South Wairarapa Tramping Club  –  

Rangitikei Rambles

10 of us met at the Adobe Motel in Marton, an ideal base from which to attack the 6 Rangitikei Scenic Reserves.

Pryce’s Reserve, east of Rata was the first, a flat loop round the 13ha reserve with wonderful birdsong, and fantails flitting around for most of the route. The picnic tables provided a good morning tea spot, and refreshed, we set off for Bruce Park, about 6kms south of Hunterville. 

The land was gifted to the people of NZ by Robert Cunningham Bruce, an early settler, in 1917. The reserve features huge rimu, totara and kahikatea, plus an impressive gateway at what used to be the main entrance, and a memorial to Mr Bruce erected in 1923.

We lunched at the park in Hunterville before heading west out of the town, to Mangahoe Rd, and the next stopping point, Laird’s Reserve. We walked up a steep farm track then dropped down to a sheltered forested valley with matai, lemonwood, miro, and more magnificent rimu, totara and kahikatea.  Further along Mangahoe Rd we stopped at Sutherland Mangahoe Reserve, one area of which contains a grove of immature kahikatea 20m tall, so dense that the tops knock together in strong winds.

We decided 4 reserves had provided  enough walking for one day, so drove on down Turakina Valley Rd and back to Marton for a welcome shower, rest, drinks, and dinner at Cook’s Bar & Cafe, with a statue of Captain Cook nearby.(Marton was originally called Tutaenui, meaning dungheap, but was renamed Marton in 1869, the 100th anniversary of Cook’s landing in NZ, by early settlers many of whom had lived in Marton,England,  Cook’s birthplace.)

On Sunday we returned to Turakina Valley Rd for Sutherland Puriri Reserve, where we climbed up to Maori food pits, and then around another circuit. Notable in this reserve were the huge bundles of epiphitic perching plants which had fallen to the ground, probably due to the dryness, and strong winds in a February storm. We then decided to return home, leaving Archies Track and McPherson’s Bush for another excursion.

Bruce Park is administered by DOC, but all other reserves are owned and looked after by Forest & Bird. We are grateful to them for publicising information about the reserves in a Forest & Bird magazine, and for creating and maintaining such wonderful bush areas.

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