Tasman Summer Tramps Dec-Jan 2024

DAY WALKS
29 Dec – 12 Jan

A total of 23 day trips took place during the two weeks of the Summer Tramps, including walks, tours, canoeing, bird watching and exploring. There was a tramp on Mt Arthur Loop. The Takaka Hill walkway showed interesting geological features as well as a great outlook over the valleys, and a transmission tower. A group went by water taxi to The Anchorage to do the walk back through bush over the hills. Some of us hired kayaks to explore coastal features including the Split Apple Rock. The Paines Ford walk was a great little walk, and we also had a look at the Aorere Gold Fields. We did a walk along the Wainui beach and had a look at a waterfall. Barbara led a group along the track from Totaranui to Mutton Cove, part of the 5-day Abel Tasman Coastal Track that on the pack-carry programme. The Puponga Farm was a lovely walk through rolling farmland down to some beaches. Some of us did the bus tour to Farewell Spit, the only way that one can go out to the lighthouse at the end of the spit. There were also spectacular views of the cliffs on the coastline. There was a walk to Milnthorpe Reserve, a conservation bush reserve set up in 1974. Some of us went to Pohara Beach and the limestone reserve where there were spectacular slits in the limestone rock one could walk through. The crystal-clear waters of the Te Waikoropupu Springs made for an interesting day walk, along with the Pupu Hydro Walk. The long summer twilight made for a nice stroll at Motueka Inlet. Some of us did the 7km Dart Ford to Whangapeka Track trek, relieved to return in the van after lunch was brought to us at a picnic table. The last of these walks was from Kaiteriteri to Stephens Bay along a formed clifftop track.

MT ARTHUR
29-30 Dec

This tramp involved a walk, inland from Motueka, to Mt Arthur Hut then a proposed tramp to the summit and back out on the second day. However, as is often the case, the top of Mt Arthur was in perpetual storm conditions with extremely high winds, cloud and rain – even when the wider landscape was bathed in sunshine! Our first day involved much hilarity in the hut as we played the Farkle dice game – Michelle was undisputed champion! We were also entertained by the large number of people coming by the hut - from the Salisbury Hut loop or attempting the summit, chatting to them as they paused on their journey. In spite of this we had the hut to ourselves which was perfect. Devotions were delivered by Alan and Paul. Paul’s devotion covered Ps 139 – how astonishing is God’s creation, He knows so much more about us than we can imagine and His love is such that He holds us in His right hand. The psalmist desires a pure heart and to be led in the way everlasting.

At almost 1000m, the Flora car park provides an advantage in the climb to Mt Arthur Hut (1300m), which offers nearby superb views over the Motueka / Nelson region (the hut is just below the tree line. The tramp to the hut was 1.5 hours (4km). Mt Arthur (1795m) is a further 5 hours return (5km x 2) on a poled route, but on day two we only got about half way before severe weather (dangerous in steep alpine situations) forced us to turn back. Mt Arthur is Kahurangi’s second highest summit and has a broken, rocky, fascinating karst limestone landscape. There are many caves and sink-holes, so, staying on the designated poled route is important.

TABLELAND CIRCUIT
29-30 Dec

Eight trampers set out to do the Tableland Circuit overnighter. The intention was to do the complete circuit, but the weather forced us to return the same way from the Salisbury Lodge hut. We had a quick stop at Flora Hut, then went on to the Upper Grid Iron Shelter. This was very unusual, being a clamber up a long ladder. The shelter had mattresses, and is under a giant rock overhang. We crossed a stream over a swing bridge then carried on the uphill grunt through the beech forest to Salisbury Lodge. The kitchen dining area was at the front, then the sleeping
accommodation. What looked like a warden’s hut was really the loo.

We could see Gordon's Pyramid, our intention was to follow the Gordon’s Pyramid route over this and on via Arthur Range to the finish. Unfortunately the cloudy weather forced us to change our minds and retrace our footsteps instead. We saw a native snail on the way back. The Kahurangi NP-Nelson-West Coast is a major base for about 20 species of Powelliphanta snails, and DOC has been setting up protection places to ensure that the species are not lost. We took a break at Growler Rock Shelter. From there we carried on down and over the stream swingbridge, where Jeff reloaded his water bottle, and went on out to the finish at our starting point.

ABEL TASMAN COASTAL TRACK
1-5 Jan

We started at Marahau for five days four nights walking northwards along this wonderful coastal walk which comes out at the Wainui carpark. Our overnight stops were Anchorage Hut, Bark Bay Hut, Awaroa Hut and Whariwharangi Hut. Starting from a carved waharoa (entrance gate), we traversed under the canopy of lush beech and k?nuka forest to Anchorage, our first hut. It was a short stroll up a scenic lookout over to the spectacular golden sands of Te Puketea Bay. Next day we went around to Torrent Bay, crossing an estuary at low tide on the way. From there we went on to Bark Bay where we stayed overnight at the hut. After departing Bark Bay next day, the track returned to the coast at Tonga Quarry and onto one of the longest (and most beautiful) beaches in the Abel Tasman, Onetahuti Beach. Next came Awaroa Beach, which is often referred to as the ‘peoples beach’ with a cluster of holiday homes. After staying the night at the Awaroa Hut, the track between Awaroa Beach and T?taranui continued through some of the most dense and varied bush in the Abel Tasman National Park. The steady descent to Totaranui is particularly beautiful, as golden sands framed by lush green headlands are gradually revealed. North of Totaranui the Gibbs Hill loop takes in the towering rock stacks of Anapai Bay, the historic lighthouse at Separation Point and the old farmstead in Whariwharangi Bay. Our final night was at the Whariwharangi Hut, then we made it out to tramp’s end at the Wainui carpark.

