‘A high-pressure weather system over the whole country’ is just the sort of announcement that brings joy to we walkers.
The creamy white blossom of the puawānanga dotted the bush and reminded us spring has really arrived and the smiles widened as we drove past the mountains. All topped withcrisp white glistening snow and bathed in sunlight.
It was tempting to divert to the snowfields, but our destination was the Tupapakurua Falls Track nestled in the Erua Conservation Area.
The simple, and partially obscured entrance belies all the great views and walking this trail hides.
Be warned. There is very little flat walking, it’s mostly up or down dotted with a few easy stream crossings.
We spotted small clusters of pāhau kākāpō our giant moss and one of the tallest mosses in the world.
Up in the canopy kāmahi towered cohabitating with tawa, Hall’s tōtara, maire, kapuka or griselinia, horoeka and even kaikawaka.
As an extra challenge to staying upright and avoiding tripping over exposed tree roots, we became part of the bucket brigade.
This involves carrying plastic buckets of gravel left at depots along the track to the next depot or drop-off station. Supposedly 200 metres but perhaps they had a long ruler.
Meandering around at the foot of the Tupapakurua Falls Track in the Erua Conservation Area.
The metal is used in the upper sections to maintain and upgrade the track surface. This is a great way to pay forward but entirely voluntary.
We crossed a stream balancing on the provided log jam without any mishaps or wet boots.
An earlier information sign warned that walkers may need to wade across here after heavy rain.
At the falls lookout there are wonderful views of the falls tumbling over a cliff down into a small canyon and pool 50 metres below.
The sheer walls are flecked with a reddish colour.
From here the track is not maintained but most decided to venture down the goat track to the base of the waterfall.
The first challenge is braving the ledge holding a well-placed rope, looking down not recommended, and then balancing on a plank to manoeuvre oneself across an old slip on to the track proper.
Once safely across we made the steep descent through bush, muddy sections and on to rocks before finally skirting along the stream to the pool at the base of the falls. Was it worth the effort? Absolutely.
The wind forced the falling water sideways and the spray gave us a light shower.
The colours of the rocks made all the more vibrant for the moisture and the noise of the water teeming down drowned out our voices.
Steep descent means steep ascent, so we followed the orange triangular trail markers very carefully to avoid any back tracking and soon rejoined the main trail.
A great day, a little mud to splodge through and an ever-changing gradient but the views and the fun more than made up for that.
