill but that was not to be the case.  However, the route to the trig was not the steepest; the gentle gradient was much appreciated by all.  We took in the great view of Te Kuiti during our afternoon tea stop, and then headed down the hill on the “home straight”. The route had been reasonably easy to follow since the first bit of confusion early on in the trip.  But the final challenge came when we tried to get into Brooke Park without any obvious markers. We did finally find our way back to the cars, and returned to Waitomo. The medium trip took seven hours to complete, and we were very pleased to hear that the light group made it to their cars, in 5.5 hours.   We greatly appreciated the ice-creams, showers, cups of tea and soak in the hot pool when we returned.  After dinner, some of us felt sufficiently revived to go for a night walk though the Ruakuri Scenic Reserve to see the glow worms. 

Janet Gibson

Day 2

On Sunday a few of the group opted for a visit to the Mangapohue Natural Bridge (a loop track that takes you past sculptured rock outcrops, depressions, caves and underground waterways as well as gorges and bridges, and under a two-tiered natural limestone arch that stands seventeen metres high and once made up part of the entire cave system around the Waitomo area, and then past 35 million year old fossilised oyster shells as you follow the loop track back to the carpark), and the spectacular Marokopa Falls (a five minute walk through lush forest to see the Marakopa River as it drops 30 metres of plunging foamy waters over the edge of this stunning waterfall) - both definitely worth the visit - but most of us were tempted for the day by Marlene’s description of the Gorge Track (we still had Monday available for the other sights).

The drive to the Gorge Track was over long winding dusty metal roads but the sun was there to greet us as we arrived at the farmhouse at the start of the track.   The first 15 minutes was over private farmland and then we entered a luxuriant forest full of tree ferns and followed the Mangaohae Stream thru a spectacular gorge with amazing limestone bluffs reaching up to the sky.  Parts of the track were very muddy so a good proportion of the day was spent trying to skirt the boggy patches with those opting to plough thru the middle paying the penalty of knee high mud to contend with.  (Luckily Nicola had knee high gaiters on!) There were lots of reasons for photo stops along the way.   The towering limestone cliffs, a very pretty small waterfall on the side of the track which was surrounded by parataniwha, the numerous orchids out in flower that Tom found for us all to look at, the river viewed through the trees with the water flowing around huge limestone boulders, and there was always the possibility of photographing someone stuck in the mud.   The best part of the day though was that the track was pretty much flat all the way.   Richard found our morning tea spot on a dry part of the track which he estimated was about half way.  

The Mangaohae stream merges with the Tawarau River just before reaching the turnoff to the swing bridge which crosses it so we detoured off the track to check this out.    The bridge was very high above the river (very difficult for those of us who are nervous of swing bridges to take photos while hanging on for grim death!) and then back via the Gorge track to Blackberry Flat which was the proposed lunch spot.   Although not signposted it was very obvious that we’d arrived there when we saw a huge flat area full of blackberry bushes (even obvious for those of us who got lost in Otorohanga!!!).   It wasn’t near the river though and those of us in front decided that we wanted lunch by the river so we followed the track until we found the river again.   We could see an island in the middle of the river which looked like an ideal lunch spot.   Lynette was the first to clamber thru the water followed by most of the rest of the group and although everyone tried their best to keep their feet dry, everyone ended up with boots filled with water.   It was worth it though, a lovely place for lunch surrounded by the river which was edged by lovely green forest.   

The homeward journey was a leisurely stroll (initially with squelching boots) past the group who’d opted to have lunch by the blackberry bushes (shame it wasn’t blackberry season) and then back thru the bush to the cars taking our time to enjoy the scenery and to take lots of photos.   From there it was back home to the Holiday Park and another happy hour (or two) in the sun

This was another great day to round off an awesome tramping weekend.   Thanks to Marlene for arranging the weekend and for the huge array of tramping opportunities she offered us together with her amazing organisation skills.   It was very easy for us all – we just turned up where and when we were told and thoroughly enjoyed our weekend.  

Adrienne