Maungatea Bluff trek: Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Maungatea Bluff trek

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24 August; checking out the Maungatea Bluff trek; again the tourist office knows nothing and ring Bruce from Maunga tours to get information ! I said I would contact Bruce myself. I knew I had to turn left at the Tauae store, (before you get to the church) see map. You follow the Tauae road next to the Vaikapuangi stream until you get to the end. Don’t make a left turn, just keep going straight. At the end of the road you see a small bridge over the stream turning right. Don’t go over that bridge, you see the below “house” on the left. The trek starts behind the house, it’s a bit overgrown but you can clearly see a trek. After some 50 meters you can see marked trees with a bit of red and later blue paint.

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the house on the right is just over the bridge, don’t go there. The trek starts behind the “house” on the left with the scooter

At the “house” at the start of the trek was a dog who decided to follow me all the way to the top ! On the way up he found alternative ways to go up when the track became to difficult for him. We always caught up further on. He found going down more difficult and didn’t try to find his alternative way, and a few times I gently dragged him on the collar down with me. When the trek going down became a bit easier, he sometimes went a different way down the trek, and I whistled and whistled and waited until he got back to me on the trek ! Most of the time he was in front of me and waited patiently for me to catch up. I gave him some of my water and food on the way up and down.

I took the following foto just before the start of the trek and here you can see the Bluff and how the trek goes around the left hand side of the bluff and ends up in low shrub just above it

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The following photo’s are at the very start of the trek;

After some 100 meters the trek is covered with overhanging tree branches and indicates that the trek has overgrown and lower branches have been cut to keep the trek clear. You have to follow the trek bend down because the above branches are about one meter above you, so it’s like a tunnel. This carries on for quite a while untill you get into the “open”. I saw a sort of fruit like huge peas ! Look at my shoes for the size of them !

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Please note that all most of the following photo’s have been taken on the way down ! They give you an indication of what markers to look for; can be blue, red paint or yellow plastic triangles, yellow plastic or orange cloth. Most are disintegrated, so someone should redo the markers. But for now (27 August 2021) the markers are sufficient as long as you keep your eyes open ! Most of the markers ahead are visible from the marker you just pass, especially when the trek becomes less distinct and you wonder were to go next. Try and spot the markers ! Some of the “markers” can be bark missing from tree or cut timber.

Halfway up you get to the bottom of the bluff. This photo is looking down, so when going up you keep the bluff face on the right, and stay close to the bluff. Plent of small markers.

After following the bluff edge for a while, you slowly get around it and start going up alongside the bluff. Next or before you get a few rope sections. After a while you get to more open area’s and the bush disappears and there is low tussock grass to the top. This area takes a while to get through, and there is a small “trek” through the grass. If the trek doesn’t get used much this “trek” might not be very visible, but you should be able to find your way to the top.

The dog beat me to the top !

The views are incredible !

I took a few close up photo’s from Avarua from the photo above, and below you can see the start ofvthe trek. The house from were the trek starts is close to the house on the bottom of the photo, but the bush just hides it.

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On the way down the dog stayed close, but a few times when the area we walked through become quite open, he wandered off finding his own way, but Indidnt know if he would be able to find hisnown way down, somI stopped and whistled and whistled until he came back to me and we “walked” together again !

After returning home before taking my helmet off, I cleaned my boots !