Bushy Park - Atene Skyline - Waitahinga Trails 24-26 February
Friday - We travelled to the Bushy Park sanctuary. We stayed at the bunckhouse for the weekend. Saturday - We headed off to do our first walk. The Atene Skyline Track begins at Atene on the banks of the Whanganui River and ends about a kilometre away along the same road. Sunday - We spent an hour wandering through the Bushy Park sanctuary walkways. Then later along the Waitahinga Trails.
Friday, 24 February 2017
Bushy Park Homestead, north of Whanganui - the estate is now a Forest and Bird sanctuary
Our bunk house for 2 nights
View from Whanganui River Road (Ruapehu top right)
Atene Skyline track - 6.5 hours incl breaks - the Whanganui River used to flow around that peak marked 276m
The start of Atene Skyline track
Looking back to the Whanganui River
The Whanganui River used to flow through here. The skyline track follows the ridgeline from left of picture.
Old Mans Beard
The shelter at the halfway point
That mountain just keeps popping up!
Epiphytes galore!
You can't get away from that river!
Back at Bushy Park where some of us decided to tent.
Time for a few pre-dinner drinks
One of those rare trips where the women outnumber the men.
Ahrr... that's where the men were!
And the salads were pretty good as well!
Sunday morning at Bushy Park. Carmel is frozen in her tracks after a big tree crashes behind her ... just kidding!!
Robin
Big rata tree
Very big rata tree
These critters weren't moving much.
Cute but deadly!
Susan, Glenda and friends!
Marian exaggerating, Badjelly looking cool!
The start of the Waitahinga Trails.
The Waitahinga Dam - built in 1904, this provided Whanganui's water supply for many years
