New Zealand Walk: Wednesday city group take on the Rimutaka Rail Trail

Thirty keen Wednesday Trampers of the Manawatu Tramping & Ski Club, assembled at the Cross Creek Road, south of Featherston in the Wairarapa in near perfect conditions to tramp up to nthe summit of the Rimutaka Rail Trail and for some, beyond.

The track was dry and, perhaps for the first time in six months of tramping, we experienced no mud with only a few small pools of water in the tunnels.

On the ascent the bush was beautiful and the track side adorned with numerous fox gloves. We emerged from the upper tunnel (as indicated on the GPS plot by the lack of white plot points), to a beautiful, tranquil landscape that drained most trampers of any good intentions to tramp much further on.

There were a few cyclists in evidence, a second group of mature trampers and a large party of high school students making the full crossing.

So having inspected the old machinery and enjoyed a leisurely lunch we tramped down again in warm conditions.

We were all safely out well before the 3.30pm deadline and then proceeded in a loose convoy to The Bakery in Carterton. There we were made welcome and recognised as an MTSC group from our last call almost a year ago.

It was an easy tramp-with-a-difference enjoyed in sunny conditions. Above left: Time to stop for lunch. Above right: Coming down Siberia Gully. Below left: There is light at the end of this tunnel!