The aim of the weekend was made clear from the beginning. To nurture and provide the opportunity for
new and potential leaders to put into actual practice the skills taught in ABTC-Training Track modules,
under the watchful eyes of the instructors.
By 9.30am Saturday morning, all the participants had
arrived at the car park located at the end of Franklin Road. We were greeted with an overcast sky with
intermittent sunshine but fairly confident that the weather would improve as forecasted by the Met Service.
The first decision by the team for the training weekend was whether to take the tent along just in case
the Waitawheta Hut was fully occupied, being a school holiday and the number of cars seen in the car
park. As we were all prepared to rough it out, it was decided no tent thus less load to carry. A contingency
plan was also in place in case the rivers’ water level were high due to heavy rainfall of the previous
few days. Instead of staying in Waitawheta Hut we would detour to Dalys Clearing Hut if needed.
This
set the tone of the training weekend where the trainees were encouraged to exercise the perspective and
responsibilities of a leader and make appropriate decisions.
The total distance of the track one
way was about 8km and tramping time was 4hours. Tracks followed the Waitawheta River, passed through
private farm land before entering Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park and then met up with the historic Waitawheta
Tramline bed. Along the way, able to enjoy the incredible beautiful and soothing rock filled river view,
the newly opened swing bridge, spectacular gorge and sheer cliffs on either side. Sights to behold!.
This set the tone of the training weekend where the trainees were encouraged to exercise the perspective
and responsibilities of a leader and make appropriate decisions.
The total distance of the track
one way was about 8km and tramping time was 4hours. Tracks followed the Waitawheta River, passed through
private farm land before entering Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park and then met up with the historic Waitawheta
Tramline bed. Along the way, able to enjoy the incredible beautiful and soothing rock filled river view,
the newly opened swing bridge, spectacular gorge and sheer cliffs on either side. Sights to behold!.
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Track was relatively flat but with 5 major river crossings, several streams and a few bridges before
reaching the Hut.
Along the way, we had opportunities to put into practice the various techniques
of river crossings, choosing the most appropriate path to cross the river, map reading, navigation and
using DoC track markers along the way to calibrate trip progress.
One outstanding lesson learnt
was to keep our boots on when crossing rivers to protect our feet from injury. The chances of twisting
ankles due to slippery rocks, cut or crushed foot by submerged objects were good reasons to get the BOOTS
and SOCKS wet!. Another side benefit was you experienced water cooled feet with water sloshing inside
the boots as you walk!.
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