This is another boots and bikes weekend. We will leave Hamilton at 8am on
Saturday morning and decide on our options for each day depending on the
weather. One aim is to arrive at Kinloch on the Western shores of Lake Taupo.
At the western end a track leads around the shoreline until it almost reaches the
point you can see from the starting point, where it heads gently up and over the
ridge towards Kawakawa bay. A short half-hour walk down to this beautiful
bay for lunch and a super swimming spot. The cyclists will follow the exact
same route. The second aim is to do a walk in the Pureora forest - perhaps up Mt
Pureora or even Titiraupenga from its' eastern side. Our campsite for the night
will be at the Kakaho camping ground on the western side of Pureora Forest.

The Hamurana Springs loop track is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. It offers easy walking with beautiful scenic views throughout the whole stream-side walk, which passes through a grove of redwoods. A bridge near the end of the track can be crossed to link up with an unsealed road on the other side of the river to create a loop track.
The Mangorewa track leads directly to the Ohaupara Stream. The track crosses the stream several times before climbing to a ridge. We will descend for an hour to a small stream and (guess what?) climb back out again for another hour to an open area, and walk a further half-hour to Mangorewa Stream. From there, we can return the way we came or walk down the Mangorewa stream (3 hours to the car park). We will leave the river bed via the right bank just before the road bridge. A small track exits the stream to the car park. The Mangorewa Ecological Area is 20 km north of Rotorua on the western side of Tauranga Direct Road (SH 36). This track is set within the Mangorewa Ecological Area. The Tauranga Direct road, which this ecological area adjoins, has an interesting history. It was formed in 1869 as part of a central North Island military road that linked Napier, Taupo, Rotorua and Tauranga. The Rotorua/Tauranga section took 10 hours by coach and a watering trough still remains as a sign of these times. This area was also occupied by Tapuika and the streams and forests were sources of food and places of sanctuary and shelter.

This will be a challenge for those who are fit and want to be challenged. The aim will be to start the day with a climb of Mt Te Aroha from the eastern side early in the day (like at sunrise), then Maungatautari and finish the day with an ascent of Mt Pirongia. There may even be another peak bagged sometime during the day. What a great opportunity to make the most of the longest day and give your fitness programme a hefty shunt forward.

We take the road to Kawhia and turn off into Kaimango Road. From the car park, we will follow a farm road through to the airfield and an old timber trail through to a woolshed at the Mahoe Rd road-end. We turn into the Mahoe Forest Track and follow a wide arc to the east.

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This is part of Te Araroa and is a sometimes steep, rough tramping track with some back country road walking. Come join us for a tramp the club hasn’t done before. Great views and, of course, good company.It should take us about 5 hours.

 

Rated: M

Leader: Margaret Robbins  Phone: 07 853 6921   

Map:
Cost: Transport - Senior Member - $25 - $30
                         Senior Non Member - $30 - $35
                         Junior - $15 - $20

 

We will start the weekend with a night-time walk through the bush for an hour to the site of our old Waitengaue hut on the eastern side of the Kaimai ranges near Katikati, so have your torches and tent at the ready. The next morning we will visit the Ananui falls nearby before heading off to the Waitawheta Hut.

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Those looking for the easier option can then return to the bus with the driver and come in from Franklin road, arriving at Waitawheta hut with wet feet due to the shallow river crossings. Around this hut are signs about the Kauri milling – the kauri were used to power the gold ore extraction sites we visited recently on David’s cycle trail ride to Waikino. A nature trail can be followed too, so here is a great opportunity to learn the names of some plants. Everyone will get wet feet on the way back to the bus. This would be a good trip for trampers wanting to do their first weekend trip as you will need a tent for Friday night but the tramping will not be for long periods of the day.

Rated: E/M

Leader: Dianne & Selwyn June Phone: 07 843 3066

The long weekend will be based in our marvellous Lodge on Mount Ruapehu and will offer trips and events to meet all levels of tramping interest; from Latte, to Easy, Medium and Fit, so if you just want to take a book and sit in the sun and read, or if you want to take a strenuous trip to the top of one of the highest mountains in the North Island then this is the weekend to enjoy that with tramping club friends.

 

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The evenings will be lots of fun and the longer daylight (than our normal winter trips) will allow us some evening walks if it takes your fancy.
There are many beautiful walks in the area and we have a number of options available. Easy ones will be Whakapapa to Taranaki Falls and on to Lower Tama Lake; Medium one could be Tongariro Alpine Crossing – to Red Crater and back; and a Fit one could be to climb Ngaruahoe. A full programme will be sent closer to the time. If you wish to help run this weekend please contact the leader.

 

Rated: Latte to Fit

The Broken hills campsite is a wonderful place for a family weekend as  well as a good starting point for some good tramping. Those who choose to do a base camp o[ption will be spoilt for choice  as there are many short and medium length walks suitable for day excursions .

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The bus driver may be willing to be the base camp leader here. Make your option choice known to the leader at the time of booking. Those seeking a fitter option will be walking alongone of the many tracks leading up onto the the ridge behind the campsiteand perhaps even following an interesting 500M tunnel to get there.

Once on the top, travel will eventually take us to a campsite in a grassy clearing on the western side of the range. Sunday will see us make our way down into the Kauaeranga valley. The track is not well formed and steep in places, so is more suited to experienced and well prepared trampers. The track time is quoted as requiring 8 -10 hours so party fitness may decide what we do.

 

This trip will begin at the end of the Lake Okataina Rd opposite the lodge.

We will walk along the Eastern Okataina Walkway and go for about 30mins until we arrive at Kaiwaka Bay, the beginning of a marked route. We will soon start to climb steeply up unrelentingly for about 300m. Eventually the route becomes less steep and we come to a junction. This is the route across to the Phantom Rata tree, but first we will go up to the Cathedral Rata tree.

We climb up from the junction and pass to the left of a very large Rata tree. This is the second largest Rata that we will see today. On the next little terrace we come to the complex route system of the tree called the Cathedral. You can carry on up from here following markers until you come to the Lone Tawa. There is nothing special about this tree but it is in a little clearing and is a sunny place to have lunch. It is on the edge of the scenic reserve and beyond here logging activities have taken place. 

From the Lone Tawa we retrace our steps to the junction. We follow the contour and the route winds around to visit a number of Rata Trees of varying ages.

Eventually, without much warning we come to a huge Rata with a significant lean on it. Look a little past here and we will see the Phantom - a giant tree with a squat trunk. It measured some 15 meters around. From the Phantom we pick up the route again and descend steeply, relieved by traverses along little terraces before dropping steeply down a gully and suddenly we are back on the Eastern Okataina Walkway again. Follow the track back past Kaiwaka bay and back to the road. If we have time, we will take a side route to see Te Koutu Pa on a prominent peninsular in the lake. There are well preserved food storage pits that are worth seeing.