A bush treasure hunt uncovering traces of old tracks, pipeline relics and forgotten remains.
On my previous adventure, I had followed a network of established tracks. Today, I wanted the complete opposite: a proper bush bash and a search for traces of the past. I parked at Reservoir Road, passed through the gate and immediately noticed that the trees along both sides had recently been cut back. This may only happen once every decade or so, as I could not remember ever seeing the roadside this open before. For once, I had a much clearer view up the hillside to my left and down towards the Wainuiomata River on my right.
The newly partially opened views revealed an old track beginning near the security gate. I had walked different sections of it on previous visits, but this was the first time I had been able to see how the fragments appeared to connect. The bench-cut formation rose and fell as it followed the natural contours of the hillside.
Its original purpose remains uncertain. Perhaps the present road does not follow the exact alignment of the old tramway / road. Another possibility is that this bench-cut route predates the steel tramway and may once have carried an earlier wooden tramway. At this stage, there are more questions than answers, but that is part of what makes exploring this area so interesting.
Farther east, the old formation appeared to fade into the vegetation. However, I knew there was another cut section hidden a short distance inside the bush, so I left the road and began searching that area. Before long, I spotted what appeared to be an old sheet of metal. A minute or two later, I uncovered a heavy steel ring that was probably associated with the Ōrongorongo Pipeline as it’s diameter appeared to be about the same as that pipe. It may have been discarded down the hillside or simply lost during construction of the pipeline many decades ago as that pipeline lays buried above.
Back on the road, I continued east, spotting several bricks embedded in the bank, a concrete pillar, and an old steel-and-timber ramp that had been uncovered and placed beside the road after the vegetation was cut back. I passed a new toilet block near the ranger’s office before reaching the old dam and continuing towards the security fence. The gate had been left open to accommodate the unusually heavy traffic, which included Tiaki Wai vehicles, delivery vans and several trucks.
I then headed into the bush on the northern side of the road near the O-K Main Kinney Strainer Chamber and remaining within the park boundary. I had never properly explored this particular area before. The forest appeared mature and may never have been heavily logged. Birdlife was abundant, but the terrain was demanding. The hillside was steep, the vegetation was dense and thick tangles of supplejack made progress slow and awkward. Apart from the beauty of the forest itself, the only human-made objects I discovered were a couple of old glass bottles. One of the bottles I recognised from my childhood. It was a New Zealand soft drink called Teal that was popular in the 1970s and 80s.
After returning to the road, I began making my way back, although the exploration was not quite over. I climbed a short bank beside the road to photograph the Wainuiomata River below. From this elevated position, I spotted an unusual rock formation just beneath the water’s surface, with what appeared to be a grid-like pattern. Nearby, a small waterfall emerged from the hillside, one I had never noticed before, although its source remained hidden behind dense vegetation.
Reaching it would not be easy. The bank was extremely steep, possibly approaching a near-vertical drop. I got closer to the waterfall and took several photographs of a pipe issuing water into the river. I then continued toward the Chlorine Plant and dropping into the bush below it.
The river was too high to safely work my way back towards the rock formation I had seen earlier, so I decided to leave that investigation for another day. Instead, I searched the surrounding bush and found numerous old bottles, along with pieces of building material that had been cast down the bank and come to rest among the trees.
I eventually climbed back to the road and continued towards the car park and looking down the bank for much of the return journey. I had explored most of this area below me in the past and have already found several interesting objects down there, but seeing it from above provided a different perspective and offered the possibility of spotting something I had previously missed.
Nothing spectacular revealed itself on the walk back, but the outing had still produced several intriguing clues: an old bench-cut formation just above and following the present day road as well as a heavy pipeline fitting, discarded bottles, an unfamiliar waterfall, and a mysterious rock formation in the river.
I returned to the car a little earlier than usual, leaving the unanswered questions, with the riverbank investigation left for another adventure.
