2025-11-19 < Weekly activities > 2025-12-03
Activity summary: Wednesday 2025 November 26 to Tuesday 2025 December 02
Percy Scenic Reserve/Butcher Track, Cattle Ridge, Ōrongorongo Track/Belmont Hills Bothamley Park/ Te Puke Ariki – Haywards Korokoro Traverse/Herepai Hut Te Hapuakorari/Mikimiki Stream, Northern Tararuas/Bikepacking Apiti Ridge Ride
Wednesday
E Trip ‘Percy Scenic Reserve’ led by Julia Fraser, Wed 26/11 9M + 2NM
11 of us gathered for this Wednesday trip in Percy's Reserve, including 2 non-members - Etsko originally from Japan, on holiday from Cairns who is staying with Roberto, originally from Argentina, who has lived here for forty years! They were great company and very chatty. We invited them to look for other club trips on the website and to come to Club meetings.
We started out of the Reserve making our way up through pine trees above the big Maungaraki roundabout and after morning tea and a lot of chatting we crossed the road and headed into Percy's Reserve proper. Our steep steps eventually took us up to the very windy lookout. Back into the more sheltered bush we were soon enjoying lunch. It was all downhill from there on quite a difficult heavily routed track. Bits of road and steps led us down to the old dam and duck pond. Two trampers did a side trip to the waterfall while the rest of us headed down to wait in the shelter. A four hour trip through lovely bush enjoyed by all.
EM Trip ‘Butcher Track, Cattle Ridge, Ōrongorongo Track’ led by Alan Graham, Wed 26/11 8M
It all started well and on time but ten minutes in, the leader wondered where one expected person was as she hadn't joined the group as we set off. His quick reaction was to stop, head down the track to find her. With great relief she was soon found coming up the track by herself. Lesson learned; check the list of people coming against actual people who have arrived before starting off!
The conditions were, no mud, no rain, no sun, a little wind, great company and a very pleasant regenerating forest to walk through. We had morning tea at the top of Butcher track, lunch at the Browns track turn off and arrived back at the Catchpool car park all in 5 hours.
M Trip ‘Another Belmont Bounder’ led by Cheryl McDonald, Wed 26/11 7M
We had an entertaining day exploring trails in and around East Porirua and up to Takapu Road. We returned back to Porirua Station and were on our way home by 3pm. We did spend a bit of time being buffeted by the wind but were mostly sheltered and home before the rain.
MF Trip ‘Te Puke Ariki – Haywards Korokoro Traverse’ led by John Willett, Wed 26/11
Trip cancelled on Tueday evening due to forecast of gale force winds all day.
MF O/Night Trip ‘Herepai Hut Te Hapuakorari’ led by David McNabb, Wed/Thurs 26-27/11 3M
Three members set off from Putara Road end in overcast but warm conditions, following the track towards Herepai Hut. Dropping our overnight gear at the top of the Bottles Track, we followed this down, dropping down the large slip into the creek below which we followed to Ruapae Stream, encountering only minor obstacles. Ruapae Stream provided easy travel, with a final bush bash to Te Hapuakorari, the lost lake. After circumnavigating the lake we returned to Ruapae Stream, crossed and bush bashed up to Roaring Stag Track which we followed to Herepai Hut, arriving just before the heavy rain started. An 8½ hour day, covering 15.5km with 1170m elevation gain and 710m elevation loss. On Thursday our planned route out via the Bottles Track to Mangatainoka River was abandoned in favour of following the main track out, in rainy conditions.
Weekend:
MF Trip ‘Mikimiki Stream, Northern Tararuas, off track’ led by Russell Cooke, Sat 29/11 5M
We started the tramp at the Mikimiki Road end on a fine sunny day and walked to the bridge where the west Mikimiki splits from the east Mikimimi and followed the west branch, initially on an old tram track. We crossed the stream and then started to climb a spur aiming for point 632. Unfortunately the leader had chosen the wrong spur and a deviation down to a small stream and then a climb involving multiple small spurs was required before .632 was reached at lunchtime.
Following lunch we descended from .632 to the Mikimiki Stream, following the stream back to the bridge, but as the landscape changed, a crossing of the Mikimiki was required. The actual crossing of the stream was easy, but the climb down, and climb out of the stream required some skills to achieve successfully.
The party reached the road end at 4, 6.5 hrs of off track tramping where not even a ribbon was sighted.
‘Bikepacking Apiti Ridge Ride’ led by Fleur Patterson, Fri – Sun 28-30/11
No report received.
Total 32 members and 2 non members