NZ Raptor Trust/Kakahu Bush
15th November 2020
The NZ Raptor Trust is located at Redruth St, Timaru and is housed in four shipping containers, with a green space behind. Ron provided a presentation of the background of the Trust and how it came to be. He then told us the story of Tom, a Harrier Hawk, who was rescued as an orphan along with his 2 siblings. His siblings were flying at 6 weeks old but Tom was slow to develop and didn’t start walking until 5 weeks old, sometimes using a concrete ledge to support himself with his wings. It was encouraging for those volunteers at the Trust to nurture Tom over the last 18 months and now see Tom a capable independent Hawk who will be released in the near future. Ron had Tom on a Creance line which was attached to his leg and with some food on our hand, he flew onto our arm. A lot of Raptors get injured by harvesters and vehicles. Also with Cole, who had been injured, he was now at a stage where he could creance. He will stay at the Trust as he had some neurological injuries, but he will provide advocacy for other raptors. There was also an Owl, “Grumpy” who we didn’t get to see. Learning about the Raptors behaviours was extremely interesting and the good work that Ron, Vaughan and the volunteers do is so inspiring. Vet Life in Timaru are heavily involved in the Raptors survival also. The NZ Raptor Trust is keen to show groups, particularly school groups, what they do. Check them out on http://nzraptor.org/ See our video on The New Zealand Raptor Trust on Facebook.
After a coffee, we arrived at Kakahu Bush in time for a quick lunch and then off on our walk. It was hot so being in the bush was pleasant. The first part of the walk was a track where they used to bring marble from the top down to the kiln. About thirty minutes later, we arrived at a TB Sanatorium site, a flat cleared area in the bush but there was no remains of any buildings. Apparently, fresh air was good for recovering from TB so respite institutions were built far from civilisation. Further up, we could hear a pig scuttle away into the bush, surprising as there were a number of people on this walk. We came to a clearing which we could see out towards Fairlie and also look down onto Kakahu Bush and take in the various prominent trees. Not long after, we walked up to the lookout and found Robbie looking out! A quick snack and a discussion on the type of rock and we were off downhill. We came to the Balancing Rock which is a huge menhir. Soon we were back to the vehicle and headed home.
Thanks for your company John and Robbie, Bess
Club Night 9 November 2020
Club members were interested in a proposal to build a new 6 bunk Hut in the Waianakarua Reserve, though being off any tramping routes, would be of limited use for the Club.
Trip Reports:
!2 members rode the A2O bike trail from Windsor to Duntroon and back on ebikes while 3 rode pedal power bikes from Cants road. All met at Duntroon for lunch.
6 trampers climbed the 1917m high Ohau Peak in a 12 hour day. They encountered gale force winds along the top, which made the necessary boulder hopping a bit of a challenge!
Wednesday Walkers had return trips along the Waiho Walkway to the Waiho Forks Hotel, Andersons Lagoon to the Shag River Mouth at low tide passing 7 sea lions basking on the beach. They enjoyed a new coastal walk south from Timaru to Jacks Point lighthouse, and a farm walk circuit near Taieri Peak with lunch beside the Waikouaiti River.
Coming trips are to Kakahu Bush, a night walk in the Herbert Forest, climbing Mount Kyeburn, and weekend trips to the Neuman range via the Dobson Valley, and the Mount Somers Track. There will be a Christmas pot-luck meal on the 14 December.
The evening then concentrated on planning trips for the summer.
Ohau Peak
1st November 2020
Three members left Oamaru at 7am and met up with Rodney, Helen and Bill at Kurow.
Following a quick coffee stop at the wee caravan in Otematata we duly arrived at the woolshed on Quailburn Road around 9am.
Setting off shortly after nine we began to climb straight away reaching the trig station 4089 within 40 minutes. From here, we headed northwest across to the fencing track leading straight up the slope towards Point 1873 metres at the southern end of the Ohau Range.
Following a good steady slog uphill we had lunch in the shelter of some rocks on the leeward side of Point 1873.
A shorter but just as demanding climb followed lunch until we reached the ridgeline. From this point the target was in sight but still some distance away. Due to a nice clear day we were surrounded with breath-taking vistas all around.
A short rest stop at Point 1909 occurred before the final stretch to Ohau Peak which was reached at 1.40pm. Another short rest to admire the view was taken at which time the predicted gale force winds decided to arrive. This made the journey back along the ridgeline quite demanding.
We opted to return to the vehicles via a different route and therefore once we had returned to point 1873 we angled down via a scree slope and across the creek to the track that connects the woolshed carpark to the East Ahuriri Valley. A short journey from there to the cars ensued where we met and happily discussed what was a very rewarding day.
Special Thanks to Rodney for collating all the data for this report.
Rodney, Helen, Ross F, Bill F, Ger and Julian
A2O Sections Bike Ride
Sunday 18 October 2020
Anyone for a bike ride ?
The answer is a definite yes, with 15 riders lining up for Sundays ride to Duntroon and return.
With the increased popularity of E bikes more rides are being included into the clubs programme to cater for this activity.
A lucky break in the recent mix of windy and cold weather gave us a Sunday of good riding conditions, not too hot and light winds.
With two starting points at Windsor Hall and the shelter on Cants Road giving options for the faster E bikes and all meeting at the Duntroon Hotel for lunch. The trail was quite busy with other cyclists traveling in both directions enjoying this local asset.
A leisurely lunch was enjoyed outside the Hotel in the sun, but all to soon it was time to work it off with the return journey into a light head wind, no problem for those E’s.
All 15 riders completed the journey without breakdown or incidents along the way, another enjoyable ride.
Thanks to, Bill, Bev, Jane, Graham, Bron, Maureen, Julia, Bob, Ross, Brian, Maria, Phyllis, Chris, Les, – Maurice.
Trip Report for Herbert Forest Working Bee, 11 October 2020
Ten members made it out for this event and we started at the Queen’s Rd end of the Podocarp Track. Two of the main jobs undertaken were a replacement of a dodgy round pole bridge with a more standard version and continuing with step building downhill from the bridge. These 2 tasks were completed successfully and should improve the track. Clearing the track from any windfalls, and general plant incursions was also done on both the Swallows and the Podocarp Tracks. Old signage from the days of the NZFS was also carried out from the big tree junction, it had long been abandoned but was in remarkably good condition albeit it very waterlogged and heavy. The weather was fine for this day, not too hot, ground conditions were very dry. The Hoods Creek Track is still closed due to harvesting and was avoided except for scrub barring the bottom entrance. Scrub barring was also done on the gorse section of the Swallows return track. A big thanks to those who came, these jobs make a big difference done with many. Also thanks to Port Blakely for their continued support and supply of materials used for track work.