Autumnal delights for lakeside walkers
A lesson in astronomy enjoyed by members
Last week was the autumn equinox and before the Wednesday Walkers set out, a retired astronomer who walked with us gave us the interesting story of what leads to this day when daytime and night-time are of equal duration.
Like almost everything in astronomy, it turns out to be more complex than might be expected.
An interesting fact that came up was that due to refraction through the atmosphere, the moment when the sun appears to set is, in fact, some time after it has really slipped beneath the horizon. Who knew?
The Wednesday Walkers began from just beside the boat ramp at Two Mile Bay and headed out along beside the lake.
Whoever first came up with the brilliant idea of applying the word “crisp” to the state of the weather, must have done so on a day like last Wednesday.
It was nippy, breezy and yet in bright sunshine; in a word, crisp.
We soon warmed up as we wove through the lanes, returning every now and then to the lakeshore.
Before long, we found our way to Wharewaka Point where the lake widened out in all its rippling, azure glory.
We struck inland and climbed up to Lake Terrace and travelled through the tunnel into the new housing area, which gets bigger every month.
The new houses all looked very grand on such a bright day. We finally travelled back to the starting point, everyone glad to have walked together on such a wonderful autumn day.
Contacts for the Wednesday Walkrts: ph 07 3773065; email wednesdaywalkers@myyahoo.com.
Monday Walkers
This week’s walks were both gentle in nature and a gentle reminder of the value of companionship and land stewardship.
Falling autumn leaves swirled across our convoy of vehicles as we made our way to the Pureora Forest Park.
This park covers some 78,000ha of land and straddles the Hauhungaroa Range.
Its flora has suffered many traumas in the past, including devastation in the Lake Taupō eruption and man-made disruption due to the wide-scale milling of its indigenous trees.
The Rimu Loop walk is an easy one. As the track name implies, rimu trees were prolific and stunning.
They were once known as red pine and commonly used in house building, manufacturing plywood and furniture making.
This stand’s survival owes much to treetop protesters and conservationists who forced an end to logging in Pureora in 1978.
In the lower canopy, the cool moist environment supported thriving tree fern communities and amongst the leaf litter, a cascade of white clouded fungi and even a group of small lycoperdon compactum (brownish puffballs) was found.
Toutouwai robins sang but remained unseen, and korimako bellbirds put on their scolding rather than melodic tones.
The viewing platform at the top doubled as a perfect cafe. Soon, it was down more stairs and back, via a blackberry-lined path, to the picnic area.
Next, it was time to enjoy the company, and marvel at the labour and persistence of one man and later his family to organise, fund and plant a large area of native trees on retired farmland.
Starting from a few kauri a couple of decades ago the rimu, tī kōuka, mānuka and akeake, to name just a few, are well-established with still more being planted.
We climbed a hill (no walk is complete without a few hills) to look out over the farm and had yet another surprise.
Six horses had assembled in a line high up on an opposing hilltop to watch us.
The sound of a spontaneous burst of the theme song for Rawhide carried across the valley and just as suddenly, the horses raced out of sight.
A happy day of renewing contact with friends and a renewed respect for those whose endeavours have protected and created great places to walk in.
Next Monday is a public holiday so no walk is planned. If you would like more information about our group, please email walkersmondaytaupo@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook at “Taupo Monday Walkers”.