New Zealand’s backcountry is littered with reminders of times past. These can be old fence posts in the country reverting to the bush, tram lines and machinery in areas that were logged or items like rain gauges in the ranges.
They all have a story to tell. Relics that Wanganui Tramping Club members came across recently include a rain gauge in Ruahine Forest Park and an old boiler near the Mangaone Walkway on the edge of Tararua Forest Park, both rusting away.
Other alien items with a tragic past are the remains of crashed planes. Te Papakura o Taranaki (formerly Egmont National Park) has three crashed Air Force planes, all of which produced fatalities.
There are also crash sites in Tongariro National Park and the Ruahine and Tararua ranges. None of these sites are marked except in some instances by graves.
The club’s full weekend programme for January is:
