Bell Rock – Taraponui, Wednesday, March 18 2009. Map: V19
Trampers: Manfred Hausler, Jeanne Van Den Hout, Thelma Tasman-Smith, Nolene Blair, Peter Youren, John Marshall, Keith Moretta, Vic Bullock, Peter Slagter, Ken Ross, Kelvin Shaw, Robyn Smith and Alison Greer
This tramp along the Maungahururu Range is popular with the club. Thirteen members drove to Tutira, turned left at the store onto Matahorua Rd, left again onto Pohokura Rd, and passed Boundary Stream, stopping at the car park beneath Bell Rock. It was a sunny morning with no wind, but a lone cloud hung over Taraponui, our objective for the day.
The bush above the car park was alive with bird song; it was very pleasant to walk through and just listen. They seem to be particularly active at this time of the year.
Arriving at Bell Rock, cool Westerly winds made us seek shelter for our morning tea and discuss the next move. We hoped the cloud over Taraponui would lift but it seemed the forecast rain in the west was moving in. At the time, though, it was fine so we decided to keep to the plan and headed off. Down the gut, up the other side, over the fence, across the hill and down to the road we went, all the time watching the weather.
Nearing the last rise to Taraponui, two vehicles came down out of the cloud and the men told us it was raining at the top and not very pleasant. As it had started to rain – and not fancying eating lunch in the stuff – we changed our mind and went back to Bell Rock via the cliffs to eat.
As it was still early in the afternoon when we reached the cars, the party stopped at Boundary Stream for a short walk before returning to Napier. As so often happens in Hawke’s Bay, the threatened rain did not eventuate and on the drive back it was with disappointment we looked back up to Taraponui and saw the dark menacing cloud had lifted and it was now a lovely, sunny late afternoon. Oh well, that’s tramping.
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