Sunday 15 October 2023

Leader: Dave Williams and John Glover

Six Parawais met at the roadend prior to Otaki Forks for a day's walking.

The weather forecast, while not fantastic, did suggest we might have a few dry hours in which to explore the area. Although we were all well prepared for bad weather, there was no rain. However, the wind was very strong, particularly near the carpark.

After leaving the cars, we were soon crossing the "Blue Slip" which, with its steps and track, was a very simple exercise. We followed the road until we found what may have been the original site of the club's Parawai Lodge (right beside the road). The lodge was moved to its current location on the eastern side of Waiotauru River in 1986. We continued walking to the end of the road and from there followed the Waiotauru Track to the log hauler at the Historic mill site.

Some time was spent exploring what remains of the steam-powered winch, after which it was time for lunch.

After lunch we headed back along the track, then went to explore the camping areas. There's a huge amount of space for camping there, with toilets and roofed shelters for cooking. A wonderful facility which probably has almost no patronage now that vehicle access is no longer possible.

We decided it was a good opportunity to check-out Parawai Lodge while we were in the area. We walked through the overgrown top carpark, before dropping down to Boielles Campsite and crossing the river. Not too surprisingly, we had the lodge to ourselves.

After some R & R we decided to head back to the cars while the weather luck was still on our side. We reached the cars around 2:30 pm. An easy and interesting day out.

Those on the trip were:

Dave Williams, John Glover, Julie James, Pam Glover, Paula Richardson, Mike Carruthers

Currently there is no photo album for this trip.