A short bush bash today led to the discovery of a small piece of local history.
Today was never going to be a big adventure, as I only had few hours and needed to stay in phone contact. That significantly limited my options, so I decided to revisit a site that I felt held more discoveries, as I had never fully explored the terrain there. The site in question is the scour pipe area.
So far, what is known at this site includes an earth bridge, which was used to protect the main water pipe while also allowing vehicles to pass above it. Nearby is a scour pipe that branches off from the main pipe, along with a set of large cogs that probably controlled a valve for that pipe. Another intriguing feature is a dug-out channel, something no one seems to have a clear explanation for. There is also remnants an old track leading to these locations.
I started at this old track leading to the scour pipe. (From now on for clarity, I have decided to call this track Scour Pipe Track). From there, I noticed an even smaller track branching off down the hill, one I had never seen before. I only noticed it though as I was looking for new ground to cover. Curious, I followed it. As I descended, I decided to walk in a straight line through the bush near the bottom of the slope to see if anything lay hidden. It was not long before I reached a small stream, and nearby, I spotted a pipe emerging from the same slope I had descended. Upon closer inspection, I saw a collapsed brick facade in front of it.
It did not take much imagination to connect this pipe with the earth bridge above. It seems logical to assume that there must have been a drainage pipe that empties creek water flowing down the hillside that would naturally build up behind the earth bridge. The area behind the bridge does, in fact, resemble a large pond or small natural pool, though it has silted up over time. Excavation would likely be needed to uncover the entrance to such a pipe. But now, the existence of a drainage pipe here is confirmed as I found the exit.
I then decided to walk uphill from the pipe to see if the earth bridge was directly above, and it was. However, my rough calculations suggested that the pipe was positioned slightly to one side of the large pond rather than in the middle where the creek would have run. But just to be certain that the pipe I had found was related to the bridge, I trekked up and over the western hillside of the pond behind the earth bridge to see if it was connected to something else. As expected though, I did not come across anything particularly interesting except I did take a few photos of trees that had fallen down the steep slope.
Later, I followed Scour Pipe Track as far as I could as I realised it continued longer than I had noticed before. Despite some sections being covered in supplejack, it became apparent that the track runs below and alongside Maintenance Road. At one point, it seems to split into two tracks before merging again and heading up toward the abandoned section of Maintenance Road which I refer to as Maintenance Track.
The significance of this track layout was not immediately clear to me, but it does suggests that this old track served as an access route to the scour pipe and then merged with Maintenance road where the main water pipe continues. The dug-out trench / channel near the scour pipe also remains a mystery. You can imagine this site once functioning as a worksite before being abandoned to the bush, potentially even predating the first version of Maintenance Road.
I also found several concrete blocks, one of which had a groove carved into it. While their purpose is unclear today, it is important to remember that this entire area was once logged. Workers on the early dam pipeline would likely have had a much clearer line of sight and an easier time plotting the pipeline’s direction through the shape of the land. Today, the dense regenerating bush conceals much of what once lay in plain view.
On my way out of the site, I spotted a bottle mostly buried in the ground sticking out of the roots of a tree. Assuming it was quite old, given how rarely people must pass through this area, I dug it out. After cleaning it up slightly with my hands, I noticed some numbers that might help with identification. I plan to give it a proper clean later and share it in a vintage bottle group on Facebook that I recently joined, where knowledgeable members can help identify and provide historical insights on old bottles in New Zealand. I previously posted another bottle I found and received some great information.
Anyway, it was time to head back to the car. Although this adventure was not an in-depth exploration of an ancient podocarp rainforest or an ascent of a mighty peak, it was rewarding to uncover a small piece of local history.
