I did a small trek in the bush alongside the Wainuiomata River and below Reservoir Road.
Today, I had a couple of spare hours, so I decided to walk along Reservoir Road and explore the bush behind the chlorine building. As usual, I got a bit distracted. Once I reached the swing bridge, I decided to bush bash alongside the river just below the road, and connect with the bush behind the chlorine building.
It started off a bit swampy, but there was a nice raised plateau that I walked along. The area was mostly bush with some small bits of rubbish discarded by walkers from the road above. It made me think that people in the past might have also thrown away pieces of infrastructure, possibly even parts of the old tramway that once ran along the road. So I kept a look out for that. I also kept an eye on the road above, looking for pipes that might go under it and any tunnels that might have provided access to the pipeline running alongside the road. However, there was nothing of interest.
Eventually, I reached a large rock jutting out of the landscape. It was unusual because this area is a raised plateau and flat. The rock almost looked man-made, like a cement wall, but the bottom of the rock was definitely natural, and the top was covered in foliage. The other side looked natural as well, as did the rock face on the river side. It was a reminder that nature can create flat surfaces and even 90-degree edges at times. I guess with 360 degrees, 90 will pop up from time to time.
I continued on and eventually reached the area housing the chlorine building, where I took some photos of a tunnel with the main pipe running through it. When I was a kid, myself and friends used to explore the area, and this tunnel was somewhat hidden by the bush. Today, it is out in the open. and looks a bit like a hobbit home.
I turned around and walked back along Reservoir Road, recalling a pipe hidden in the bushes above. A friend had shown it to me about a year ago, so I decided to revisit and take some photos. However, I was soon reminded that climbing the hill wasn’t that easy due to the constant flow of water making it very slippery.
From there, I headed back to the car park at Reservoir Road. Along the way, I spotted a kererū perched low on a tree below the road. I approached for a photo, and since the bird didn’t seem bothered, I got a bit closer and took some more photos.
