Forest walks in holiday activities

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 44

Forest walks in holiday activities

Preparations are well under way for a further series of summer holiday programmes in North Canterbury forests. The guided walks, bus tours, and film evenings which have proved popular with holidaymakers in the past form the basis of this year’s programmes. Activities are designed for people of all ages and degrees of physical fitness. Family groups are particularly welcome.

The Kaikoura summer programme is an established part of the town’s Summer Festival. From December 27 to January 10, Forest Service and Lands and Survey guides will lead half-day and full-day walks in forest, reserve, and coastal areas.

The half-day trips cater for a wide range of interests. Rangers will lead short walks, suitable for family groups, through the Fyffe-Palmer Scenic

Reserve, and along the Hinau Walk at the base of Mount Fyffe. There will be a chance to learn about, and taste, some of the forest plants used by the Maoris for food, and in the evening there will be visits to the Puhi Puhi and Lake Rotorua Reserves to see and hear the native bird life.

For those interested in the history of the area there is a walk which looks at both pre-European and early colonial life in and around Kaikoura.

Day trips include a ramble along the rocky foreshore of Kaikoura Peninsula and two pleasant bush walks, one up the Kowhai River to the Snowflake Hut and the other up the Hapuku River to the Hapuku Hut. There are several minor river crossings.

For the more energetic there are two day tramps planned. The first is a walk

up the four-wheel-drive vehicle track to the summit of Mount Fyffe with a stop at the Mount Fyffe Hut for lunch. The return trip is via the Fenceline Spur foot track. The other is a climb, following good tracks, from the Blue Duck Bush Reserve to the Television New Zealand installation on Mount Alexander.

There are spectacular views of the coastline, the Seaward Kaikoura range, and the lower Clarence River.

The meeting place for all walks is the Kaikoura Information Office at the Kaikoura Memorial Hall on the Esplanade. Private transport is necessary from the assembly point to the beginning of each walk. Always popular with holidaymakers, Hanmer Forest Park is an established summer programme venue. This year, between December 27 and January 18, bus tours will leave twice daily from the Information Centre. A ranger will accompany each tour to explain all aspects of work in a production forest from land preparation to logging. Six guided walks are planned in the Dillons Stream area and evening slides and films at the Hanmer Springs Memorial Hall. Rangers will introduce a number of topics, including management of a forest park, fire and animal control, firearms safety, and parks of the South Island.

With its nearness to Christchurch, Ashley Forst is a favourite destination for trampers and picnickers. This year buses will leave from Rangiora for the forest every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning between January 6 to January 24. Stopping points will include the Old Lookout, and the Lake Janet and Grey River picnic areas. During the tour Forest Ser-

vice rangers will discuss the many aspects of forestry at Ashley while, for those who are interested, there will be guided walks round Lake Janet and along the Grey River Nature trail.

The park occupies much of the high country between the Waimakariri and Wilberforce rivers and caters for a variety of recreational uses.

The summer programme at Craigieburn will run from December 27 to January 18. During this time there will be both full-day and half-day guided walks in the forst park and neighbouring areas of Arthur’s Pass National Park.

The walks are graded according to their level of difficulty. For fitter people there are day climbs to Hamilton Peak, Mount Wall, and Lagoon Saddle. Those of

average fitness can walk to Camp Saddle, along Bealey Spur to the tarns, and up the Harper River to the Pinnacles.

Half-day walks are also graded. Those suitable for all age-groups include an easy walk to Dracophyllum Flat, a visit to the fascinating subterranean world of Cave Stream cave, and a boulder hop and stream study. For family groups wanting something a little more demanding there is a gentle climb on to Lyndon Hill, and a stroll through untracked areas of Thomas Bush.

All walks leave from the Craigieburn Forest Park visitor centre. Private transport is required from the assembly point to the beginning of each walk. Special events include a chamois camera hunt, a triathlon, a barbecue, and a series of evening talks at the Cave Stream picnic areas. Special children’s activities will also be held here including a scavenger hunt, poster competition, adventure trails, map reading and marking, art and craft activities, and a story time.