THE ELUSIVE TRACKERS
A group known as The Elusive Trackers put together this publication around 1975. They started in 1972 after Mr
Colin Hewens had led a week’s camp at Ngatuhoa Lodge, with parents and sixth formers help, putting in tracks
that were easy to follow, as he had been resident teacher for eleven classes’ school camp there during five weeks of
summer term. Other teachers when encouraged by the Head, to organise their own camps in future, commented
they would never be able to find the tracks. At the end of that Form two work camp, the kids wanted to continue
Outdoor Ed activities and came up with the name, as they had spent some days seeking the old Gammons Mamaku
tramway with eventual success. It was the Elusive track!
The group eventually worked on tracks up Hot Spring’s Road, and had Jim Pritchard of Rea Rd allow them to set
up a base on his property at the road end. Colin must have had good leadership skills, because numbers grew from
the original 25 to over a 100 in peak years. In the second year he expected to have a whole new lot of kids at his
Hot Springs camp - but he couldn't get rid of the first ones.
The following document confirms
the status of existing tracks and
planned tracks in the Kaimai's at
that time. The work that the
Elusive Trackers did back in 1975
was most valuable, and is an
essential part of local tramping
history.
The following document is a
digitised version of the original
booklet, so is not an exact copy.
All typos and spelling errors are
therefore the fault of this writer.
Many thanks to Ted Ryder for
tracking down this information,
and a huge thank you to Colin
Hewens for the original work
(They don’t make teachers like
they used to), and for permitting
us to use the document in our
History section.
TRAMPING TRACKS AVAILABLE FROM THE END OF HOT SPRINGS ROAD, KATIKATI
General Information
This area features extremely varied bush, from regenerating Kauri in manuka scrub, to dense Kauri groves with
fine individual trees. Other areas show predominance of Tawa and associated trees including Puriri, Matai,
Rimu, Totara, and Kahikatea. There is also a wide variety of under storey species. Some of these are labelled
along the Tuahu Track.
Track Markings
Most tracks are marked by discs or venetian blind segments. In areas where the track is not obvious these are
placed within sight of each other. So to move along the track, keep searching for the next marker. If you can’ t
see it or the track ahead - return to the last marker and have another good look around. Two discs or markers
together mean a bend or fork in the track, three mean a track junction ahead. Trees from time to time fall
across a track so you may have to scramble over them or work around them to the other side to rejoin the
marked track. Please do not touch any track markers, for two reasons - one venetian blind segments are very
sharp and cause cuts, - two, the more they are touched the sooner they fracture and fall down..
Travel Times
The signs and this book quote times for tracks. These are usually on a one way basis for a reasonably fit group of
people, who stop for five minutes every hour. Those less fit, or wishing for more stops to look at the bush should
add twenty minutes per hour given. Thus a tramp shown as three hours would take a slower party about four hours.
The uphill times are given, return trips down hill can take less time of course.
Use of tracks.
Some tracks mentioned start on private land, others go through Forest Service, ( P.0. Box.51 l, Rotorua,
Phone 80-089, ) land and permission should be sought for entry where indicated.
The Tuaha Track, however, is a surveyed road and may be travelled at will.
Stream Tramping
The several Streams on the map offer interesting tramps for those who like to boulder hop. Not to be
undertaken in heavy rain conditions.
Conservation
Track makers have tried to make minimal disturbance to the environment, and ask that users do nothing to
detract from the beauty of the area - either by removing plants or leaving litter.
River Crossings;
Do not attempt to cross when in flood. There is a flying fox for emergency crossings at the bottom of the obstacle
course track from the Short Ridge Track
A sketch map of the area is included to show the 1ie of the land and the area covered by each track.
Guide Service.
The Elusive Trackers have young people who know the area, available as guides for any of these tracks.
Phone 89-555 for further details.
Tuahu Track
This leads away form the car park at the end the clay road section at the very limit of Hot Springs Road. This is a
surveyed graded road, used for bullock wagons in the old days, and although overgrown, climbs very gently by
following contour lines up each valley and stream bed, until you come to the summit overlooking Te Aroha and
Morrinsville. The track is generally easy to fol1ow, but has some wet sections, and has two slips high up that need
a little care in negotiating, but are perfectly safe for any party of walkers. After about half an hour a large Kauri,
about 10m (30 feet) in girth will be seen up a slip on the left. This is well worth a visit, and also marks the start of
the first side track, leading to Sentinel Rock.
The Tuahu carries on the level up to where one crosses the left branch of Te Rereatukahia Stream. This
is an easy crossing in most weathers., but should not be undertaken when in flood. After about one and a half
hours the junction with the Abseil Peak track is found. Here another, steeper track goes to the left to a high point
on the main Kaimai divide.
