Mt Iron, or, the Waitakere Three go to Wanaka

The view from Treble Cone

I am pleased to report that all those Friday morning muddy slogs through the gorgeous bush of the Waitakeres have served us well on the southern ski slopes.  Lesley and I managed three days without too much pain, ably assisted by glorious weather and pretty near perfect snow.  On Day Four, which looked gloomy first thing, Elizabeth braved the drive to Treble Cone as it was her first day in Wanaka, leaving us to do the Mt Iron circuit.  It is a handy one hour loop which heads straight uphill from the carpark on the outskirts of town, reminding us that our thighs had indeed done some work over the previous days.  We were rewarded with great views of a dramatic cloudscape [sorry, no photo] and an encroaching sea of rooftops from the town below.

Lamb Chop Walk

Date: 14 August 2015

Party: Anna, Elizabeth Lesley

Time: About an hour & 15

Notes: Our checklist for this walk: 

Walk the external and internal perimeters of Cornwall Park - Check

Find a lambiewambie or two and contemplate their cuteness...and readiness for the oven - Give them a few weeks..

Enjoy the daffodils, jonquils and erlicheer on Twin Oaks walk - Check, check, check

Determine progress on the Fairy Circle cherry trees - Not a blossom in sight

Responsibly rehydrate at the cafe - Check

All missions accomplished.

Why we walk and don't swim

From Vivienne in Tahiti...please don't bring back any souvenirs!

Mischief Managed - Twin Peaks Track - Huia Ridge Track - Karamatura Track - Tom Thumb Bypass Track - Car Park

Date: 31 July 2015
Party: Anna, Elizabeth, Lesley
Map:

Elevation:




















Distance: 13 km
Time: 5 hours 45 minutes
Notes: This was a killer walk. It was a variation on the 'not-for-the-faint-hearted' track we did prior to the Kepler last year, with what we thought was a shorter track back to the start after summitting. Nope. Multiple peaks up to the highest point of the Waitakeres (Te Toiokawharu) make for a bit of a slog in the mud, but the vegetation is classic awesome Waitaks - lots of supplejack, rimu and kauri (especially our favourite friend, Tom Thumb), with epiphytes everywhere. (And don't mention the bark competition). Great boardwalk too, along Huia Ridge, with patches of kidney fern just in this area. This is quite an overgrown piece of track, which is sort of swampy and full of tree roots and places for pigs to hide (paranoid? me?) Yes, the piggy diggings were extensive in the lower parts of this track (the upper being too much clay and rocks), and we saw some wee trotter imprints here and there. Sticks were carried. There was not much in the way of bird life - why IS that? Sometimes it's a chorus and other times it's incredibly silent. We also came across a strange black fungi on some rotten logs which we haven't seen before. Too tired to take a photo. Elizabeth managed to surprise us hanging upside down on the track at one stage - she had caught her foot in a tree root, smacked her head on a rock and was busy extricating herself when we realised what we were seeing. Blood sacrificed. We finally reached the car, and collapsed into the Huia Cafe for some caramel slice and a warm drink. Next time Anna mentions Tom Thumb I am going to be washing my hair.

Looking back to Huia

One of the best glades, esp when you have phone calls to make!

Tom Thumb..oh and Anna