Trip report HTC trip no 1272 Northern Pureora May 28th.
This tramp became a replacement for the Headwaters of the Waipa which will be much more suitable in summer. We were still going to be in the Pureora forest, and it seems it was an area that none of the Hamilton Tramping club had visited before.
The area is also know as Ngaroma. There was extensive logging in this area in the 1940-60s. Ngaroma had a school, a creamery, a sawmill and associated housing. Nothing of this remains other than the hall (which we didn't see but the community still uses) one piece of machinery in the farmland near the start of the walk and the roading network, some of which is now used by the King Country 4WD club.
We crossed farmland, followed the old Ngaroma Road, negotiated some washed out stream crossings (wet feet had been promised) and surprise, ended up at the 4WD shelter. It use to be surrounded by pine trees but due to recent felling there are now good views of Titiraupenga and Pureora Mt. A very good lunch spot.
The way home was in native bush – very soft and damp underfoot. We found another accommodation deep in the bush. Dubious comments about the state of the mattresses and reading material were made. The sometimes tagged track seemed to weave and wander and almost stumped us near the end due to a big windfall. Then it was farmland for the last 10 mins, all up 6 hrs.
Lorna
