Up the creek again to end a fine year outdoors

Day and weekend trips to Coppermine Creek and Everett’s Campsite, December 13-14 2008

Day trampers: Alison Greer, Julia Mackie, Gordon Tapp, John Russell and John Marshall. Day trip and weekenders: Rosemary Jeffrey, Colleen Perreau, Ted Angove, Paul Exeter, Ray Slavin and John Gray (reporter)

This was another combined outing, with 11 out for the day and just six of them staying on at Everett’s Campsite for the end-of-year camp. We got away in good time from Napier and left the cars at the campsite before 9am, heading down to the old ‘goldmine’ on the Mohaka River. Rosemary Jeffrey, John Marshall and Ray Slavin did some local walks, closer to the camp.

It was a beautiful day for tramping: fine, cloudy and mild. After visiting the old goldmine shaft and checking on its resident wetas, we headed up Coppermine Creek. The creek bed was very slippery all the way, causing some heavy falls. Few people (or animals) walk this watercourse, so we had plenty of long grass and blackberry bushes to contend with. Several families of paradise ducks were seen on the water, panicking at the sight of human interference in their lives. And there was a very large eel, which did not seem bothered by us walking by.

We negotiated the impressive waterfall and stopped for lunch, before pushing on to the road bridge and the uninteresting walk along forestry roads back to our campsite, arriving about 4 pm. We changed into dry clothes, farewelled the day party and set up our tents.

The DoC shelter made a comfortable ‘dining room / lounge’ for us to enjoy a pleasant, leisurely evening.

Sunday dawned fine, allowing everyone to pack dry gear after breakfast, and we arrived back in Napier at about 10.30am following an enjoyable weekend that brought another year’s varied tramping programme to a close.