Let’s just go for a little walk, we said. Let’s go up the hill a little bit, we said… If you know me it doesn’t take much to convince me to keep going a little further, which is just what we did today on the Fern Walk. The Fern Walk is about twenty five minutes from town up into the Pohongina Valley. Easy drive but you have to be careful not to miss the carpark on the right hand side of the road. It’s just past the Totara Reserve signage. The track is lovely and wide, lovely and flat. It’s pram appropriate till the first bridge, which is narrow to cross and has a couple of stairs at either end. Then, up until the start of the loop, it’s an easy amble with lots of spots to explore including weta hotels and various points of entry to the stream. The whole track is great for a baby carrier and for little adventurous legs. When the track turns into a loop we thought “we’ll go a little way up and then turn back…” but then it gets a little more difficult. If you don’t want to do the full 2.5 hour loop, stop here of just wander up the right hand loop at little way. Once we had started up the left hand loop, we realised it was easier and safer (not that it was dangerous per sae, just a little steep and stoney in spots) to carry on up and around - as per the sign’s suggestion. Toddler managed most of the uphill without falling off the edge... Well, of course he didn’t fall off the edge at all but half way up he began to get a bit too daring and oblivious to the edge so up into the backpack he hopped. He did really well at navigating the various sets of stairs and zig-zags. Near the top, there is a fallen tree that requires a few metres of crawling - or limbo if you’re game and bendy. Mr 2 and his mama managed to do it without taking the backpack off. He has just learned that treating his mum like a horsey is pretty fun so a horsey ride through the bushes was a great adventure (except for the bit where his head got a bonk on the way back to standing, whoops mama). Miss 11 was aggrieved at having to go all the way up. Her disgust was slightly moderated by Whittaker's 100 and 1000s chocolate (wow, amazingly amazing, imo!) but the harrumphing did continue until we reached the top. Then she bounded off and we didn’t see her until we got back to the start of the loop. At which time she let us know she’d been waiting basically for ever... love my tweenager. Once at the top, the track wanders along the ridge offering lovely glimpses of the valley’s beautiful podocarp forest - full of all the beauties: ponga, mamaku, kahikatea... the list is long - and a little side trip to a huge beautiful specimen of Northern Rata. This part of the amble was long but very easy. You could spend a lot of time up here but today we needed to be back in town for the afternoon.
The way down was similar to the Tawa Loop - pretty easy for little legs to navigate, wide formed track, a few sets of stairs and a little gravelly in spots but nothing terrible. In all the Fern Walk is a long one and next time I’d like to make sure we have all day free to take it easy and explore more slowly. Everyone had tired legs at the end and enjoyed a restful afternoon (and this Mama let the tech time happen guilt free!). I love being in the bush, it's real, free and a beautiful way to spend time.
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There is nothing quite like rounding the corner and spotting the hut. Even a hit that's only a short wander from the road. This weekend we took a day trip out to the Apiti and beyond to take toddler to his first hut. We picked Alice Nash Memorial hut as I knew we would all would manage to walk there and back. Truly, it's a wander. The hardest part is getting there. It takes an hour or so from town. The walk itself is (at non toddler pace) half an hour. However, it's worth it. Our first amazing view was of all four mountains - Ruapehu, Ngaurahoe, Tongariro (well, we know he was there hiding behind Ngaurahoe), and Taranaki. After much admiring, we set off down into the valley. At toddler pace, the walk took us about an hour or dawdling, stopping to "schump" over rocks, pretending to fall off the side of the track into the bushes, pointing out manu, smelling bushes and taking the obligatory photo at the bridge. Further along the way (before the hut) there is a Kiwi Guardians medal post if that sort of thing will entice your children to follow you into the wild! The hut itself is a goodie. Non bookable so first in first bedded. We didn't stay over (that's a whole other adventure!) but ate our lunch out on the deck, checked out the intentions book, explored the site (longdrops are always an adventure). This particular hut isn't a DOC hut but built and maintained by the deerstalkers. Remember to leave but in better condition than you found it and always pay (for overnights). We chatted to some through trampers heading in to Iron Gate and some trig descenders who'd found the tops very misty.
If you need more, but not quite Iron Gates, there is always the descent to the Oroua River for some whio spotting. Today we didn't make the trek down. It's about half hour down plus explore time and then back up. Recommended if you are staying over or if you aren't travelling on toddler time. Our return walk was much quicker with toddler on my back. Much closer to the 30 minutes on the sign. On the way home there are some glomworms to see at the Limestone Creek Reserve (I don't think I've been before so we'll have to go on another adventure!) Alice Nash is a good little taster of a Ruahine hut. It's close to the road but far enough away to get the isolated nature feeling. Recommend! We needed somewhere for a lunch stop on the way up country. We had packed food and drinks but wanted something more than a road side tree. Mangaweka Scenic Reserve popped into the map. We took a left turn just before the township and two corners up the hill, we parked in a small gravel pit on the right hand side of the road. The entrance is in the left hand side of the road, just to the left of the signage. We wandered in and, as has become the norm, our two mountain goats, bounced off up the track. I wandered along at toddler pace as he lurched from one side of the track to the other, over rocks, trampling through grass and weeds. The track is a little overgrown with a few little slips here and there but not dangerous. After traipsing up some steps, we found the picnic spot. Simply a chair at the top of a hill with lovely views. We enjoyed hot drinks with our Jetboil (just because we can!) and a full array of picnicking foods! The spot is really sunny and warm. The loop track carries on up the hill a little and back down a raft of steps. It takes about an hour from start to finish. Today, though, we headed back the way we came. Fortunately we did as we got to see a really long train heading through with about 40 carriages! Toddler was pretty impressed (so were his parents - we’re train supporters!). Would recommend Mangaweka Scenic Reserve for a nice lunch stop on a journey from Palmy or even for a nature day out. It’s a good, basic, get into nature spot - no frills, no charge. There is birdlife, bug life and many of my favourite tree - the tall, useful beauty, kahikatea.
A little further down the road, at Hunterville, is Bruce Park, which has a Kiwi Guardians medal too. How lucky are we to have these beautiful spots right on the side of the road? Maybe combine the two for an epic nature adventure? |
AuthorI'm Kate. I have 3 children - 2 bios and a steppie, 1 under 5 and 2 tweenagers. I am determined to spend more time outside this year and share more of Palmy's wonderful places and free play activities. Categories
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