METHS

MULANJE EXPATRIATES THREEPEAKS SOCIETY

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Mokihinui, West Coast, New Zealand – Micro-METHS February 28th – March 3rd 2019

Attendees: Neil and Sue Stiles, Mike and Verena Petzold, Jean Hayward and Andrew Motte-Harrison

After weeks and weeks of hot, dry conditions in our area, our West Coast location continued with the stunning weather. Our little group settled into the Riverview Cottage at the mouth of the Mokihinui River and enjoyed lovely beach walks and beautiful sunsets.

Our first outing was to the Charming Creek walkway where we left a car at either end of the three-hour walk. This was an old coal mining area and we followed well-graded and wide tracks which were used by the horse and bullock-drawn coal wagons and later by small steam engines. There were plenty of old mining relics along the way (not, Petzold!). The southern end of the walkway was more spectacular where the main settlement had stood opposite the Mangatini Falls. We crossed the bridge at this point over a deep and wild gorge and followed the often precipitous track down the Ngakawau river. It never ceases to amaze me how the early track and bridge builders forged their way into such inhospitable territory with just hand tools and ponies, just for the sake of finding coal or gold.

On the next day our walk was up the Britannia track, not far from the Denniston Plateau where there was an extensive coal mining operation for a few decades. It is the most inhospitable area you can imagine, not a single tree so all building materials were carried up the hill by pack ponies. Once the mine was established, the quickest and easiest way up and down the mountain was to ride in the coal wagons. This was a gravity-operated system and quite hair-raising; it would beat any modern day fun-park ride and have Occupational Health and Safety in fits! Anyway, the Britannia track led to gold workings, so it was an easy walk. The old machinery has been very well restored, and we enjoyed a pleasant lunch in the beautiful re-generated forest.

Only 3 of us, Neil, Sue and I, set out on the Wangapeka track for our overnight visit to the Belltown hut. This was to be an easy 3-hr walk up the Little Wanganui river. However, after several bad storms and a cyclone over the past few months, the track has suffered huge damage, and our walk became a scramble over slips and treefalls, and took us 5 hours. DOC (Dept of Conservation) is doing a good job of re-routing and fixing the track, but there’s still a lot to do. We were certainly pleased to reach the hut and settled down with 2 other hikers, also bemoaning the state of the track. Our walk out the next day was uneventful and we were happy to re-join Andrew at Gentle Annie, where he’d stayed with our dogs and enjoyed some fishing at the river mouth (but no fish!). Mike and Verena had had to return to Nelson for a prior commitment, and Neil and Sue had to dash off too.

That left Andrew and myself to enjoy a lazy lunch in Westport before returning home to Murchison.

No big peaks on this trip, most of us are getting over the need to do that. (most of us have already ‘peaked’ several years ago and are, in fact, approaching Best Before date!) Just getting together on these meets is the main objective these days. We’d love to see some of our overseas members join us if they are able. For next year we’re casting an eye over the Golden Bay area.

Jean (Cheeky) Hayward