An impromptu spontaneous choice to venture into a reserve on a whim.
I was driving home after finishing Bush Bash 6 and had already swapped my walking boots for more comfortable slides, when I thought: why not drive up Hair Street and quickly checkout a reserve there. I had never ventured into the bush in this part of Wainuiomata before, but thought I would get a few photos for a new page on the website, and then I could explore the area properly at a future time. Armed with my phone as a camera and still wearing slides as footwear, I reached the entrance to see overgrown grass obscuring the sign. First impression: this reserve is not well maintained.
I walked in and came to a creek (Hair Stream) with no bridge, so I jumped over it to continue. As I progressed, the bush became more dense and I had to cross the creek a couple more times requiring a single jump across each time. Further in, I could see a lot of fern trees and some spectacular old growth tree specimens away from the track. So I headed there and discovered a smaller creek that fed intoHair Stream. It was quite scenic and most of the photos I took of the area were from there.
I proceeded forward, uncertain about what awaited me next. Rediscovering the track, I continued on as it followed alongside the main creek, without a clear destination in mind. Eventually, I decided to conclude the day’s trek, realizing that this adventure wasn’t planned and it was also getting a bit late, and who know how far this reserve goes for. I would save proper exploration for another day.
So the question remained, was this a walk or a bush bash adventure? I think the latter, as the track was not great to start with, and I ventured off the track more times than not.
Upon returning home, I used Google Earth to examine the area and discovered that the bush is extensive. It occupies a hill range between Glendale and Moores Valley and you can even head over to the Hutt Valley if you go far enough. I probably won’t do that, but the option to walk up to Wainui Centre Mountain Bike Track, then drop into Moores Valley and return to Hair Street via Moores Valley Road seems like a good plan for another day. But first, I will probably bush bash near the Hair Street entrance in the hope of finding some remnants of an old water catchment that once existed here – during the 1940s to 1960s. Apparently there is nothing left of that catchment. But how many people have thoroughly searched that area? Stay tuned.
Regardless, I am not sure where I’ll go next, but the Kitty Hawk expedition should happen soon.