BARK BAY
1-2 Jan

A group of ten did an overnight trip to Bark Bay Hut. We went by water taxi from Marahau, passing the famous Split Apple Rock then on up to Anchorage. Our walk began with a stream crossing and we had our morning tea in the shade at the Tonga quarry site on the coast. This was where the stones for the Nelson Cathedral steps were quarried. We passed through Torrent Bay Township, a handwritten sign saying this was established in 1926 with 54 holiday homes, population about 300. This is obviously a very popular holiday spot where people have holiday homes. We climbed up through bush to a viewpoint over the bay, then crossed the Fly River to emerge at Sandfly Bay. We arrived at Bark Bay Hut, and our packs were waiting over the estuary on the beach. We had to pick them up and trek back across the estuary to the hut. There was a beautiful sunset over Bark Bay as we settled in for the night. We were able to sit in our own little dining room in the hut, have devotions, and be all together. It was quite a good layout inside the hut.

Our tramp the next day began with an early morning paddle across the estuary before climbing up to a viewpoint over Onetahuti Beach. These glimpses of beautiful beaches made our mark there. And at the end was a wonderful bridge. We finished our tramp with a fancy lunch at Awaroa. And then we went down to the beach with all of our packs. There was quite a wait for our water taxi as we saw quite a few taxis go in and out. Then came our ride back to Totaranui.

INLAND TRACK
2-5 Jan

A group of five did the three-night Inland Track pack-carry. The Inland Track starts at exactly the same place down at Marahau, and it follows the Abel Tasman Coastal track for about 40 or 50 minutes and then it deviates inland. We climbed up through bush to Holyoake Shelter at 593m asl, a 2-bed hut. This was our lunch stop with views down to the coast. From there we carried along the ridge track to Castle Rocks Hut, going up to 720m asl. A 10 minute walk from there is Castle Rock itself, giving views down to Anchorage with Marahau and Kaiteriteri in the distance.

On the second day we climbed up to Porter Rock Lookout, 1040m asl, with views to Bark Bay. We went on to Moa Park Shelter for our morning tea break. From there the track does a little bit of wiggle over a little stream and then carries on until you get to the saddle and then it goes down to Canaan Loop junction and carpark. We continued on to the Wainui Hut, a small red hut at 700m asl, to be our home for the night. We dined at the picnic table outside the hut.

Day 3 was cooler in the morning, and we rigged up and crossed the Wainui River and then we hit up to the saddle again. So we had a nice break there, and we found a snail shell and some mushrooms, plus a little robin. Our stop for the night was Awapoto Hut at 670m asl, and we enjoyed a yummy dinner thanks to those who did all the dehydrating.

On our final day it was a bit overcast and drizzly, but that didn't last very long. We started going down the ridge, So we've done the big climb we've come down again, and after three hours we came to tramp’s end at Pigeon Saddle. Well anyway, after four days, so that was a great trick, a lot of exercise, but some beautiful scenic places that we saw.

LESLIE-KARAMEA – TASMAN
TRAILS
7-12 Jan

This tramp is a premier semi-wilderness experience situated in the middle of Kahurangi National Park, the Jewel in the Crown. After having a look at Cobb Power Station we set out along the Lake Peel Track, climbing up through beech forest to the open mountain tops. There was a view down to the Cobb Reservoir as we stopped for lunch. We carried on down through the tussock to arrive at the Balloon Hut, only 3 hours of trekking from the start, 9.5km. It was a nice place to stay, having been renovated from its original state.

Day 2 We had a much longer day that day, six hours of hiking. We were going from Balloon Hut to Karamea Bend Hut. This began as a walk along flat tussock terrain with mountains in the distance. We then dropped down into the beech forest to follow the Leslie River. There was a break at the Leslie Track junction, and after one-and-a-half hours we got to the Karamea BendHut, having tramped almost 21km in six hours.

Day 3 There were five swing bridges to cross as we carried on up the Leslie River to Venus Hut. Five-and-a-half hours taken to hike almost 19km.

Day 4 We carried on up Karamea River through forest with more swing bridges and out into the open river valley. Blue poles marked our way across the tussock flat as we approached Trevor Carter Hut. We were trekking for 5 hours, 15.7km.

Day 5 There were several options for our hike to Stone Hut, we decided on the Lost Valley option. We had several river crossings as we carried on, some so challenging we waded in the water rather than step over slippery rocks. Once we came to the Helicopter Hut the track became much better. We went on up to the Wangapeka Saddle, then on to finish at Stone Hut, completing 17.7km in 5h 30min. This was an older hut, but nevertheless a nice place to stay in.

Day 6 This was in forest following down the Wangapeka River on the Wangapeka Track. We had a look at the Cecil King Hut, a basic 4-bunk bivvy hut that is first-come first-served instead of being bookable. Historic Cecil Kings Hut is one of the few surviving buildings of the depression mining in the Wangapeka, Cecil was a gold miner. After 5.5h hiking over 22.5km we came out to tramp’s end at Rolling River Carpark.

LAKE SYLVESTER
7-8 Jan

Eight of us embarked on a captivating overnight adventure to the enchanting Lake Sylvester. The allure of witnessing both the breathtaking sunset and sunrise heightened the magic of our journey. Nestled in the heart of this experience was the delight of claiming the entire, relatively new hut adorned with twelve bunks featuring remarkably supportive mattresses. Amidst the camaraderie, we found solace in the serene waters, where some dared to swim, offering refreshing respite from the day's warm trek of 5.4km done in two hours. Our evening was adorned with the warmth of shared meals, fostering a sense of fellowship that only deepened our connection. The crescendo of our collective joy reached its peak as we engaged in a spirited game of Farkel, the laughter and friendly competition becoming integral threads in the fabric of our unforgettable Lake Sylvester escapade.