The Tuahu carries on to the right (level). From here it crosses the headwaters of several streams washed out in
the February, 1974 floods. Two hours from the start you pass the Short Ridge Track, from here half an hour
through bush (which becomes progressively shorter in height) brings you to the top the track, with good views
back into the Bay from clearings. Continuing on for ten minutes brings you out to the clear Morrinsville side with
wide views of this side from the top of a grassy knoll on the right of the track. A new track is being put in to the
top of Calvary (first climbed Good Friday 1975 by Elusive Trackers) which is the high point South of the Summit
saddle. This hill has a clear. top giving good views of the Bay of Plenty from Waihi Beach to Whale Island,
Whakatane, with White Island and Mayor Island being seen on most clear days. Although a little steep in places,
this side track will be well worth the effort for the view, taking about twenty minutes to the top. To return, you are
advised to descend via Kauri Ridge Track, taking about an hour and a quarter to get down through some good
Kauri regeneration. This track comes out at the stream just below the car park.
Sentinel Rock Track - 2½ hours from big Kauri
This track, re-opened by the Katikati Tramping Club, leaves the Tuahu track from ‘The Big Kauri’ and after a
short steep climb, travels through lovely bush along an undulating ridge to the foot of Sentinel Rock from where
the track zig-zags up the sloping, southerly face – a steep, earth track within the capabilities of most trampers. The
top of the rock is an area of about 30m by 10m looking out over the bay of Plenty, taking in the Hen and Chicken,
Mayor (Tuhua), White, Motiti, and Whale Islands. The bush filled valley nestles beneath the buttresses of the rock
– a truly magnificent vantage point. Return to the Big Kauri by the same track can take an hour shorter in time.
Abseil Peak Track
From above Tawa Glade, about one and a half hours up the Tuahu Track, another side track leads off to the left.
This climbs steadily for an hour and a half – steeply at times – to a bush covered knob from which good Bay of
Plenty views can be obtained. Another five minutes brings you to Abseil Peak Lookout, a cliff edge with a 24m
(80 ft.) drop, looking over the Morrinsville, Te Aroha area, Mangatautari (Cambridge) and Pirongia are visible
most fine days, with the central mountains reputedly seen on exceptional days.
From a point some 30m before the lookout the track turns right along the main Kaimai divide to meet the Tuahu
Track near the summit. As the vegetation is fairly stunted and sparse, so the track is at times awkward to follow.
On the slip below Kakarahi (Twin Peaks) it drops down to the second large tree (Miro) on the far side, but the
markers are otherwise fairly obvious to the keen eyed walker. This is a fairly hard 2½ to 3 hours deviation from
the Tuahu Track for the hardy.
(4) The Short Ridge Track
This goes through the property of Mr. Jim Pritchard of Katikati (telephone 23D) to meet the Tuahu Track a half
hour below the summit, giving you access to the Summit in 1½ hours. The track goes down the tractor track in
the paddock on the right of the car park, to the flat by the hut where you turn left to cross the Te Rereatukahia
Stream. The track proceeds through an obvious sharp right and left turn to a steep climb to the top of the Red
Soil Slip. From here it follows the centre of the ridge, past two tracks going down to the right, and on up
through manuka scrub to an area of interesting Kauri regeneration.
Shortly afterwards it enters mature ridge top bush, (from where we hope to put in a new track around the large
Kauris in the valley on the right) and continues up to the junction with the Tuahu Track, which is half an hour
from the summit.
(5) Kauri Grove Track
This track also passes through Mr. Jim Pritchard’s property, turning right at the bottom of the tractor track
to pass the Elusive Tracker base camp, below which the stream is crossed. The track then follows an old
tractor logging track, past the swimming hole track on the right (which leads to a good sized swimming hole up
the right branch of the Te Rereatukahia Stream) to a high point - where there was a large wasps nest on the left
bank - look for them and go past them through the bush if necessary. Follow the track down to the stream
crossing, and climb through the fallen Tawa to continue to where the track meets the stream at Boulder Creek
Junction. Boulder Creek (going left) and Te Rereatukahia (going right) are both very good stream walks. Our
track turns sharp right here and then left, and follows the logging track up a fairly steep spur to Kauri Grove,
one of the thickest stands of Kauri remaining in the Kaimai.
The track then continues up the ridge, through a second dense stand of Kauri. These are younger trees called
“rickers” and were the type used by early sailing ships for spars and rigging - hence their name a corruption
of riggers. These have yet to reach adulthood when the spreading form of the kauri top develops above the
canopy of lesser trees.
From here the track climbs gently up to the saddle dividing the Te Rereatukahia valley and the Wharawhara valley,
an old pig hunters' track (You will notice some old blaze marks, and some new ones - these were not made by
Elusive Trackers as they cause too much damage to the trees.) Towards the top of the ridge, before the track goes
down into the saddle, there is a well cut track leading off to the right. We believe this was put in by Search and
Rescue and leads to the Wharawhara stream.
The last section of this track drops down onto the saddle and then climbs up a bank onto a fairly steep ridge up
onto the top of the main range, where the track will eventually go right to Wahine track, and left back to the
summit of the Tuahu Track.
Time from base camp to the top would be about 3½ hrs and 2 hours down.