A relaxed start and some questionable navigation lead us to the Ōrongorongo Station carpark at 9:30am. We left a car there, drove to the Catchpool Valley carpark, and were walking by 10am. In no time at all we were heading up the Ōrongorongo Valley. A vague attempt was made to keep boots dry on the … Read more
Tapokopoko to South Saddle ‘Where is the Tapokopoko scree slope? The map shows it is right here.’ ‘The map lies. I reckon the cheeky aliens stole it out from under us and planted a whole forest of trees instead!’ Tony and I were standing on the edge of the supposed ‘scree slope’ that was marked … Read more
Six of us left the Catchpool carpark just after 9 am in slightly cool conditions. We were soon in the Orongorongo Valley and headed upstream to Goat Stream. At Goat Stream Hut we had morning tea. We didn’t see the person staying at Goat Stream Hut, but the door was unlocked and there were signs of habitation in … Read more
Leave the Catchpool Carpark at a leisurely 10:00 am Saturday morning. Wander through to the Orongorongo River – always pleasant no matter how often you go. Climb up to South Saddle and try to avoid being blown off the ridge in the north-west gale. Scurry down into the Mukamuka to find a sheltered spot for … Read more
As we climbed up to Mt Matthews’ South Saddle, I found myself thinking of Aesop’s fable The Hare and the Tortoise. ‘Slow and steady; slow and steady’. I did my best to keep an even—but what seemed like sedate—pace. It was a change to how I would normally climb a hill with just a day … Read more
