Today’s mission was to walk the Strand Brothers tramway track and locate any artefacts.
Today’s expedition was to walk along an old tramway that once ran from Naenae to Upper Moores Valley in Wainuiomata. This tramway existed around 1907 and was used to haul logs harvested from a podocarp rainforest in upper Moores Valley, then transporting them to Naenae, where a mill was located. The timber was sold and used in the Hutt Valley, with white pine being sent to Wellington.
This was the mission I had originally planned for my previous adventure. However, I was only partially successful last time as I did manage to find the tramway, but only the final section of it before running out of daylight. I had been walking in the wrong area on the Naenae side, and for most of the Wainuiomata side too. But finding the last section of the tramway track gave me a location to start from next time. So my goal today was to walk along the entire length of the track.
To get to the known location of the track, my plan was to walk up to the ECNZ Track, then down the Pylon Track to the known location of the Moores Valley tramway terminus on the Wainuiomata side and follow the straight line cut track back over to Naenae from there. However, I changed my mind and decided to try locating the track from the Naenae side and walk over to Moores Valley. If successful, that would give me the opportunity to walk back along the track to see if I had missed any artefacts along the way.
I began this trek at the opposite end of the Rata Street Loop Track (from my previous adventure) but quickly found the track much tougher going. It was very muddy, with far too many creek crossings for my liking. I had also broken my tramping boots on my previous adventure, so this time I wore an old pair of football boots. They turned out to be perfect for the steep and slippery terrain, as the studs provided much-needed grip.
While on the loop walk, I was looking for where I thought the tramway traversed, but once deep in the bush, it became hard to see where I was. I veered off the loop when I saw a smaller track heading in the direction I thought might be the location of the tramway track. However, I was wrong. There was nothing but deep gullies and small creeks. But somehow, I ended up back on the loop walk and then remembered to phone a friend to let him know my whereabouts. I kept my eyes open while on the call and spotted the tramway track. It was unmistakable, as there was a clearly cut trench or chute heading up and down the hill in a straight line perpendicular to the loop track, but hidden somewhat by trees. I decided to follow it up, intending to go over the hill, down the other side to Wainuiomata, and then return to complete the final section down toward Naenae at the end of the trek.
As I ascended the tramway, it was very steep, and the ground was covered in loose rubble that was likely leftover from the construction of the tramway. They had to cut into the bank and rock with pick axes and possibly dynamite, leaving a layer of loose rocks. I slowly made my way up, searching for artefacts, but found none. All I found was the cut-out track itself.
Before I knew it, I had reached the saddle of the hill and began descending the other side to Wainuiomata, where the track was less distinct, but nevertheless, still pronounced. I found no artefacts apart from an old, mostly buried champagne bottle, which I unburied, photographed, and reburied. I continued following the tramway down to the bottom of the valley, searching for a flat area where a building may have once stood, as indicated by an old photograph that could have been taken in Moores Valley that shows a tramline and old building. However, I found no evidence of any structure here. The same photo also showed a smaller building on the opposite side of the tramway, but the area now had only pine trees, although it was a suitably flat area for a small structure.
I eventually reached a green field once I came out of the forest, another location where the building may have once stood. However, the field was completely soaked from weeks of rain and didn’t seem like a suitable place for a building given the ground was like a sponge, except for one slightly elevated section, which I guess was big enough to accommodate a building.
At this point, I had walked most of the tramway track. All that remained was the final section from the loop track in Naenae and back down to Rata Street. I had a choice: should I retrace my steps to see if I had missed anything and then complete the last missing section, or take the Pylon Track to the ECNZ Track, then follow a newly cut track down to the loop track and finish the tramway track from there? I opted for the latter, for three reasons. Firstly, I couldn’t be bothered climbing back up and down the steep and challenging tramway track. Secondly, I had spotted a side track off the Pylon Track on my last visit to this area that I wanted to explore at a later date, as the tramway system in 1906 onward had branch lines to different logging areas. So I reasoned it might be from this time period. If not, then it could have been cut when the area was planted in pines in the 1970s or perhaps later when the trees were cut in the 2000s. The final reason for taking the Pylon Track would be the views of upper Moores Valley with the sun at my back. I probably wasn’t going to get better conditions to photograph this valley.
