An excellent turnout today! Thirty WOPpers gathered at the McMillan Road carparking area for another out-of-town tramp. The weather was beautifully clear at the start for our tramp to Mt William & Puketutu trig. See topo map of area. Mt William is located on the southern flanks of the Bombay hills at the northern edge of the Waikato district. 

We started off over the stile onto a track following the farm fence line to Mt William Scenic Reserve. (See Red’s pic of the group). This reserve hosts a wide variety of native trees & shrubs which includes kauri, hard beech, puriri, king ferns and punga, to name a few.  Masses of undergrowth & particularly in damper areas, lots of extra foliage entwining itself to trees. The track has had a lot of wooden steps put in & the route changed slightly. Some steep areas but it doesn't take long to get thru the Reserve & out into the open farmland. We enjoyed morning tea on the slopes soaking up the expansive views. We could see a bank of fog rolling in but were able to enjoy the views from Mt William, 373m high. Quite a steep slog to get there though! The photos tell the story!  

After Mt William we continued along a saddle of rolling farmland & sheep to Puketutu trig where several communication towers & masts are situated. On our way there, the fog finally rolled in over us & briefly we could hardly see in front. See my pic of a group silhouetted on the ridge. All the while, Val was having a great time foraging for mushrooms & ended up with several bags full. Then once the fog had passed there was clear blue sky again. Puketutu is 379m, just a few metres higher than Mt William & the views from there are impressive. Can see the Kaimai Ranges in the distance. The ground, quite soft, not too muddy, just had to be careful on descents & also watch out for sheep & cattle poo.  

We had lunch in the Puketutu tower area & a large, inquisitive group of cattle followed us as we skirted the fence line to find a place for lunch. Ended up looking down on the Bracu Estate, I think, with all its olive trees. The cattle’s curiosity got the better of them & they came closer & closer, so we decided it was time to pack up & head back. We retraced our steps in the warm early afternoon sun & made excellent time. It was nice looking at the views etc from a different perspective & enjoying the bush again thru the scenic reserve. An excellent day, Elizabeth, a good workout with the steps in the bush & hills on the farmland. It was great to revisit this area again; the hills don't seem to be any easier though! Judging by the photo stops looks like everyone was enjoying themselves & the expansive views. Well worth the effort to do this walk particularly as not that far out of Auckland. 

Colleen W.

Click here to see Colleen & Red’s photos