13 May 2007

Christie's Track

page 2

Parataniwha signal an area of perennial dampness to the left. A member of the nettle family, but fortunately not the stinging kind.

The moist and sheltered conditions are ideal for punga. It's interesting to stand on the ridge south of Bethells and look at the small pockets here and there which host thriving punga.

A glance to the side demonstrates an enormous variety of fern, plant and tree life.

Parataniwha surrounds another small streamlet crossing the track.

We're heading uphill a little more sharply for a while,

then we flatten out again and we continue up the side of the ridge

Hello. What's that?

I love the way kauri in the Waitaks leap out at you when you're hardly expecting them. This is just a youngster, probably not more than a hundred or so years old. The famous Northland kauri are upwards of 2000 years old.

There are one or two more just up ahead a little.

The ridge is quite steep sided, and our track sits gingerly along it.

still at this stage, an easy trek.

There are some big kanuka here and there, and across the valley the opposite side is sometimes visible, sometimes obscured by showers.

Here and there the track has subsided somewhat, and bric a brac of various kinds lies across the path.

On we go. It's a bit after 3.30pm, and I want to at latest get to the dam by 5 pm. From there, even if it's dark, no problem walking up the road. I've been on this track about an hour.

Easy going still, for the most part. As we continue upwards, the views across the valley get better and better.