OVER THE RANGE

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 146, 21 June 1916, Page 12

OVER THE RANGE

TRACK ACROSS THE TARARUAS,

A MAGNIFICENT TOURIST WALK.

The district under review is one which contains many beauty spots, and in more ways than one should be of great interest to the tourist. There are some valuable reserves of native bush, and other areas which should be reserves. In a review of the district such as this is, mention must be made of the magnificent tourist walk now constructed between Otaki and Greytown, over the fine Tararua Range. It was only a year or two ago that the picturesque summits to.be seen from Wellington, looking up the Hutt Valley, snow clad in winter, and mistakenly known as the Rimutakas, were explored for tourist purposes. A trigonometrical survey had been made of this region in the early days, and goldseekers and sportsmen had penetrated far into the : bush wilds of these hills from time to time, and more than one valuable life was thus lost, but no one had attempted to cross the summits of the range from one side to the other, for pleasure and recreation purposes.

EXPLORING FOR PLEASURE.

A few years back, However, gome botanists and other adventurous spirits conceived the idea of learning what these ranges disclosed. The earner parties included Messrs. W. H. Field, M.P., B. 0. Aston, Tennant, and others, who climbed the Quoin Ridge from Kaitoke, and, crossing over Mounts Alpha and Hector, descended to the Otaki Forks. More recently committees were formed at Greytown and Otaki, which, with the assistance of private subscriptions and Government grants, have cut a track to the upper edge of. the forest, about 5000 feet on either side of the range. The Greytown committee has built a hut on Mount Alpha, established a camp on the Tauherenikau River, and ■marked the route along the main range between Mounts Alpha and Hector, so that "travellers may now cross with comparative safety, even when wrapped in the thick fog which so often envelops these mountains.

FOREST, RIVER, AND MOUNTAIN.

The journey from the climbing point at the Otaki Forks, so called because three rivers, the Otaki, Waiotauru, and Waiatapia, join at this picturesque spot, to the climbing point in the Waiohine Valley, near Woodside, can be made without difficulty in two days in fair weather, the camping place for the night being the hut at Mount Alpha. The magnificent forest, river, and mountain scenery along this track, added to the extensive and interesting views ob-. tainablo in clear weather from Mount Hector, 5016 feet, and other peaks on the range, and the botanical alpine wealth of these regions, render this tourist route, unique among the walks of the Dominion. . All who have been once desire to go<agaiu. The first party to cross the range from side to side consisted of, Messre. . Field, Aston, Esmond Atkinson, and F. Perm,, of Otaki. They left Otaki on the morning of the 30th March, 1912, and arrived at the foot of the hill near; Woodside on the evening of the next day. : Since then numerous parties, have crossed the range, and several parties of ladies have scaled Mount Hector.