Sunday 6 April 2025

Leader: Chris Keating

This trip was originally scheduled from Battle Hill to Whareroa Farm but forestry work at Battle Hill made that trip very difficult to organize. So, a combined Paekakariki Hill - Kohekohe Loop - Escarpment Track Walk was planned as an alternative.

Five of us gathered at the Paekakariki Station at 8:30am on a clear sunny morning. After a short walk up the Paekakariki Hill Road we took the Waikakariki Stream Track and passed the now abandoned “Fly by Wire” operation site. From here we climbed through scrub and bush on the northern side of the stream to the Telecom towers overlooking Paekakariki. From this point onwards our vistas were magnificent – stretching from Pukerua Bay and the South Island to the south to Paraparaumu and Kapiti Island to the north.

Once private farmland, our trail land was purchased by Land Transport NZ for the construction of the nearby Transmission Gulley motorway. Our trip followed old farm trails which lead to now derelict stock pens where we stopped for a coffee break out of the wind. After our stop, we made our way down through fields to a small kohekohe forest where we managed to avoid native stinging nettle (ongaonga), emerging at Paekakariki Hill Road.

After crossing the road, we entered the bush at the entrance to the Kohekohe Loop Track which took us to the northern end of the Escarpment Track by Paekakariki. We had a pleasant walk along the lower part of the track, climbing steps and trails to the 200m track summit where we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we dropped down the many steps on the southern part of the track, reaching Pukerua Bay in time to catch a bus back to Paekakariki at 3:10pm.

Altogether this was a very pleasant trip on a sunny day that provided outstanding views.

Those on the trip were:

Chris Keating, Glenda Robb, Kate Livingston, Maryann Bugg, Sandra Rowland