The FMC has a list of tracks affected by the recent bad weather, please check it out if you are heading out on a track.

https://fmc.org.nz/2023/03/08/cyclone-gabrielle-aftermath-reporting-track-damage-to-doc/

Also please follow our Facebook page where you will see updates and latest news.

Club member Roger has the following two tramping items up for sale:

• Sunbeam Food Lab Dehydrator
• Black Diamond 12 point flexible Crampons

If anyone is interested please email books@persons.co.nz

On the 26th February, the club headed out to Shakespear Regional Park and found perfect weather! The park offers rolling green hills, stunning beaches and sweeping views towards the Hauraki Gulf. Thank you to Ivan who took these great photos of the day!

"The scream came from the front of the group. About 25m ahead of me..."

If you’re heading out hiking or tramping during the New Zealand summer and early autumn months, especially in beech forests (and especially at the top of the South Island) you’re almost certainly going to encounter wasps. Their sting can be at best painful, at worst trigger an anaphylactic reaction. Here's a few tips on how to avoid wasps nests and how to treat the stings should the worst happen.

Beware the sting: A Tramper's Guide to Avoiding and Managing Wasp Attacks

If you're new to tramping or about to do your first overnight trip, here is a good blog about what to consider when staying in a hut with other trampers.  Advice comes from DOC rangers and tramping staff themselves!

             

Anthony, Chris, Pete, Kevin, Milo, Eileen, Angela

Our party of intrepid track clearers left Auckland Saturday morning with the ominous threat of storms. The weather gods were smiling on Wairere falls and we arrived to light drizzle providing some cooling for the scenic climb to the top of the falls, armed with our track clearing weaponry. On arrival at the top, fine sunny weather greeted us just in time for lunch. Onwards up the track to our 5 Star campsite where tents were pitched just in time for a short siesta while the rain came down to clear for a fine sunny day.

On the job and excellent progress was achieved with a 1 km section being cleared from our campsite up the North South track ~250m past the Upper Wairere Falls turnoff, meeting up with where we finished off earlier in the year. 

The rain gods were busy overnight with thunder and lightning but as ordered it cleared to a fine sunny day in time for breakfast. After a side trip to the Upper Wairere Falls we finished our Sunday track clearing session.

This trip marks a 6-year milestone with the entire track now cleared from the Aongatete Road end (located off SH2 near Katikati), up the North South Track, then over the top of the saddle near the Southern end to the top of Wairere Falls. This epic result represents 983 hrs worked since the first Club Track Clearing Party in October 2016.

A leisurely lunch back at our campsite saw us heading back to the carpark, again timing it just right to miss the rain before making our way back to Auckland via the requisite refreshments stop in Te Aroha.   

Special thanks to great work from my team: Chris (also chauffeur), Angela, Milo, Pete, Eileen and Ants   

From Kaimai Track and Hut Users:

Biking Hiking Shuttles - the brainchild of Sue and Pete Middleton.

I’m sure many of you have have seen some commentary recently about Sue and Pete, and some have used their services - with fantastic reviews.

We (KRT) would not normally endorse businesses via this Facebook page, however Biking Hiking Shuttles is a great fit for our mission to get people in and out of the Kaimais with great experiences - safely, and therefore makes them something of an exception.

Sue and Pete, also intrepid adventurers, are based on their farm near Te Aroha and offer a comprehensive service that will get you where you are going - can provide safe parking, and will even pick you up after, with flexibility around timing!

Coming out a day early - no problem. Need to change exit pickup - go on challenge them!

Pretty sure I’ll be seeing them soon - hit them up - got to be better than coming out to a damaged or missing car - or if you get rained out and need to exit early for safety reasons - have the security of knowing you can do this.

Judging by that feedback - they’re off to a great start.

bikinghikingshuttles.co.nz

Android phone users - the wait is over!

The Android version of The Trail App has been updated for this season and is available free of charge in the Google Play Store. The latest version is 8.3, featuring up to date maps and track data for the 2022/2023 Te Araroa walking season.

The app allows you to access helpful information, official trail notes and safety alerts from your mobile phone. It also shows campsites, huts, topographical maps and information on trail elevation, even in areas with no internet access.

Stay tuned for the updated version of the app for iPhone. We will let you all know when the iPhone version has gone through all necessary Apple App Store approvals and is available for download.

After a very wet winter, a lot of our tracks still have damage. This includes slips, washouts, missing bridges and fallen branches.

Our staff are working hard to fix them, but it’s a huge job, especially repairing storm damage in the top of the South Island.

We know it is frustrating when it takes a long time to fix a track. Please be patient – we’re doing the best we can. It only takes minutes for a flooded river to wash away a bridge or for a section of track to collapse, but rebuilding in the backcountry can take many months.

When you’re planning a tramp or heading out for a walk, it’s essential to check our website for any alerts for that track or facility. Even if the weather has been good recently, the track might still have damage from extreme weather events earlier in the year. The local Visitor Centre can also provide up-to-date information on track conditions.

For more information about the current alerts, visit us here: https://bit.ly/2URz3jb

This is a walkway that we are all interested in and many questions have been asked regarding when it will open. Here is the current update from Alexis Poppelbaum, Hibiscus and Bays Local Board member:

Okura Bush Walkway update from DoC 

I get so many people asking me about what is happening with the Okura Bush Walkway and when it will open again. Unfortunately DoC have previously been very slow to get back to me (or not at all) and the information hasn't been useful. I reached out yet again recently and begged them to provide an update for all of us wanting to know what is going on, and here it is:

"As you know, kauri dieback has been found in Okura Bush. Phytophthora agathidicida (PA) is a soil-borne pathogen which infects kauri trees, causing the condition known as kauri dieback. PA can be spread through just a single speck of soil or dirt, and for this reason we need to be vigilant in reducing the potential for the pathogen to spread, which is why the track remains closed at this time.

Since Okura Bush Walkway was closed in 2018, the Department has undertaken substantial upgrades to the track, both mitigation works for kauri dieback as well as works to remedy two slips on the track. An inspection of the track undertaken in 2021 highlighted a number of issues which have led to the Department, in conjunction with mana whenua, to explore further mitigation of the walkway: small sections of the track were still not mud-free, and differences between DOC’s track mitigation standards for kauri dieback and the standards Auckland Council is meeting in its recent kauri dieback works in the Waitakere Ranges.

In December 2021, the Department entered into a track management agreement for Okura Bush Walkway with mana whenua. The purpose of the agreement is to outline how the Department and mana whenua (in this case comprising Te Kawerau ā Maki, Ngāti Manuhiri and Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aōtea) will work together to enable public access within the rāhui area laid over the Okura Bush Scenic Reserve in a way that reduces the risk of kauri dieback disease and supports broader forest health. The outcome of implementing the plan will result in public enjoyment of the reserve in a way that respects tikanga, meeting the aspirations of both the Department and mana whenua.

The Department and mana whenua are working with a specialist engineering company on the design of further mitigation works. We are also currently exploring options to fund these works. Unfortunately I cannot give a firm timeline of when these works will be completed.

We recognise the frustration of many members of the public that Okura Bush Walkway has now been closed for more than four years, and will remain closed for the 2022/2023 summer season. The Department asks for continued patience from the public while we work towards the track’s reopening.

You may also be interested to note that a National Pest Management Plan for kauri came into effect in August 2022, approved under the Biosecurity Act 1993. It sets out several measures and requirements to protect kauri from PA and to support broader kauri health. You can find more information on the National Pest Management Plan at National Plan | Tiakina Kauri (kauriprotection.co.nz)."