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Walk through NZ Bush to Waterfall

Started by LIL, April 19, 2019, 04:07:42 AM

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LIL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQr-EXROxH4

A beautiful Good Friday today and what better way but to spend it out and about together.  Talked @Ianab into joining me for a bush walk on our Mountain. Was totally worth it with stunning views and gorgeous scenery.  I hope you enjoy this slideshow of our walk today :) 


LIL
Hobbies and Interests  

Interests revolve around my partners love of sawmills! - Hence being his NUMBER ONE OFFLOADER - Myself - I like the smell of sawdust. If I had my choice I would have BIG MACHINERY - who wouldn't want their own combine harvester and an 18 wheeler (Scania)

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Ianab

A few photos, gives some idea what the terrain is actually like.  



Warning sign, for the townies and tourists... 



This is actually the track. Overgrown.. check. Slippery.... Check. The next trail marker is in the grass in the centre of the picture  :D


Climbing back out of the stream bed was OK, apart from the leg burn.

Other parts of the track were a bit more challenging.
 

Most of the track was pretty easy going like this. Deceptive though, 88 steps in this section, feel the burn again. The forest is pretty unique, Alpine Rain Forest, so it's full of moss and ferns, but gets multiple dumps of snow over the Winter.  Trees are all stunted because of the cold and general harshness of the environment. 
 

Stopped to look at the stump of a Mountain Totara tree that had fallen on the track and DOC workers had sawn a section out to clear the track. Was about 2ft dia, and about 30 growth rings to the inch. Some of these trees are ~800 years old, 3 or 4 ft dia, but only about 30ft tall. 



We get to the Manganui River, OK, it's pushing things to call it a river this high up, unless it's raining you can step over it without getting your feet wet. On the other hand, if it IS raining, you are stuck

  

We soon came to this little waterfall. It actually looked like a lot of the pictures Google had bought up for "Curtis Falls Taranaki". But I checked gps and topo map on the phone, and that said the falls were ~500 yards away?


So we climbed up the rocks to the side of the fall, and carried on up the stream. 



And after a bit more rock scrambling, we find the actual Curtis Falls. 



I imagine it would be way more impressive if it was raining, but then where I'm standing would be 3ft deep whitewater.  :-\ 

Looking back down the gorge from the base of the falls. 



Back down the river to the bush track. It basically heads up the cliff to the right (more ladders and steps). View down the valley is towards home. 

 

Lil models her new puffer jacket. Note how the weather has changed from 2 hours earlier? That's what makes this the 2nd most dangerous Mt in New Zealand. We had checked the weather, and nothing more than a few clouds were forecast. But it can go from a sunny day to torrential rain, or a whiteout blizzard higher up, in a couple of hours. Even down here in the bush the streams go from step over without getting your feet wet, to swept away and drowned in a few minutes. 



But it's a beautiful place for hiking. Even though it was a public holiday, we only met 7 other people on the track. So it's great if you want to get away from the crowds. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

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