This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
“She” is our party’s respected trip leader for the tramp, Dot Catchpole. Her arrival is spectacular in a late model Nissan 4WD driven by husband Dave, who arrived well on time saying that it was only his new Nissan that was late. Her mission? To lead the largest WT&MC Sunday party seen in years to the top of Tinakori Hill, Wellington via a route specially selected for its scenic beauty and interest. With her are 28 other trampers making a total of 29 whose Christian names are: Dot (trip leader) & Dave, John & Judy, John & Kaisu, Barbara & Allan, Juliet & lan, Don & Julie (aged 8), Pete & Sybil, Pete & Bev, Barry & Lorraine, Kevin & Beth, Heather, 2 Margarets, Jan, Bronwyn, Diana, Neil, Ron and Lloyd. At 10.15 am on Sunday 8 June ’97, we are off. Dot is out in front as she leads off from the Rose Garden carpark to the top of the Bolton Street Cemetery where some giggles are heard. In her hands she holds not a flute, but a map. Down through headstones dating back to the middle of the last century we go. Like a dead ‘possum, we flatten out alongside the motorway where the noise of passing vehicles sounds like surf breaking on a shingle beach.
We cross the cable car track above a tunnel for safety, and then climb up alongside Kelburn Park to Salamanca Road where we zig upwards te-the-right.and-zag upwards to the left to pass the weather office and Carter Observatory, before pausing at the top of the cable car track to take in the panorama of the city below and the mountains beyond. Then it’s down the other side of the hill, through the Botanical Gardens to the little duckpond —
what! another one? — where we stop for morning coffee. That over, we move a short distance down the path to a fine botanical specimen with a water-loo (howsyafather) tucked in behind.
It only takes our large party 10 minutes to put the facility to good use, then it’s through the main gates to Glenmore Street and a watchful street crossing. Our heading is north past the Chinese Embassy to a short side street where we enter the extensive pine forest on the eastern slopes of Tinakori Hill, along which the well known Wellington faultline is located. Dot's pathfinding ability is first class without any wasted time backtracking to locate the correct pathway or forest track. We expect a stiff climb and get one initially, but the track selected by Dot levels off and starts to go around the hill about halfway up it and still heading towards the north. In due course, this sidle track passes by the entrance to an old gold mine where a horizontal shaft runs back into the hillside. Out come the torches and in go the punters and what do they find? Well, you tell me! Eventually everyone emerges and the sidle around the hill continues through rather sparse undergrowth which Don reckons to be the result of previous gold prospecting over the whole general area, and not just down.the underground shaft.
Lloyd Wilkin is in view, the nearby and large Wilton sub-station dominates the view as it sits on top of its hill. Mt Kau Kau and the Crows Nest are also prominent on the skyline. Lunch completed, we continue to sidle Tinakori Hill but this time on its western side about two-thirds up from the bottom and along a good track. Dot halts for an inspection of a quarry site which our track passes. A few minutes later, 27 of our number move off as a group not noticing that two are still inspecting the quarry. These two soon realise their predicament, know which way to head, and catch up to a couple of surprised tail-endcharlies. Thus a lesson is learned of the necessity to carefully check the numbers present before restarting. Ever followed a good track, gone around a corner, and then run slapbang into a boundary fence around private property? We did! Some might say that Dot blots her copybook just here, but not me! Then some of us remember this spot from last winter when a similar tramp was interrupted by an illness to one of the party who was sent home accompanied, in a taxi from the nearby roadend. This time it only takes us a jiffy to locate the intersecting track running from foot of hill to top, and scramble up it to the trig (Waikato No 2, 303m) and the associated lookout, point with
A climb up to the top of the ridge right at the north end reveals a good view downwards towards the container terminal and beyond as far as the Tararuas. Dot selects a sheltered glade for lunch and munching starts. Towards the west, which views to the south over Kelburn and beyond. Then it is downhill all the way to the Rose Garden carpark — hallelujah everybody, thank you Dot for the well-planned trip and its leadership, and off home we go to the 4 pm rugby on TV1 singing Ki Yi Yippee Yippee Yi. cA