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A name which means “lone stitchbird” seems somewhat ironic for an area specifically dedicated to the
preservation of birdlife, but Hihitahi Forest Sanctuary has that distinction. According to a Taupo Tramping
Club report, “the sanctuary really works”, with “endless birdsong”, and “many species are seen or heard,
including wood pigeon, blackbird, thrush, chaffinch, tui, paradise goose, bellbird, waxeye, and robin.”
We wondered whether such a grandiose description was true, so decided to check it out. Of even greater interest was the vegetation. New Zealand has only two true coniferous tree species, both of them members of the cedar family. Kawaka is a tree of North Island lowland forests. Pahautea, also known as kaikawaka is found in montane and subalpine forests in both main islands. According to J.T. Salmon (Native Trees of New Zealand,1996), Hihitahi hosts “a fine, almost pure stand of kaikawaka”, but this counters more recent reports of accelerated decline. So another motivation for our visit was to ascertain the current state of affairs first hand. An expedition into Hihitahi is greatly aided by the location of the very cosy Zeke’s Hut (4-bunks, wood stove), constructed in 2007. “Zeke” sounds like a kiwi rival to Zorro, but he was actually a deerstalker who built the original hut in the 1960s. It’s a moderate out and back tramp of about 6 hours, covering 6.5 km each way, and a total of 750m ascent and descent. Once we had dined at Pizza Hut in Taupo, we travelled down the eastern side of Lake Taupo to Lake Taupo Christian Camp. After a very comfortable and reasonably-priced night in their flat (which sleeps up to ten persons), we headed south to Waiouru in drizzle. A pleasant morning tea stop at a Waiouru Café warmed us up. Access to the track was a short hop from here. Around 11 a.m., we drove through the gate on SH1, and parked out of sight. A small notice and stile at the edge of the first paddock designated the start. Red-topped poles stretched in front of us. The track headed ENE, down a fence and tree line, to the Hautapu River. We swung left to a very bouncy swing bridge. Once across, we veered sharp left to take advantage of the culvert over a small creek, then turned right to skirt an area of boggy tussock. Soon the trail ascended a grassy slope to a prominent marker on the forest boundary. We traversed low bush on a steep, muddy track. Shortly we entered beech then mixed native forest, before descending to cross a small stream on an earth bridge. It was here that the main climb began. Midway up, a steep pinch needed a little more effort. The final few metres were slippery and rocky, with few handholds. After a real upward grunt, we bore right on a track well-marked with orange blazes, over a minor crest and further high point. The track then flattened out. Easy walking along the ridge took us northeast to the Hihitahi Trig (1107m). The tower has collapsed, but scattered timbers and the foundation stumps identified its location. On a clear day, there are fantastic views to the central North Island mountains, the Ruahine Ranges, and even across to Mt. Taranaki. We did not enjoy these views going in, but coming out was quite the opposite. From the trig, we descended to a T-junction, then swung SE more or less on the same contour. This section had some fine specimens of mountain cedar, characterised by their conical crowns of heavy, almost horizontally spreading branches that form distinctively billowing masses, and their papery bark. One particularly steep part of the track suddenly broke out onto an open grassy slip before sidling down into the valley to the flat platform where the old hut once stood. The new hut (937m) was 200m further on, situated on a prominent knoll overlooking two bush-clad valleys. It had taken us 3.5 hours. Because we were in a designated bird sanctuary, Phillip chose this theme for our reflections. Just before tea, he led a reflection on Birds of the Bible, which illustrate how much God values us, as well as his provision, strengthening, and care (I Kings 17:4; Isaiah 40:3-31, Matthew 6:26, Luke 12:6-7). He concluded by describing a point in his life when God spoke to him very clearly using a tui. Sights and sounds at the hut were disheartening in some respects. The montane forest is typical of wetter areas such as this, but there were visible signs of collapse everywhere, apparently caused by excessive possum browsing. The pale skeletons of numerous dead totara and kaikawaka dotted the canopy, in contrast to the red-spotted horopito flourishing beneath. Possum control appears to have been too little too late. Further, the environs were strangely silent. On the section of track that had climbed steeply, several species of bird were heard, but elsewhere we encountered little to justify the euphoric descriptions. We saw a tomtit and heard a kereru, but little else. Perhaps early spring was not the best time! Hihitahi is clearly at a critical stage. It will either deteriorate further, or return to health. Meridian Energy have recently obtained consent to construct a 52-turbine wind farm on the adjacent plateau, conditional on their contributing to habitat restoration in the sanctuary. It is to be hoped that such funding will provide the impetus needed for Hihitahi to return to its former glory. Saturday night was gloriously clear, and we were impressed by the starry hosts. Peter Y slept outside in a tent, with another visitor (not in our group), while the remaining six of us slept in the hut. Sunday morning was very frosty but beautifully sunny under a cloudless blue sky. We left Zeke’s Hut at 8.30 a.m. and were back at the cars 3 hours later. En route, we paused for some time at the summit to imbibe the wonderful vistas, and later to share a reflection about the remarkable design features of the woodpecker, emperor penguin and mallee fowl (Romans 1:20). After reaching our vehicles, we drove north to Tokaanu Hot Pools for a quick dip and a bite of lunch, before heading for home. COST: $85 |