South Wairarapa Tramping Club

 Gentle Annie Creek – Old Rocky Lookout

Last time the Club did this tramp, according to our records, was 29 May 2010.  In our memory, the route up the creek then was a lot clearer than it is now, but of course it isn’t a maintained DOC track. We criss-crossed the creek, seeking the best routes, ducking under or clambering over fallen trees. After an hour we reached a small stream coming in from our right, and a stone cairn confirming that this was the point for us to leave Gentle Annie behind and start climbing.

Our track upwards, while steep in places, was a lot more straightforward than the creek. We admired the sprawling rata, still in flower, and the royal blue berries of dianella nigra shining in the sunshine. (Some people wondered if they were edible: Wikipedia says birds eat the berries, but they are very bitter, and may be poisonous if eaten in large quantities.) 

As we gained height the forest trees gave way to subalpine varieties such as dracophyllum. After a height gain of about 438m we emerged into bright sunlight at Old Rocky Lookout. No beautiful wooden decking, as the current Rocky Lookout has, but we made do with rocky seats and a view out to the plains for our lunch stop. 

We had anticipated bush-bashing at this point, but discovered that the old Mt Holdsworth track of our youth has been cleared, possibly as part of the pest trapping operation, but also by other trampers. We came down that track for a while before veering on to the current main track.

To complete our trip away from populated areas, we took an old track descending to the Donnelly Flat Loop. Apparently this was the original route up Mt Holdsworth, cut by Morgan Carkeek in about 1870. We got back to the cars feeling very satisfied after our approximately 6.8km 4 1/2 hour tramp.

SWTC welcomes new members! Phone or email Ed and Juliet Cooke, 06 304 9497 or efjac@xtra.co.nz. See our Facebook page and website.