A group from the Gisborne Canoe and Tramping Club enjoyed hiking a section of the reopened Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk, soon after it opened on January 10.
Beautiful new information panels greet visitors inside the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Huts. When a group of walkers from Gisborne Canoe and Tramping Club arrived at Waiharuru Hut recently, we were welcomed by one headed “Nau mai ki Waiharuru”.
It includes information about the name of the hut and significant events that occurred in this area. As well, we could read about the key purposes of the Te Urewera Act*, including strengthening the connection between Tūhoe and Te Urewera, and their work towards preserving the natural ecosystems through pest control.
The Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Track was reopened by Tūhoe on January 10, and the tramping club members and friends did an overnight tramp from the Hopuruahine Stream swing bridge to Waiharuru Hut a few weeks after that. With contrasting weather — a blustery day with afternoon showers as we walked along the track towards Waiharuru Hut, and a calm day for the return walk to Hopuruahine Stream. The experience of the track was quite different in each direction.
This section of the great walk track climbs around rocky points and over slips, climbing more than 100m over a slip between Hopuruahine Stream and the Whanganui Hut site, as well as following close to the lake edge, so walkers encounter each of the four main forest types in the Lake Waikaremoana catchment: beech forest, rimu-broadleaved species forest, mixed beech/rimu-broadleaved species forest and secondary forest dominated by kānuka and other broadleaf species. Huge old rātā trees hang over the lake on steep sections of the track where the understorey is made up of tree ferns, tawa, hinau, kāmahi, lancewood and many other trees, shrubs and plants.
Where the track follows the lake margin we walked through kānuka forest and beside areas of wetland. At the lake edge the track is on the lake bed, which became permanently exposed when the lake was lowered five metres in 1946 as part of its hydroelectric utilisation.
Maintenance of the track is carried out by Te Uru Taumatua, Ngāi Tūhoe’s operational entity. In doing this they have defined their own track standards for Te Urewera, which are based on accessibility. The standards for the Waikaremana track are — whānau, tramping track, and natural. One section of whānau track has been developed between Korokoro campsite and Waiopaoa Hut and allows for relatively inexperienced walkers including mokopuna, kuia and koroua. Most of the rest of the great walk track is of tramping track standard – a marked track that generally follows the lie of the land and is mostly unformed, although key river crossings are bridged. The natural section of the track – where the track is lightly cut and marked following the lie of the land — is from Onepoto to the top of the Panekire Range.
Between Hopuruahine Stream and Waiharuru Hut, we found the track similar to our earlier experiences, although there were several treefalls across the track. The track was muddy in places following recent rain, but mostly it was in good condition for a tramping track.
Walking on Saturday afternoon we talked about the long-tailed cuckoo, koekoeā, which was calling in the forest canopy. When the koekoeā calls it is often about to rain, and this was the case as we walked in showers to Waiharuru Hut! Koekoeā is a migratory bird that spends spring and summer in Aotearoa New Zealand, its only breeding place, and spends winter in the Pacific Islands. In spring, the bird’s routes of migration are believed to have assisted in guiding the Polynesian ancestors of Māori to find Aotearoa New Zealand.
The level of Lake Waikaremoana was higher than usual for many months following cyclones Hale and Gabrielle. This caused damage to parts of the track, huts and campsites, and around the lake edge there is evidence of vegetation which has died because of being waterlogged for a long period.
We appreciated being able to hang up dripping jackets and wet clothes under the spacious veranda at Waiharuru Hut. Between showers we walked along the beach and the river mouth, before preparing our various dinners on tramping gas stoves. Comparisons of lightweight food and gas cookers took up much of the conversation.
Waiharuru Hut and Upokororo Bay were sheltered from the strong westerly wind, and the wind eased during the evening. The clear night sky and dazzling display of stars promised a fine day for our return walk, and we were not disappointed. The morning was chilly, with mist rising off the lake with the water being warmer than the air. It was a sunny and warm walk back to the Hopuruahine Stream swing bridge, with several of our group having a swim in the lake on the way back.
* Te Urewera Act 2014
The purpose of this Act is to establish and preserve in perpetuity a legal identity and protected status for Te Urewera for its intrinsic worth, its distinctive natural and cultural values, the integrity of those values, and its national importance, and in particular to —
(a) strengthen and maintain the connection between Tūhoe and Te Urewera;
(b) preserve as far as possible the natural features and beauty of Te Urewera, the integrity of its indigenous ecological systems and biodiversity, and its historical and cultural heritage;
(c) provide for Te Urewera as a place for public use and enjoyment, for recreation, learning, and spiritual reflection, and as an inspiration for all.