Trip Reports June - July 2020
21 June - Pukekohe "Five Summits Trail"
Our long-awaited return to climbing on a bus and heading off for a good walk at last! It had been a long and strange fourteen weeks since we had done that.
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So, off to Pukekohe to try out the “Five Summits Trail” developed by the Pukekohe Tramping Club, and opened late last year to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary. The trail links five volcanic hills and several reserves and parks in the area.
We chose to do around half of the trail, starting at the railway station, heading up to Rooseville Park, on to Raven Rock and Cape Hill and finishing with Hickeys Reserve. Taking the odd shortcut, it was around 10km. The entire route is 21km. It was a bonus to find old club friends, Derek and Gail, waiting to say hello as we set out walking.
Rooseville Park
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Anyone home in there?
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Volcanic layers of the crater tuff ring
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Tremella fungus on a tree trunk
Walking into the lovely remnant forest at Rooseville Park, we could reconnect with some of our favourite trees, rimu, totara, giant puriri and nikau, and also savor the wonderful smell of the damp forest floor. Some interesting fungi too.
Part of the trail here passes close to the exposed volcanic layers of the crater tuff ring and we had a close look.
Walking into the lovely remnant forest at Rooseville Park, we could reconnect with some of our favourite trees, rimu, totara, giant puriri and nikau, and also savor the wonderful smell of the damp forest floor. Some interesting fungi too.
Part of the trail here passes close to the exposed volcanic layers of the crater tuff ring and we had a close look.
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Puriri flowers
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At The Rock summit
Our second summit was The Rock, or Raven Rock, a short, sharpish climb but well worth the views from the top. A story read on the information board at the summit related the misfortune that befell two of the former landowners. William Scott was killed by a Maori raiding party in 1863 and nearly 100 years later, Julian Raven was killed by a charging Jersey bull. An unlucky hill perhaps?
Pink manuka in full bloom
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View from The Rock summit
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Convenient picnic table at the top!
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A host of noisy ducks and other birdlife greeted us from the lake at Ernie’s Reserve where we noted what a great community man Ernest Alexander (Ernie) was. Some of the walks and reserves we were enjoying today were partly due to this man’s time and effort.
Adjacent to Ernie’s Reserve and at the foot of Cape Hill, is the entrance to the Franklin Early Settlers Walkway. Descendants of the pioneer families have planted totara trees - each one is numbered and the family is named with the ship they sailed on at the start of the walkway. A small kauri grove is also a feature of this lovely walkway. |
Ernies Reserve lake
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At the entrance of the Early Settlers Walkway
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Nearly at the top of Cape Hill
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Cape Hill summit was reached next and from here, a different perspective of the crater. We were now standing on more of the remnant of the tuff ring and could see just how big the crater was.
A short walk away we came to Hickeys Reserve, its crystal clear stream a natural spring which had once been the site of a dam and also the source of Pukekohe’s first water supply.
A short walk away we came to Hickeys Reserve, its crystal clear stream a natural spring which had once been the site of a dam and also the source of Pukekohe’s first water supply.
Autumn/winter splendour!
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Hickeys Reserve
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The vibrant bronze foliage of an ancient swamp cypress planted by Jeremiah Hickey over 100 years ago is a wonderful sight at this time of year, as are some of the other old trees here.
One of the great things about this trail is it can be as long or short as you like - there are many interconnecting public walkways that can be used to design a variety of walks. Lots of possibilities!
Great little laminated pocket maps have been produced and are available at Pukekohe Library, the Council Customer Centre and at Kathmandu, and of course out-of-towner trail walkers can arrive and depart Pukekohe by train, using the station as their start and finish point.
Thank you Pukekohe Tramping Club! And thanks also to Sharleen and Lawrie for organising the day.
Text: Sharleen
Photos: Sue and Sharleen
Great little laminated pocket maps have been produced and are available at Pukekohe Library, the Council Customer Centre and at Kathmandu, and of course out-of-towner trail walkers can arrive and depart Pukekohe by train, using the station as their start and finish point.
Thank you Pukekohe Tramping Club! And thanks also to Sharleen and Lawrie for organising the day.
Text: Sharleen
Photos: Sue and Sharleen
