2025-01-22 < Weekly activities > 2025-02-05
Activity summary: Wednesday 2025 January 29 to Tuesday 2025 Feb 4
Butterfly Creek/Brooklyn Wind Turbine route/Whakanui Track, Turere Stream, McKerrow Track/Graces Stream, Mt McKerrow, McKerrow Track, Harvaard Spur/Eastern Hutt River to Quoin/Northern Ruahines
Wednesday
E Trip ‘Butterfly Creek’ led by Liz Martin, Wed 29/1 9M/1NM
10 people came on my walk to Butterfly Creek from the Bus Barns. We were immediately glad of the bush to escape the strong northerly winds. We stopped for morning tea at the high point of the ridge to enjoy the views and then had lunch in the Butterfly Picnic area. We noticed that some recent storm damage in the valley had been quickly cleared. On arrival at Kowhai Street, we were quickly blown back to our cars, and most of the group enjoyed afternoon tea at the Chocolate Dayz cafe in Days Bay.
EM Trip ’Brooklyn Wind Turbine route’ led by Dave Reynolds, Wed 29/1 13M
We enjoyed a tramp sheltered from the wind in dry conditions.
M Trip ‘Whakanui Track, Turere Stream, McKerrow Track’ led by Wayne Perkins, Wed 29/1 12M/1 NM
Twelve members and one non-member enjoyed a longer than anticipated journey to the Turere stream. We headed up the Whakanui track to the McKerrow junction, staying with the Whakanui track until we met a trapline that took us steeply down to the Turere stream a little above the waterfall. All were impressed by the beauty of the stream, though not by the lack of bright sunshine. We continued upstream with the leader looking for the exit point on the true right. It became apparent that we had overshot it. We reversed direction looking at two options, going back the way we came in or finding an exit point. A way out presented itself which we scrambled up, soon landing us on the track we were seeking. From there we continued to the McKerrow Track and back to the cars. About 8 hours with some having been to places new to them.
SF Trip ‘Graces Str, Mt McKerrow, McKerrow Tr, Harvaard Spur’ led by Glynn Woodbury, Wed 29/1 3M
Three TTC members went on the Graces Stream to Harvaard Spur, via the McKerrow Track. The trip was estimated at 8:30 hrs, elapsed time per trace was 8hrs 28 minutes, so good going. The stream is very slippery at the moment and two major debris dams were encountered. Members were Sue Scott, Peter Smith and Glynn Woodbury (leader).
MF Trip ‘Eastern Hutt River to Quoin’ led by Janette Roberts, Wed 29/1 9M
We enjoyed a splendid day in the Eastern Hutt water catchment. We spent nine and a half hours tramping, turning around at the protected plant area on Quoin ridge. We went up to the ridge via the gut buster to the saddle, and came back all the way down Quoin ridge to the Hutt Forks, the last part on a marked track, which was good travel, albeit steep at the end. There were two reasons, firstly to avoid the tricky scramble and navigation through the tree fall back to the saddle, and secondly because we met a wasp nest on the gut buster and three people were stung. The unmolested forest on the ridge was very beautiful.
Multi Day
MF Trip ‘Five Passes’ [camping], to have been led by Gerald Leather, 22 – 31/1
This trip was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Instead 6 members pivoted to the Northern Ruahines and did a four day circuit that included the upper Makaroro Hut, Ruahine Corner and Aranga Hut in mostly fine weather.
Total 52 members and 2 non members