Eastbourne Hills - East Ridge

There's a ridge that separates the Wainuiomata River valley from Gollans stream.  It delineates the eastern side of the bush clad hills behind Eastbourne - so I'm calling it the East Ridge for convenience.  

From the Wainui side it looks pretty gorsy and awful, but from the hills above Eastbourne (if you can tear yourself away from the harbour views) - they look a bit scrubby but do get you thinking that there must be a bit of a trail along there somewhere.

When I emerged from a walk in the Coromandel it was to hear news that the Queen had died - it seems only fitting that on the public holiday to mark the event I should head into the bush.  I figure the easiest access will be to climb to the ridge near Mt Lowry from Lees Grove in Wainuiomata then follow the ridge south from the high point where the Rata Ridge Track meets East Ridge.

 
What:    Exploring East Ridge

Where:  Eastbourne hills

When:   26 September 2022

Who:     Solo

The support crew drops me at the top of Lees Grove in Wainuiomata where an alley runs down beside a house and into the bush.  What with all the flag waving and monarchist carry on (or it might have been mowing lawns - I forget), it's 1.45 by the time I get away.  The Regional Council have a good info board and even pamphlets for the park at the start.

It's a little muddy underfoot after recent rain - the track follows a stream then starts to climb reasonably steeply up a spur.  20 minutes later I emerge on the ridge to join Rata ridge track.  

A smart turn left and the track starts to drop - my brain is saying it is dropping too far and fast but it soon bottoms out then climbs to meet the north end of East Ridge.  There's a wee spot on the way where you can look out over Wainuiomata should you wish to do so.

About 15 minutes from the top of Lees Grove Track the Rata Track starts to skirt around a knob and show signs of wanting to descend.  I leave the track and head up to the top off the knob and on to the start of East Ridge.  Where I'm greeted by a sign ...

I'm navigating not walking so figure that the sign is not intended for me. Like many other pest control trails in this park it is pretty well used and easy to follow.  The canopy is high at this point so it is a little difficult to gauge which knob you are on but I just keep following the compass southish.  

The vegetation varies between reasonably mature bush and regenerating scrub.  As I approach pt 360 the trail gets a bit harder to follow and sidles on the west of the ridge (there may have been a trail heading towards Gollan Stream).  I stick with the trail closest to the ridge and it soon climbs back to the top - there's some young regrowth through here so it may be that the ridge top is just a bit too difficult.

I'm clearly not concentrating well enough as a little south of pt 360 I find the going a bit tricky - but it still feels like the ridge top. I persevere for a while until climbing onto a wee knob I can see a ridge immediately west of me.  I've strayed onto a spur that is just about to try to dump me into the Wainuiomata Valley somewhere near the golf course.

A quick backtrack and I'm back on the main ridge and seeing markers again.

There's a bit off gorse mixed in with the natives now but there is still a reasonable trail - it's pretty solid through the next wee saddle but further south it starts to look less well used.  There's a lot of wallows along the ridge - I used to think these were pigs but have been told that deer make them too - no idea of the truth of the matter or whether there is a way of telling the difference if they both do.  

I'm getting a bit conscious of the time as I head further south.  It's not helped by the odd area of wind fall and regrowth where it's difficult to find where the trail runs.  However, I keep finding it again and it even joins an old fence for a while.  I pass pt 285 and continue south.  

There's more and more scrub and gorse now and at some point it becomes clear that I am on an old farm track.  I see some old signs and suspect that one of them may have said "Private Property F... off" or similar but it was so faded it was impossible to say.  

Looking back - definitely an old farm track

Somewhere just south of pt 232 I stop and study the map and figure it is time to find a way down to Gollans stream - it's about 4.50 so there's a bit of daylight time left but I don't want to cut it any finer.  I haven't seen any obvious trails so look for a break in the scrub and take a bearing.  Once through a band of scrub there is good beech forest, I zigzag down looking for a spur but there are only animal trails and it's hard to pick any line that is better than any other so I just bash down slope until I reach a band of nikau which drops me rapidly into a stream.  

It's generally better to follow a spur and avoid the lush, rotten, supplejack infested, slippery, stream beds you get in this type of country.  But often you don't get a choice.  Rather than following the spur I had nominated I've dropped into a stream but it's easier to just go with it knowing it will pop out at Gollans stream eventually.  

I emerge into a large open area with fierce signs and figure I am a bit further down valley than planned.  there are some tracks marked with red triangles heading in the wrong direction.   But there's also a farm track that skirts through some pretty rough paddocks before turning into foot trails that take me to the stream.  I follow this up and pop out in a clearing with quite a flash wee cabin - it's about 5.30.  

This must be private.  There's a track following the stream which finishes at a fence - hoping over I cross the stream and make my way up the other bank.  There are bits of trails running all over the place and nothing to choose between them so I just sidle up the valley angling slightly uphill knowing I must eventually meet the track.  

15 minutes later I've joined the track and followed it to the junction with Kowhai Track, 7 minutes after that I'm on the ridge and in another 8 minutes at the top of Kowhai Road - a little after 6pm.  

Post script

Getting on to East Ridge is no problem.  Travel is generally not too bad but it's a little tricky navigating at times - don't expect a well marked track with an obvious foot trail the whole way.   It's a bit of a mix in terms of  vegetation with some beautiful forest and some down right manky scrub.  I imagine you could keep following the farm track south - the map shows it running out around Sugar Load but it probably continues in some form.  Although I don't think it would be very rewarding.

I dropped off the ridge just past pt 232 - I would suggest dropping sooner, maybe even that nice looking spur off 285.  By leaving it so late in the day I was intent on haring off out of the park by the most direct route - I think a more elegant exit would be via the spur past pt 130 to Hawtrey to pick up Stan's hut on the way to Kereru track.