2005-02-23 < Weekly activities > 2005-03-09
Wednesday March 2, 2005 – Tuesday March 8, 2005
Weekend Trips
Morisons Bush
David Melville led a most successful camping trip to Morisons Bush with nine families taking part (34 members, 2 non-members). The weather was glorious, the river warm and clear, and the stars brilliant. On Saturday they canoed down to the Martinborough bridge and on Sunday they swam, played on hay bales and ate pancakes. An idyllic time!
Waitewaewae
There were two members on Alan Graham’s Easy trip to Waitewaewae Hut. Alan thought the track, once past the tramway section, was quite rough and it took them six and a half hours to reach the hut which, however, they much admired. An SAR exercise taking place there provided interest.
Wairarapa Cycle Trip
Mark Collinge had six members on his Wairarapa Cycle Trip. They biked down to Cape Palliser on Saturday and camped at Te Kopi where they had a barbecue. On Sunday morning before coming home, they walked round the Pinnacles.
Work Party to Kime
Hugh Barr’s Work Party to Kime and Field Huts was postponed till April 9-!0 when, Hugh says, there will be plenty to do.
Day Trips
Wednesday
David Ogilvie had seven members on his Wednesday Medium trip to Kotumu. They walked for an hour and a half up the river from the Orongorongo bridge, then climbed a steep spur in bush followed by an uphill traverse ”across an ill-defined ridge, through nettle, bush lawyer, tough scrub and long grass” to the top of Kotumu (786m). “After some impressive views towards the South Wairarapa coast, the South Island and Wellington,” David says, “we met the tractor track and descended for nearly two hours in a strong wind, with several gusts that attempted to lift us off our feet”.
Saturday
On Saturday Colin Cook had two members and one non-member on his Medium/Fit off track exploration foray. They traversed the long ridge going west from the top of Quoin to the Western Hutt. Above the bushline absence of leatherwood made for easy travel, but below Bump 754 once they went onto a subsidiary spur going southwest Colin reports “travel was less elegant, being mostly a sort of plummet”. However, he says, “with some judicious sidling, we did strike the Western Hutt river within 50m of the main true-left side stream, as had been our aim.” All this in a little over ten hours from the Kaitoke Regional Park road end.
Also on Saturday, Alison Handley had seven members out on her Medium trip from Holdsworth to Totara Creek in fine if breezy weather. After enjoying the sunshine in the open creek bed, they came up a good spur from Totara Creek on to the Powell track about half way between the bush edge and the Mountain House shelter. None of the party had ever been up this spur before, though Peter Jagger and Michael Bartlett had clearly had it in mind for some time! A most enjoyable day.
Sunday
Both Sunday trips were in Belmont Regional Park. Chris Horne had six members on an exhilarating seven and a quarter hour Medium trip from Manor Park to Paremata. The northwesterly wind was boisterous and there was cloud on the tops. After taking a brief break at Cannons Creek for essentials such as icecream and salad bananas, they had wonderful views from the Conclusion Walkway of Porirua Harbour, Whitireia Park and Mana Island backlit by low sun.
Starting a little earlier, Alison Stephenson led a Family Trip on a Belmont Park Traverse from north to south. They did what they intended but in places took a lower route rather than staying on the ridge top. This party of six members took only six hours – they were all fit adults! Alison reports that one of their cars – the one concealed from view – was broken into at Dry Creek Quarry; nothing was taken, but the car and boot lock need replacing.
Total
In all, 63 members and 3 non-members went out on TTC trips during the week.