Kaweka Lower Loop track maintenance, Kaweka FP, Wednesday 5 July 2023
Banner Photo: Getting stuck into the task
Knowing that our tramping post-cyclone was going to be limited, we scheduled a maintenance day for the lower Kaweka track. The last couple of times we travelled this route, we had been very aware of how overgrown it was.
So we set out in the van early in a bid to mitigate the now-common commuter traffic delays on the expressway. Some days are better than others, and this Wednesday wasn’t one of them. Nevertheless, we got out to the Lakes car park in reasonable time to start the work.
The intention was to travel as far as needed to clear some of the overgrown track and not focus on reaching the other end (the Mackintosh Hut car park). Ted decided to stay on the first section between the Lakes car park and the old Kaweka Hut site. He did a sterling job by removing many of the wilding pine seedlings that are taking over the area, as well as using his pruning saw to attack trees encroaching on the track.
The others moved further towards the Mackintosh Hut end. We started on an overgrown patch before the slip lookout where we used to stop for morning tea. This took some energy, as intense patches of bush lawyer were growing into the track area. By cutting them back as far as we could reach with loppers, we have hopefully gained some relief from that scourge for future tramps – until the inevitable grow-back.
We moved onward, looking for a part where – on a previous tramp – we had felt it was so overgrown we were being pushed down the bank. After a short walk, we opted for a quick lunch break and found a patch with small glints of sunlight that made us feel a tad warmer.
After lunch, Geoff, Bruce and Cherie wanted to concentrate on the patch close by – leaving Alison, John and I to push onwards. We found more overgrown areas, of course, so it was more of the same: fighting the bush lawyer as far back as possible, then clearing the upper bank of the track but being sure to leave the lower bank for better stability.
We carried on like this until about 1.30 pm, when we realised we should head back to reach the car park at a reasonable time.
Much to our surprise, on the way we found a hefty wilding pine lying directly across the track. We guessed that it had been cut down by the group we had left after lunch and they had left it as an example of their handiwork. We went one up on them by not only clearing it from the path but cutting off some branches that were creating a barrier.
Then it was a routine walk back to the car park. We arrived to find that the other three had returned using the old route and had arrived well before us. We’d noticed, on our way in, that the bush that had previously been a barrier for that route had been cleared away.
We were also aware that it still shows as a DoC route on the on-line Topo maps. (This has created some confusion when we tried to explain to new trampers that it was an old route and shouldn’t be followed.)
The other party of three, seeing the evidence of others using the path, had decided to carefully investigate whether it was viable. They found that it was, and were happy to cut out their up-and-down route via the old hut site. Note that this is a case of being very careful on that track, with possible drop-offs close to the edge, but it is an option nonetheless.
So we left the car park about 3.30pm but with the homeward-bound commuter traffic from Hastings stacking up from the Links Road roundabout, it took a while to get back to Napier.
Thanks to John for driving us home and to the friends who helped out on the day.
Trampers: Ted Angove, John Dobbs, Alison Greer, Geoff Donkin, Cherie Le Lievre, Bruce Hodgson and reporter Juliet Gillick
Leave a Reply