10 April 2008

Swanson Pipeline Track

page 3

The tull is right in front of us. You can actually see the far end but the flash photo conceals this. You'd think the white interior might maximise the light and perhaps it does, but it still gets quite dark in there. I simply used my sticks to check each step in front.

According to this we've covered 60% of the distance.

Off to the right, the Peripatus Track heads steeply uphill. I may attempt it one day from the top.

We take a look back through the tunnel as we straighten up. It's only about 1.5 m high, so the question of cave wetas is not simply academic. I recall once when we explored the horizontal shaft of an old Thames gold mine that when we turned to come out, and the roof of the tunnel was silhouetted againt the light, we were looking at dozens and dozens of long cave weta whiskers hanging down from the roof.

From the tunnel, several sets of steepish steps take us up to a new track level.

The pipeline is rising with us.

We head along the edge of a steep bank.

At the other end is a flowering rata

and paying attention to one of the flowers is a bee. Not a wasp, for a change.

WE carry on towards another steepish grade.

Half way up, I stop to lean on my sticks for a bit. I am getting better at steepish slopes, but it still feels like work most of the time.

We level out again and the track is now fairly open fora bit.

Off to the left here runs an un-named side track which does not feature on the map, but it's important enough to warrant a sign on the main route. Note, the time to Christian Rd is shown as 5 minutes. A bit further on, the time is shown as 10 minutes.

This is the track heading off to the side.

We continue towards Christian Rd, past the bright green of a young rimu.