This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 85, no 9, October 2013
McKerrow – Cattle Ridge Medium trip
21 August 2013
Conditions were perfect as 13 members set off soon after 9 a.m. The carpark was otherwise deserted – how lucky we are to be able to tramp mid-week while others are stuck in their offices on such a lovely day.
The first section of the route to McKerrow along Graces Stream was, as usual, lush, deeply green and unaffected by storm falls, and silent except for the chatter of Wednesday group people catching up from the previous week. The route then climbs up steeply on the Clay Ridge Track - no problem for the very good standard of fitness on Wednesday trips. Morning tea was a very pleasant sprawl among the ferns, which gently filtered sunlight from a clear sky. At this stage we were about a kilometre from McKerrow (706m), which we reached at 11.20. Howard and other ‘boys’ on the trip entertained us with ape antics on the pipe and we gathered for one of those precious group photos.
Next, down towards the Orongorongo Track. Each side there were stunning vistas, Wellington and the sea on the right and an oil painting outline of the Orongorongo tops on the left. We lunched at a leisurely pace about 30 minutes from the bottom.
According to plan, Bill Stephenson was waiting for us at the bottom of the Cattle Ridge Track after attending to the family bach up-river. It is a steep climb up onto Cattle Ridge, and then on up to 444m before a descent to meet the Butcher Track, heading down to the Catchpool carpark. It was such a pleasant day – thank you, Orongorongo Valley.
- Party members
- Marg Conal (leader and scribe).Howard Larsen, Cathy Milne, Susan Guscott, Glenn Bush, Carol Kelly, Dave Reynolds (obscured), Alison Stephenson, Marilyn Richards, John Hill, Paddy Gresham, : Bill Stephenson, Christine Whiteford.