Woodhill Diary

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Tuesday 26 June 2007

page 2

We follow the old track along the edge of the trees as far as Walker Rd.

Out to the side the landscape of dead lupins, pampas grass and dead pine trimmings stretches across to the trees on the other side of Walker Rd.

There's Walker Rd just ahead,

and we hang a right and walk up the fence a little to the old gate.

The gate is hanging half-open. There are signs the quad-bikes have been through.

We head north along the road for about 100 metres and turn left along the track beside the trees. This takes us down to Selwyn Rd. Some fresh deer prints confirm this locality as a favoured one - I have seen more deer just around here than anywhere else in the forest.

Alice stops for a drink at the huge puddle just before we hit the road. It still mystifies me that dogs almost prefer sources of water like this to what is in their drinking bowl.

Left up the hill about 300 m.

and we've finally reached the start of the walking track. So far, we've covered 2km, compared with some 650 m from the carpark we used formerly. The red track shows where we have been. The blue track shows the route we used to come.

I head up the familiar track.

Bright red Korokio (Corokia cotoneaster) berries are plentiful

and the opaque white berries of mingimingi (Cyathodes juniperina) also feature commonly. These are supposed to be edible, but in this case, I think all that signifies is that they are not poisonous. Neither are they in the least bit appetising.

Nearby and completely devoid of it's complement of translucent red berries is another mingimingi, Leucopogon fasciculatus. Maybe these are more appetising....

The track has a few recent footprints,

but could use a chainsaw or machete here and there to tidy things up a little.

The brilliant green of a young rewarewa catches the light

and, a little disturbing, what looks like moss disturbed by deer. Depends, I suppose, on the importance of the conservation status of this area.

A little further on, another tree across the track.

We reach the top of the rise, and the old lookout.