This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
he scene: Outside the (fone shops at Wainuiomata at 9.30am on Sunday 12 October 1997. Seven vehicles pull up and 18 T&Ms meet to look at the grotty weather and consider the tramp. A decision is made to go ahead with it, and two vehicles are quickly despatched and parked at Sunny Grove with their crews and the rest of the party transported to Camp Wainui in the remaining vehicles. Camp Wainui is owned by The Boys’ Brigade and the legal boundary encloses many hectares of land centred on Scholl Creek and most of it is in bush or scrub. The couple managing the Camp, Mr & Mrs Comeskey, happily make available to the trip leader a large scale map of their property and beyond, stretching from the Coast Road to the McKerrow ridge. Tramping commences at 10.20am along the chosen track which runs up between Scholl Creek and Skerretts Creek to the north. The Camp is at 80m and by 11.40am the firebreak leading to the repeater on Mt Crowther is reached and morning coffee is taken. Altitude: 373m.
A “Hoorah!” from the front signals the top of the climb at peak 610m on the McKerrow ridge and for many on this tramp, it is their _ first climb over this peak. The time is about 12.30pm as we turn left and start the descent to the junction with the Whakanui track at 550m. On the way down we pass a long gap in the bush on our left and are treated to a truly magnificent view of Wainuiomata in the foreground with the Hutt Valley behind it, and stretching around
to the left, first Port Nicholson and then Wellington city. It was also near here that, during the war years a Kittyhawk fighter crashed with loss of life.
Lunch is taken at a sheltered spot on the Whakanui track. During lunch it is pointed out to me that in write-ups of Sunday tramps I have incorrectly named one of the ladies present as being Margaret McEwen, whereas her correct name is Margaret Hamilton. My apologies to you Margaret. The tramp out to Sunny Grove is routine and all the drivers with their gear and car keys are whisked around to Wainui Camp in the vehicles earlier parked at the Grove. All the vehicles then return to pick up their passengers and so the tramp ends. As trip leader, the writer took the opportunity earlier in the week to investigate the route up since I was unfamiliar with it, and the following notes are appended for Clubbies’ information. The track up starts at the amenities building where you follow the left-hand 4WD track up to the Gratton Hut, alongside which the walking track starts and immediately crosses a small creek and - resumes-at-the-top-of-the-oppo-— site bank. Ignore the prominent track running alongside the creek from the crossing point to upstream. First, call on the caretaker/ manager at the house on the right just inside the main gate for permission to cross this private property. (“Camp Wainui” in the Wellington telephone directory.)
Lloyd Wilkin
Five minutes before the fire-break is reached, a side track known as Mahoe Track runs down into Scholl Creek on your right hand. It has a very steep drop into Scholl Creek, and in my opinion, is dangerous to descend owing to a lack of handholds. Plan to climb it rather than descend it.
Ten minutes above the fire-break, another side-track known as the Bivvy Track, runs down to the right into Scholl Creek. At the junction of McKerrow Track with Whakanui Track, there is a well-known vertical signpost. Sixty seconds beyond this post on the way to Whakanui Creek there is an unmarked track junction where the left-hand track runs north-east and then swings due east to meet the old Whakanui Ridge track at right angles after a moderate climb, and this ridge junction is marked with 3 discs. Turn right here and climb onto the highest hump on the old ridge track at 711m. The feeling is great as you can look down on the summit of Mt McKerrow, if you can find a gap in the trees. Furthermore, a track runs off this summit towards the east and the 800m peak directly above the Late Bob. Semple’s waterworks tunnel and from there, I understand, south to the Orongorongo River.— -
Punters: Dot and Dave Catchpole, Barry Cook, Kaisu and John Elgar, Ron Fayle, Christine and Dale Hoy, Hilary and lan Hunter, Heather Jones, Lorraine Neilsen, Don and Ben O’Brien, Georgie Sanderson, Ollie Stempa, Diana Strang, and Lloyd Wilkin (Leader).
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