A warm sunny afternoon brought out 26 trampers to explore the area of forest behind the little township of Maraetai, with the intention of following a loop track leading to the Pukekawa trig, a tramp the Club did back in October 1991. About half the group left The Bracken soon after 1:30pm, with the remainder meeting at Maraetai. Maraetai Forest, also known as Waiho Forest, is owned by Carter Holt Harvey and unlike the last time back in 1991 when the forest was freely open to the public on Sundays, we had to obtain a permit to enter the area. Carter Holt Harvey now charges $3 per person to visit their forests other than on established public tracks such as the loop track through Woodhill Forest which the Club tramped last August. The forest is accessed from a side road going off the main road just before the Maraetai beachfront. We set out about 3pm, climbing up and over a hill along a forestry road and came to a junction about 30 minutes later. Here we split into two groups - nine people went directly to the Pukekawa trig while the remaining 16 (one person pulled out about 15 minutes into the tramp after getting his pants dirty through accidentally sitting in some smelly muck) chose to go the longer way (according to the map) to the summit. The direct route to the summit took a further half hour including a steady climb.

The other track, the longer way according to the map, continued along a valley to eventually come to the edge of open farm pasture. It then began to turn around and climb a little, as shown by the map, but we soon came out to the edge of more open pasture and a view of rolling farmland with more pine forest and native bush in the distance. The road finished here at a sewerage disposal plant, strictly out of bounds.

We took a side track nearby but that was more overgrown and led only to a small area once used as a quarry. Once back on the main track, we tried to find another track or road following the route shown on the map but without any success. There was no alternative but to turn back. Stuart, a fit tramper and runner as well, offered to run on ahead and go up the direct road to Pukekawa Trig to tell the other group who would have been waiting for us, and report back to us by cellphone. The rest of us went on to the junction for a rest stop, then as it was getting late carried on back towards the starting point. About halfway up the hill towards the start, the message came through that half the other group had already began to return to the cars. Those who went directly to the trig were disappointed that the trees had grown up and blocked what could have been the wonderful view out to Ponui Island and other places seen on the 1991 tramp. We got out about 5:30pm, and despite one group not reaching the trig and the other group not being able to see much from the trig, everyone had a really enjoyable afternoon out in the country amongst the pines and other trees. COST: travel $5; permit fee $3