Monday 3 January Tramping

Port Fitroy yesterday

Today's the day for our Big Walk up to the highest peak on Barrier Island, Mt Hiramataki / Hobson at 621m. The estimated time was 6hrs, 3 ½ hrs up, 2 ½ hrs down. It's a wonderful walk starting gently climbing the valley, crossing the stream at regular intervals. DOC maintains the trail with raised timber pathways to stop erosion and to prevent people walking on tree roots and nesting birds like the black petrel. A large proportion of native NZ birds were ground nesting because of the lack of indigenous predators. That changed when Europeans brought rats, stoats and cats and a many of the species are now extinct.

Kauri dam

Logging was the main industry from the middle of the 1800s reaching it's peak in the inter war period. The first explorers like Capt Cook discovered the kauri tree, a tall, straight hardwood perfect for masts and spars. While taking a few of these slow growing trees (the biggest of the survivors is more than 2000 years old) didn't help, it didn't change the landscape, but intense 20^th century logging decimated the forests. European loggers cleared 99% of the original forests. There is 1% left in national parks and an active replanting programme.

To move these giant trees from the mountainside to the sea needed an ingenious plan. They built big wooden dams across the streams. Water collected behind them and the felled trees were rolled into the water then when they had enough water the gate was opened and water and trees cascaded down clearing the banks of anything in their way. On the walk today we saw one almost complete dam and the remains of another. Impressive structures.

Halfway there

Also impressive was our stamina to keep climbing through the forest, onwards and upwards to the summit. The final assault was a wooden staircase of at least 20 storeys, or at least it felt it. The view from the top was worth it. A 360° view of the island and gulf and a 360° attack of flies when we sat down to eat our sandwiches. We signed the visitors log, took the photos and turned for home down an alternate track called South Fork.

Suspension bridge

The track down began with 739 steps from the rock pinnacle and then levelled out into a steady descent following the side of the valley passing over a simple metal mesh walkway suspended over a gorge, think Indiana Jones. There were signs saying no more than one person at a time on the bridge although it seemed strong and secure. Under foot there was the metal mesh and 12” metal bars to step along and great views through to the gorge below.

View from top with Little Barrier

We'd walked about 10 miles which had taken about 51/2 hours but with stops to chat along the way it was 7 hours before we were back at the dinghy. We gave ourselves a big pat on the back for a job well done – an excellent walk, a good work out for our under used muscles and a feeling of achievement. We celebrated with a refreshing dip in the sea before rowing back to Jackster.