As I ascended the Pylon Track, I reached the branch track I had noticed on my previous expedition. I followed it briefly, but it soon petered out, leaving me in a tranquil pine forest. I returned to the Pylon Track and continued up. There were three electricity pylons along the track, each with a small side track for access. I visited all three, hoping for good vantage points of Moores Valley, and I wasn’t disappointed, but I had to get a bit creative in order to gain some height, to see over trees that obscured part of the valley.
On my previous walk up the Pylon Track, I had bush-bashed my way to the ridgeline instead of walking the entire length to the top. This time, I followed the path all the way to the ECNZ Track. Near the junction, there was a gate that proved tricky to pass, but I eventually made it onto the ECNZ Track. Just like last time, I doubted I was on the right path as the ECNZ Track was very overgrown in places. Eventually, I reached the ridge I had walked along on my precious adventure and found the newly cut track leading down to the loop track. I phoned my friend to check in and discovered he had decided to walk the loop track himself. So we agreed to meet where the newly cut track joins the loop. From there we headed to the tramway track to complete the missing section.
This last section was the beginning of the tramway track and it was the most challenging as the terrain was really steep. Resembling a chute, the floor was covered in loose rubble, and there were section that were so overgrown, we were forced to detour and re-join the path. Finally, I found my first artefact: a large rusted iron band with bolt holes, likely part of the tramway as it couldn’t really be part of anything else and it looked over 100 years old. Later, I discovered a bottle, still in good condition, though I had my doubts about its age given its really good condition. It was embossed with the word “Phoenix Aerated Water” and had been made in Petone. The bottom of the bottle also bore the word “London”. I looked it up later, and it dates between 1912 and 1925, aligning with the period the tramway which operated for roughly a decade after 1906. The bottle is an antique and also appears to fetch a good price in today’s antique market.
Further along, the track became so overgrown that I had to go around a section. When I re-joined what I thought was the track, I found myself in an area where three creeks converged, making it unclear how the tramway could have spanned this area as it narrowed into a small tight gully and a creek. I basically lost the route due to dense bush and vines but eventually found the track again when I moved over to the next tight gully. This meant that the tramway must have crossed the creek at some point, but for most of the journey, the creek followed the track below the loop track. Meanwhile, my friend had located an artefact and was busy photographing it. I also spotted another track running alongside the tramway which was possibly a maintenance track. Alternatively, this other track could be the path of a telegraph line that allowed workers to communicate with the mill and operators of a winch at the top of the saddle.
I ventured on leaving my friend in the wilderness and explored back up the tramway track that I had missed when I ended up in the tight gully. At this point, I decided to head back up the hill to check on my friend, and on-route, I found a partially buried steel cable. I pointed it out to him a bit later, and he estimated it was over eight metres long. As we continued, the cut track became more distinct, but just below it, I noticed a second cut track, leading to some confusion over which one was the tramway. My friend stayed on the original path, while I followed the new track. I found another partially buried steel cable on the new track leading me to think this was the path to the actual tramway, but I then reasoned it could have been discarded down here from above as I could see the end of the cable, so it might not have been a permanent fixture.
Eventually, we both emerged back into civilisation at different points but close to each other, near a large grassy field near Rata Street. In total, two steel cables, a metal band, two bottles, and another unknown metal object were found on the tramway track. Along with the cut path from Naenae to Wainuiomata, this confirmed that I had successfully found, traversed, and explored the location of the Nainai to Wainuiomata tramway that was operated by the Strand Brothers in 1906 for about a decade.
Mission complete.
