Another attempt at finding a 10 feet deep winze in the Northern Forest
Today I was joined by Tony Weir for another expedition into the Northern Forest, continuing our search for an old winze, or prospecting pit, believed to have been dug during Wainuiomata’s early gold-prospecting days.
Once again, we started from Lees Grove Track. After climbing onto the Rātā Ridge Track, we headed towards Lowry Trig before leaving the track and dropping steeply into the bush to investigate a feeder creek of Gollans Stream.
This was actually the area we had intended to explore a couple of weeks ago in Bush Bash 88. On that trip, however, we had dropped into a smaller neighbouring creek without realising it, which eventually joins the feeder stream we were now searching.
Reaching the gully floor, we began exploring both the western and eastern slopes, looking for any sign of old workings. We followed the gully downstream for a distance before deciding that our best option was to regain the ridge and Rātā Ridge Track and try to find a way down towards or closer to Gollan’s Stream and gully.
Our next descent, further east, brought us into a broad, open gully that was surprisingly flat in places. With rocks scattered across the gully floor and along the surrounding slopes, it looked like a promising area to search. We carefully explored the hillsides, but once again found no sign of the elusive winze.
We continued down the gully until a small stream began flowing beneath us. Thick supplejack made following the stream difficult, so we concentrated mainly on the eastern hillside. Eventually it became obvious that we were still nowhere near Gollans Stream. We therefore climbed steeply out of the gully and back onto the ridge.
To our surprise, we discovered we were back on the same ridge we had travelled along two weeks earlier. It is easy to understand why people have become lost in this area over the years. Some gullies are straight, but others twist and turn, and this country is far larger and more confusing than it first appears.
We then headed south along this ridge and dropped into another wide section of a gully to our west. Again we searched the area, but found nothing of interest. As we continued downhill, the gully began to narrow sharply and we realised that, if we kept following it, we would simply end up back in the same feeder stream we first visited today, rather than reaching Gollans.
So back up the hillside we went and by this stage my legs were killing me.
Near the top, we suddenly heard voices drifting up through the bush below us where we had just come from. A short time later, two teenagers appeared, having made their way across from the Eastbourne/Days Bay area and now trying to work out how to get back. They were heading south into a large and difficult area of bush, but with the day getting on, we convinced them that it was probably not a good idea.
Instead, we walked with them in a northerly direction up the ridge we were on until we were close to where it connects with Rātā Ridge. There we parted ways, knowing they now had a much clearer route out. We then turned around and headed south again along the same ridge, searching for a suitable place to drop back down into the bush and continue our expedition.
With the feeder creek below us on one side and Gollans Stream somewhere beyond the other, our aim was to find a suitable place to descend into the main section of Gollans Valley. The difficulty was that the ridge was high and the dense bush made it almost impossible to read the terrain below. If we chose the wrong place to drop down, we could easily end up in another side gully rather than reaching the main stream. Although all the gullies in this area eventually feed into Gollans Stream, the day was getting on, so we were hoping to find a more direct route down.
In the end, we decided the sensible option was to make our way back towards the Rātā Ridge Track and try to locate the source of Gollans Stream from above. By this stage, pushing any further into unknown country seemed increasingly unwise.
We continued east along the Rātā Ridge Track and eventually reached the Lees Grove Track turn-off. Instead of heading out, we carried on further along Rātā Ridge. From the track, we were finally able to look down towards the headwaters of Gollans Stream.
That was when I realised that I had actually been into this narrow gully several weeks earlier, without knowing that it formed the beginning of Gollans Stream. On that earlier visit, I had descended into the gully because of the large number of tree ferns and thought it would be a good place to take some photos.
Rather than following the stream from its headwaters, we continued further along Rātā Ridge before eventually dropping into the Gollans catchment. This allowed us to avoid the dense vegetation around the headwaters, which would have slowed our progress considerably and, in any case, seemed an unlikely place for the old winze to have been located.
At the bottom we found a surprisingly wide, flat area scattered with rocks. It looked like exactly the sort of place worth investigating, so we searched carefully for any sign of disturbed ground, old workings or the mysterious winze. Again, however, we found nothing.
We followed Gollans Stream downstream for a short distance before finally deciding we had done enough for one day. We turned around and began the journey out, eventually returning to civilisation via the Fern Gully Track.
We may not have found the old gold-prospecting winze, but the day was certainly not without its moments. Somewhere in the middle of the Northern Forest we managed to point two lost young men in the right direction, explored several remote gullies and ridges, and gained a much better understanding of the complicated country surrounding the headwaters of Gollans Stream.
By the time we reached the car, Tony and I were completely spent. Every muscle seemed to ache, my right knee was sore and I had developed a blister on my left foot.
Sitting down in the car felt like heaven as I had been standing all day and walking up and down steep hillsides and gullies.
After changing into dry clothes, I started the engine and headed home.
The winze remains hidden somewhere in the hills, but the search continues…
