The puffer jackets were quickly stripped off and deposited into the depths of our backpacks.
The track was quite slippery in parts, especially where the autumn leaves had fallen in great swathes under the poplar trees at the start.
There was little bird song this morning but as the day warmed up, we saw and heard a pair of kererū, several flocks of tauhou/wax-eyes, pīwakawaka/fantails and the most strident alarm call of a korimako/bellbird, which had all eyes searching for the owner.
The korimako was certainly not happy about us being in its territory so was telling the whole valley about it.
There were still patches of fungi to see. An earthstar fungi caught the eye of one observant walker.
Orange pores and caps of various hues added colour to the otherwise green world of the moss-covered banks.
Several well-defined possum pads came down from above the track and a trail of ‘beans’ showed where one had been using the track as a main highway.
The tree damage that was done during Cyclone Gabrielle is repairing itself and the great viewing spots we’d had 12 months ago when we last walked this track are sadly, quickly disappearing behind the regrowth of mamaku/black tree fern, kōtukutuku/native fuchsia and rewarewa/native honeysuckle.
We stopped for morning tea where we could look out over the pretty Whakaipo Bay to the headland above Tauhunatara Point.
There are many dead pine trees, looking stark and gaunt, covering this headland, bearing testimony to the hard work of those who do this wilding pine control work.
The day was cloudy, so our beautiful mountains to the south were nowhere to be seen, but Tauhara dominated the skyline on our return journey.
It was still only 11 o’clock when the first group reached the top shelter.
Too early for lunch, so we made the choice to walk clockwise around the loop track, a further 1.5km, until we reached the second lookout before digging into our tucker boxes for a well-earned lunch.
The second group opted to have their lunch in the shelter before retracing their steps.
As is often the way, the return journey seems to go more quickly, probably because in this case there is more downhill.
The bluffs quickly came and went, and Woman’s Touch corner had us wondering as to the origin of its name.
Mike’s Corner clicked by under our boots, as did South Straight.
We paused to enjoy the view from the well-appointed seat not far up from the start, or finish, of the trail.
The plantings that Greening Taupō have put in are growing well and the once grass area just above the start of the trail is quickly disappearing under a covering of mānuka, flax and various hebes and coprosma.
A most rewarding 18km walk that is a tribute to the hard work of so many Taupō people.
Thank you to all involved. Thirty-three happy locals certainly enjoyed your efforts today.
