May Social Meeting 17/05/2012
 30 May NSTC Annual General Meeting Senior Citizens Hall, the Strand, Takapuna 7.30 Guest speaker: Dr. Nick Waipara of the Auckland Council about Kauri Dieback You will all be aware that a number of tracks in the Waitakeres are going to be closed for a year for a trial in an attempt to control the spread of the kauri die- back disease. This will have an impact on both where we can go as a club and where you can go on private trips. Come along to the AGM and as part of it find out from an expert what is going on and which tracks will be shut. Wilderness Magazine reported: About 27km of popular walking tracks in the Waitakere Ranges will be closed in a bid to halt the spread of a kauri tree-killing disease. Formation of protection zones around unaffected kauri in the dense forest west of Auckland City was called for yesterday by Auckland Council's parks, recreation and heritage forum. Officials had reported a higher incidence of the kauri dieback disease in areas more often visited by walkers and survey work showed the need for more extensive measures to protect healthy kauri than the present boot disinfection stations. It is estimated about 8 per cent of the ranges' dense kauri areas are already infected and another 3 per cent probably infected. "The disease may have long-term ecosystem impacts if it continues to spread unabated and uncontrolled," said a biosecurity team report. In some cases where it was not practicable to close a track, there would have to be upgrading and rerouting. Forum chairman Sandra Coney said it was a precautionary approach that still allowed enjoyment of most of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, which had 256km of tracks. Protection zones were proposed for the Cascade Kauri, Anawhata, Waiatarua, Piha, Karekare, Huia and Parau areas, to be reviewed in a year while scientists learned more about the disease and whether a vaccine or cure could be found. You can see the full article including details of the proposed closures here: http://www.wildernessmag.co.nz/view/page/articles/read/updated-auckland-trampers-face-track-closures/ Add Comment Bill’s Playground 24/03/2012
 Over the ponga and kauri trees, beyond the Lower Nihotupu Reservoir you can see the settlement of Parau - where Bill Beveridge was born. Bill had an adventurous childhood. He would ride his horse to the Upper Huia Dam to go hunting or to Paratutai Wharf to go fishing. His first solo pig hunt was at the age of ten. when he was just big enough to fire a single barrel shotgun without being knocked off his feet. Local knowledge, common sense and bushman’s skills made Bill the ideal park ranger, and the go to man when there was trouble. Bill undertook everyday tasks, such as park and track maintenance and possum control as well as the tough jobs...fighting bush fires and finding lost trampers. PS We did bits of the Hillary trail on this tramp. Did you notice in Wilderness mag how they panned the trail? See under the heading “The Pilloried Trail” It seems that some walkers haven’t enjoyed the mud, describing the Hamilton track thus’ “I remembered the fifth circle of hell in Dante’s Inferno in which the fallen fight one another for all eternity while drowning repeatedly in muddy waters. By the time we emerged from this hell our legs were coated and we were exhausted” Okura Bush Walkway Upgrade 01/07/2011
 The section from Haigh Access Road to Karepiro Bay is currently being upgraded. Work is in progress and the track may be closed at times. At other times the track will be open but beware of machinery operating and follow contractors' instructions. Please be aware that sections of the track are currently muddy and slippery (hence the upgrade!). Part of the track will be closed for logging operations, independently of the track upgrade. Dates will be advised. Check track alerts on www.doc.govt.nz if you are planning to walk this track. If you haven't tried this walk, it's a nice part day trip. For more information see http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/auckland/central-and-south-auckland/okura-bush-walkway/ Otago Youth Adventure Trust Bookings Open 01/07/2011
BOOKINGS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE 2012 SEASON Milton Rotary and the Otago Youth Adventure Trust, have for many years taken independent tramping groups on many "Great Walks", and other tracks. DoC regulations require they run trips on a “cost recovery” basis only, but hope to receive voluntary donations (Which are tax rebatable), from participants For more information, see the website at http://www.otagorotarytrusttramps.org.nz/. DOC Autumn Track Updates 17/04/2011
 Albany Scenic Reserve
Track open and marked Okura Bush Walkway Track open. Track upgrade work is planned to start soon. Recent king tides have altered the low tide walk around the beach headland, be prepared for wet muddy feet. Part of the track will be closed for logging operations (independently of the track upgrade). Dates will be advised and posted on www.doc.govt.nz under track alerts. Goldie Bush Walkway Track open. All Track upgrade work is completed Mokoroa Stream Track is a marked route and is suitable for experienced trampers only. Te Henga walkway Track open. Track overgrown (gorse, flax) in places. Vegetation cutting scheduled. Mt William Walkway Track open. A new fence has been erected around Mt William trig and a new stile built for access to trig. Reserve section has had some slips. One big windfall blocking a flight of box steps. Temporary track re-routing in place. Hunuas
Tracks open. Walking times are indicative only, please ensure you have plenty of time to complete your walk and catch the ferry. 56,000km of Other Places to Walk 17/04/2011
 The Walking Access Commission has provided online maps for all roads in New Zealand including unformed legal roads (ULRs) at http://wams.org.nz/wams. A ULR - sometimes known colloquially as a paper road - is a parcel of land that has been legally designated as a road but has not been formed. Formed means physically constructed and includes gravelling, metalling, sealing or permanently surfacing the road. The Courts have ruled that land included in official survey plans as road is legally road even if it has not been pegged out on the ground and not formed in any way. In short, from a legal perspective, ULRs are as good as any other road. The term “paper road” is often used interchangeably with ULR. The New Zealand Walking Access Commission does not use the term paper road as this implies that the road has less status than formed roads. Most ULRs came into existence in the original subdivision of land by the Crown in the 19th century for sale to settlers. When subdividing the land, surveyors made provision for roads to enable access to the land being sold. Many of these roads were never formed. Some roads formed in the past are no longer maintained by the responsible territorial authority and have reverted to being unformed. The early surveys also reserved land alongside the coast, rivers and lakes for public useand designated this land as road. The amount of ULR in New Zealand is estimated to be around 56,000 kilometres. The proportion of ULR varies considerably from local authority to local authority. ULRs are no different in law from formed roads. Almost all have a nominal width of 20 metres, implying that they can be used by vehicles. The public have the right to use them on foot, on horse, or in vehicles without hindrance from the adjoining landholder or anyone else. However, users of these roads must consider others, including adjoining landholders and their property. The general rules of the road apply and territorial authorities have powers to manage the roads. ULRs may be unsuitable for vehicle use and even for walking, because of the topography that they traverse. Goats and Pigs 03/04/2011
 The Auckland council is undertaking four rounds of feral goat control in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park this year. If you see signs of pigs please contact the Arataki Visitor centre so that control teams can follow up on sightings ph 817 0077 or email Arataki.Centre@arc.govt.nz Bush Walking Skills Blog 20/02/2011
Here's a site with some interesting articles about tramping in NZ including the Routeburn Track, Planning a Climb of Mt Aspiring and iPhone Apps for Bushwalkers in NZ - www.bushwalkingskills.com. There are also articles on :
Mangawhai Walking Weekend 01/02/2011
 The Mangawhai Walking Weekend ( 31st March, 1st, 2nd, 3rd April) has a couple of walks that specifically for trampers that are part of the Te Araroa Trail - an opportunity to be guided by someone with local knowledge! "For the keen walkers who want more of a challenge there are segments of Te Araroa Track to explore (either the Dome Valley or the cliff top to Brynderwyns )." There are more than 20 different walks, over the weekend, led by locals who love to share their knowledge of the area. To find out more check out the website www.mangawhaiwalkingweekend.co.nz. Summer Track Updates from the Department of Conservation as of 21 December 2010. 
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