Tramping club on the "scrounge" to repair popular track

Andrew Burt and Davie Hughes

A "scrounge" is on as a local tramping club attempts to repair a popular walking track in the Tararua Ranges that has turned to mud.

The Levin-Waiopehu Tramping Club is fundraising to repair low lying parts of a track leading to the Waiopehu Hut that had become bog.

Club tramping officer Noel Bigwood said the problem areas were between the 3km and 7km mark where low-lying parts of the track meandered through several saddles.

"The track traverses several areas of poor drainage, mainly saddles, where travellers have to go through mud holes," he said.

"In recent years the mud holes have continued to deteriorate. Many are now much worse than ever."

"Travellers going around the edges are continually widening them, damaging vegetation as they go. Some are now more than 6m wide and 20m long."

The long-term solution to fix the mud was the "rafting" solution where timber slats were spaced evenly along two parallel posts, creating a skid resistant walking platform.

There was approximately 250m of mud holes in 14 different wet spots. The estimated cost of materials was $12,500.

Bigwood said while they were fundraising to buy the materials, people could still donate materials.

"To reduce the need for fundraising we are on the scrounge for materials and tools."

Bigwood said the club needed ground-treated timber and was after:

· Posts: 1m or longer. Quarter round preferred, but square, half or full round posts were useful too.

· Planks or pegs: 40mm or more thick. Any peg greater than 400mm was too long.

· Fasteners: 90M or 100mm Landscape/Batten/Bugle wood screws (galvanised or stainless).

· Tools: Brace (as in brace and bit for drilling), drill bits: 5 or 6 mm, or 3/16 or ¼ inch, and sledge hammers loaned for the project.

The club had already put 10 "rafts" in place which had made a huge difference, but would need to put in another 130 to complete the work.

The Waiopehu track was 9km of bush-covered ride, then 600m of tall sub-alpine scrub prior to reaching the Waiopehu Hut.

The hut attracted hunters and trampers from all over the lower North Island, and some from overseas.

"For many local families, it is a safe, if muddy, achievable bush trip," he said.

Due to the location for the work and the nature of the supplied, the materials would need to be flown to the site, at an estimated cost of $3200.

Anybody who could assist could contact Noel Bigwood via email :