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Reports......Whangamarino
Track
Date: 18 August 2009
A turnout of twenty-four for a Tuesday tramp seemed pretty
impressive but it was even more impressive to find that some were
octogenarians. As an advertisement for continued activity into older
ages they did well, and demonstrated the benefits of maintaining
health and fitness through tramping.
We started the walk at Skeets Rd in Mercer and followed the Te
Araroa route (the Whangamirino track) over ridges, valleys and
swampland east of state highway 1 and the Waikato River. There were
great views over river and farmland, somewhat marred by traffic
noise drifting up from the highway. The route passed through
battlefields of Maori wars and there was evidence of these to be
seen in land forms, particularly ditches. In 1863 five hundred
British troops moved south across the Mangatawhiri River into Maori
territory, which resulted in months of skermishes. The track has an
information board showing where the British built a stockaded
redoubt on a high spot beside a captured pa, and there are still
signs of old trenches and palisades. Towards the end of the war the
Waikato Maori regrouped at Meremere but were overcome by the British
with the help of explosive shells, gunboats and armoured barges.
At Oram Rd we investigated the control gates of the Whangamarino
River and watched a passing train while those who were supposed to
be more au fait with Te Araroa wondered what had happened to the
planned route across the motorway. A printout of a loop track in the
area was no use as the motorway had made it irrelevant, so after
milling about and wandering in a bit of a circle we followed another
loop back to the redoubt site and retraced our steps to Skeets Rd,
thankful for new metal over the swamp, which meant that we arrived
at the cars with dry boots – always a bonus when getting into
someone else’s car.
Judy Begg
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