New Zealand Walk; A day taking two walks in the Totara Reserve
On a mid and dry August twenty one trampers starting from Palmerston North, Feilding and Dannevirke converged on the upper entrance of the Pettifar Loop in the Totara Resrerve area for an 8.45 am start.
We anticipated wet and muddy tracks. Once down the 49 steps we soon discovered that given recent weather, the tracks were remarkably dry and that the Pohangina River was in rather low flow. This made for unexpectedly rapid progress.
We enjoyed the kahikatea dominated forest in the wetter areas and the
old totara dominated forest in the drier areas. An early morning tea was taken sitting on a large log in the river bed after a muddy scramble down a bank and across a side stream for the Gilchrist Track.
Progress was easier than expected though the passage along the vehicle track paralleling the Pohangina Valley East Road found to be muddier than the earlier sections.
The theory was advanced that the areas near to the river were regularly covered in easy draining coarse river sand and so not as inclined to be muddy.
We soon reached the lower road entrance to the tracks and the end of the Gilchrist and start of the Pettifar which we then followed as it meandered back to the 49 steps and our vehicles.
Next we motored the few kilometres to the camp for an early lunch and the luxury of shelters, seating and flush toilets.
Then we made our way back down the road to the carpark for the Fern Walk. Although higher than the river flats of the morning the fern walk was much muddier.
After less than two hours of views of the old totara, rimu and rata, not to mention the ferns, the party re-emerged and we made our way to the Herb Farm Cafe near Ashhurst for a well deserved coffee stop.
This was a gentle tramp of about 12km and a total height gain/loss of about 180m. No dramas just nice bush views good company and muddy boots!