23 people took a barge trip from Kawakawa Bay with perfect sunny weather!
We walked a full loop
up to the trig and back to the Home Bay. Friendly donkeys sauntered over to meet us! We enjoyed the
views from our hilltop climb, before entering the bush and following the boundary fence, while stumbling
over fallen branches and ferns to reach the Trig.
After lunch at the top we were grateful for
a grassy wide track and open country back to the start. Our host David Chamberlin served a cup of tea
and some helped by taking bundles of fence batons to the fence building area.
David told us about
the Tawapou Trail project - a forest restoration educational project in two valleys behind the camp buildings.
The vision is to plant these easily accessible areas to mimic the forest ecosystems found on Ponui Island
as closely as possible. The seedlings used are eco-sourced from and propagated on the Island. As the
plants grow, walkers will be able to learn about the names, characteristics, uses and habitats of at
least 90 different forest species, including forest floor plants right up to canopy trees.
We
left Ponui Island at 4pm to return to Kawakawa Bay and drive home.
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