Atiwhakatu Track

(as far as Mountain House Junction)

page 3

Just along here the drop is rather steeper than elsewhere with not so much scrub to break your fall. DoC have solved this with an unobtrusive fence - I rather wish DoC Waikaremoana had a similar attitude.

It's lovely walking now, a pleasant contrast with the motorway we were on before. This looks and feels much more natural - as far as any track is natural, mind

A pale green mingimingi stands out on the side of the track.

and there's quite a lot of this coprosma, which I suspect is a sub-alpine species. I don't see it much up north.

The narrowness here creates a certain intimacy and I contrast it immediately in my mind with the final hundred or so metres of the Chateau Mosquito track, just as narrow, but much more hostile.

Here ad there are wonderful views down the valley, and the Atiwhakatu River is right down at the bottom of that. We've climbed some distance.

It's just steady, pleasant walking along here. A couple of people pass us and we wish each other good walking. The sound of the stream comes up from way below.

Spots like this you get a good sense of the shape of the Tararuas.

We continue to wind our way along the narrow track, in parts supported purely by a well-placed and well-anchored board or two.

This is the sort of small, prophylactic detail which earns DoC in this part of the world my top marks. I don't need the motorway, but thoughtfully placed track reinforcement like this can go a long way to make the walk one that allows you space to appreciate the scenery.

Here, there's been an active reconstruction of a slipped section. that must have been quite hairy to build from scratch.

Around about here we are overtaken by three DoC rangers and a ginormous black hound - on a leash of course. Fortunately I am taking a photo at the time, and I have Alice's lead under my foot. She is adamant that big black brute is not going to come anywhere near. I lean down and grab her and smile sheepishly, and take the opportunity to ask a couple of botanical questions, which seems to raise me a little in official estimation after Alice's raucous contribution.

It is lovely walking along here. I am singing internally and some weeks afterwards as I do this writeup I get that same feeling all over. Quite possibly Miranda and I will come down here and walk around the huts for a week or so in September/October.