Segwun at Sea: Tramps and Pinnacles

February 3, 2014

Jens with his walking stick crossing the river.

The end of the track (or the beginning depending which way you are coming)

Time for a break and a snack.

It was time for another tramp and this time we walked about 15 kilometers up a ridge and down the other side and back again. We are in the Mount Bruce area just north of Wellington and South of Whanganui.

We went for a walk from our campsite through the Tararua Forest Park following the Kiriwhakapapa Stream, over the ridge reaching 544 meters at its highest point, and down the other side to the Mikimiki Stream. Total elevation was 240 meters having started the tramp from the campsite, which is at 304 meters. It doesn’t sound like much of a tramp, but the four-hour walk was either going up-hill or downhill. We put the legs into action and burned about 3,000 calories while seeing some new growth forest including some California Redwoods. The area around Mount Bruce was originally forested. When the settlers first arrived in the 1800’s they were given plots of land and began clear-cutting the timber to grow crops and livestock. Many of the hills are still bare to this day although there is evidence of reforestation.

After lunch we set off to see the pinnacles of Putangirua, also made famous in the Lord of the Rings movie. We arrived to the DOC Campsite late in the afternoon and decided on an early morning hike up the riverbed to see the pinnacles since our legs were feeling a little heavy from our morning walk. We have stayed at DOC (Department of Conservation) camps sites four times so far. They are always nicely located, inexpensive ($6.00 per person) and all have toilet facilities.

The next day we were on the track before 7AM hoping the sunrise would bring out the best in the pinnacles’ colors and shapes. The tramp was 45 minutes up a stony riverbed. After 30 minutes we rounded a corner and caught our first glimpse of the very majestic pinnacles. The pinnacles are sand and gravel and are quite soft and easily eroded. They were formed over hundreds and hundreds of years as the rain and weather eroded the sand away. There is usually a capstone rock on the top of the pinnacle that has prevented the erosion of the section below it. As time continues, the capstone rock eventually falls down and the pinnacle then begins to erode as well.

The long walk up the gravel riverbed

We took another 20-minute hike up to the viewpoint, which was truly magnificent. The sun was coming over the side of the ridge and was directly into the camera lens. But a morning cloud came by and provided some good shots of the pinnacles.

Back to Lucky and off to see the lighthouse and a seal colony at Cape Palliser just down the coast. The lighthouse is at the most southern/eastern tip of the North Island and has been operating since 1897. There are 253 steps up to the lighthouse, replacing what was a slippery path up to the lighthouse. It was worth the climb to see the view and quite nice to see the sea again.

253 steps up to the Lighthouse.

View from the lighthouse.

On this outcropping of rocks near the lighthouse you find a seal colony. Because of the rocks and shallow pools, it is a safe area for the seals to have their pups. However, it is said the Great White Sharks are never too far away. You can walk quite close to the seals to take a photo; mostly females with their pups. But never get between a mother and her baby or you’ll find yourself in a whole heap of trouble. The much larger male seals hang out a little further down the coast where there is easier access to the sea, but of course, less protection from the sharks.

A seal pup and her Mom

And now for the bad news … the memory card on my camera acted up and wouldn’t you know it, I lost all the photos from our morning hike. So today we went back and did it all over again. Which was good because although I don’t think the photos of the lighthouse are as good, the photos of the pinnacles are much better. And we saw a modern day sheep farmer riding an ATV bringing his flock down the road into a new field with the help of his three dogs. And the sky was so clear; we could see the mountains on the South Island.