Napier Tramping Club

based in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

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A photo opportunity in front of Black Birch Bivvy

What a great gap filler

August 1, 2012 by Kelvin Shaw 1 Comment

Loktow Road to Littles Clearing via Black Birch Range, Aug 1 2012

The original plan was to go from Makahu Saddle car park to Pinks car park via Middle Hill Hut, but with heavy rain just gone and more on its way – and the need to have the van taken from one end to the other – it was considered to be unwise. So with a change of plan, eight trusty trampers set off for the safer and shorter alternative offered by the Black Birch Range.

Having turned off the Whittle Road into Loktow Road, the start of the track is about 5k down what is a narrow, often steep, metal road with two fords to cross and several washouts to go around – all expertly navigated by our driver, Alison.

A photo opportunity in front of Black Birch BivvyWe started tramping at 9.00. Five of us intending to do the whole track, Vic and Ken decided to take an easier pace following on behind whilst John headed further along the road to climb Don Juan from the road end. We climbed steadily for about an hour when, just as the energy was flagging, we reached the ridge. The track to this point is through bush with more and more contorta taking over the higher we climbed. The route has recently been cleared by scrub cutting, leaving a well defined and wide track. From there, it was relatively flat all the way. At the halfway stage and well in front of the DoC time estimates, we visited the bivvy which is about five minutes off the track. It has been re-painted and the area was in average condition; there was an open fire place complete with pot racks and billy hangers which would be very handy if staying the night.

The track along the ridge is lined with contorta which unfortunately has grown to a height that blocks out the views towards the Kawekas. The track for the last half hour before reaching the end has a lot of boggy bits that need skipping around but not deep enough to be more than a messy nuisance. The final section dips down into two gullys so as to cross small streams and then back up the other side each time. The beech trees and bush contrast favourably with the ridge line and the contorta. We arrived at the Littles Clearing end of the track at 11.30 for an early lunch.

After half an hour of lunching and chatting, we were beginning to feel the cold and so we set off on the return. This took about two hours, quicker because we were going downhill at the end and of course we missed out going to the bivvy for a second time. The other three were waiting at the van on our return so we had a quick exit and an early trip home. Despite the forecasts, we had a dry day. The rain started on the road home.

Trampers: John Marshall, Alison Greer, Diane Hills, Ken Ross, Vic Bullock, Peter Slagter, John Burrell and reporter Kelvin Shaw

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Comments

  1. Jan Roeleven says

    August 21, 2012 at 8:48 am

    Mooie groep hebben jullie,voor te wandelen,ik ben een zwager van Peter slagter,en kijk hier in Holland vaak naar jullie wandelingen,veel wandel plezier verder? Groetjes uit Nederland . Jan

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About us

About us

We are a group of like-minded people who love the great outdoors. We tramp mostly in the Hawke’s Bay province, in remote areas such as the Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges; but we also travel longer distances to new places, for longer walks.

The Napier Tramping Club was established in 1974 and has about 70 members. We belong to the Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ Inc (FMC) and run Saturday, full-weekend and Wednesday tramps, every fortnight.

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Enjoy the great outdoors, keep fit and get to know others with similar interests.

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April 2018 News

Contents: NZ Walking Access Commission (NZWAC); Molesworth Consultation; Sunrise and Rangiwahia … Read More

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Contents: Ruahine User Group Minutes of Feb 18th Meeting Manawatu Walking Festival; Sunrise and … Read More

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