It was the start of Daylight Savings and luckily with good information received from Colin Standing, everyone turned out at the correct time, and no one was left behind.  There were approximately 20 people keen on today’s Grade 1 tramp at TECT Park, about 26 km from Tauranga along Pye’s Pa Road, SH 36 Tauranga to Rotorua.

We were well informed by Colin of how the day would proceed, with only a few gaps in the historical information!  The weather forecast had promised a sunny day, and apart from a cool and breezy morning tea spot, this proved to be true.  The walking was relatively easy with some little steep ups and downs.  The Park Maps that can be picked up at the carpark were well done and easily followed and signposted (though of course we had our leader Colin to show us the way!).  We walked about 12 kms today (according to Diane) at a total of 4 or so hours.  There were other longer trails on the map and maybe these can be ‘reconnoitered’ and walked another day.  If there was a downside to the walk, perhaps the noise of traffic and motorbikes in the distance, but otherwise a lovely day’s walk out in a forest-like park. 

Tect Park provides scope for popular outdoor activities such as an Adrenaline Forest for those that love hanging off trees, and mud trails for MTB riders, tracks for horse-riding, and finally for those of us that enjoy a walk in the forest – lovely easy tracks to follow.  Some of these tracks can be shared by horses and walkers, or walkers and bikers, and walkers, bikers and horses! For everyone on today’s walk – this was a new area to venture.  Points of interest for me today were the 60-meter tunnel, the names of the tracks (Te Rerenga, Sequoia, Lucitanica, Raho’s Rollercoaster) and Peterson’s Camp and the huge, long table and seats.

There were also a couple of mysteries today, 1) Why was such a big tunnel hand-built under the road and not just a culvert?  (Colin noted in his information email that it was to divert a stream from going underneath SH 36) And 2) What does ‘TECT’ actually stands for.  Grant was potentially able to answer the first one – he noted the tunnel was chiseled out of ignimbrite rock so perhaps the usual council culvert was not the solution.  And the best answer gathered for ‘TECT’ was Tauranga Ecological Conservation Trails (but we really had no idea). 

Thank you to Colin, Margaret and John who provided an opportunity to explore an area not explored before by the club.  Cheers to our drivers of the vans who got us all home safely (one van took the scenic route!).  It was lovely to have a catch-up with members of the club and the realization that the writer is getting older!

Kathy Old

(Scribe)