Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
Distance: 4.5 km
Start: Ashley Gorge Reserve, Williams Flat car park
Finish: Same place, it's a loop
Date: Friday 10th November 2023
When they were little, we took our kids to Ashley Gorge a few times. In those days, there was just one shortish walk up to the waterfall and back. Nowadays there are a couple more options including an easy 45 minute loop and the newly formed Totaranui Trail. The latter, our goal for today, runs through a forested scree slope - quite steep in places - up to the waterfall. I walked it a few months ago with my hoa rangitira and we blitzed it in about 1.5 hours, mainly because he walks at a fairly swift pace - while I scuttle along behind trying to keep up.
Today Carolien and I drove to the Ashley Gorge Reserve via the Christchurch Domestic Airport, and on the way we picked up my cousin Katherine (who have haven't seen in yonks) and her friend Mira. They were both down from Wellers for a weekend sojourn in Crikers. We had a good chin wag on the way across the Canterbury Plains - catching up on 30 years of news. Unbelievable!
We turned into the Ashley Gorge Holiday Park and parked at the Williams Flat car park. We set off on a small insignificant unsignposted track, past an uniformative information board with an uninformative map (partially covered), and across the big bridge over the Rakahuri/Ashley River. In all the excitement I had kind of forgotten how steep the trail is, and had therefore failed to elaborate the full detail to the others. About 50 meters along from the bridge, there is a Department of Conservation/Te Papa Atawhai sign and a small track entering the forest. Some stairs to climb and then a grassy flat with a fabulously flowering tī tree (looks like fireworks) and a visitors book to sign (and a better map).
At the first fork, we took the left branch (Loop Track), hoping it was the right way (it was). Then, not far along, another left onto Totaranui Trail. The others looked a bit shocked at the warning sign "STEEP UNFORMED ROUTE". I was a bit shocked too, to be honest - I had forgotten all of that. Oh well, it was too late to turn back now (not really).
We began to climb and it got steeper and steeper. We shared out the walking poles for stability and bypassed a black furry possum hanging from a trap. Dead I think - although it swayed slightly in the light breeze. Would have made a nice cosy slipper. The track was slanted at an angle which stretched the calf muscles to their full extent and made it tricky to negotiate the stones underfoot. We stopped often to catch our breath and admire the beautiful beech forest.
Up, up, up. I was sure it levelled out at some point. Bit it didn't. A paradise duck came flying through the trees, in an ungainly fashion - squawking like billy-oh. It clipped a couple branches before soaring away. Perhaps a "missed approach". Meanwhile, we kept climbing and climbing. I was feeling a bit guilty - but no need - we Wellingtonian and Cantabrian accountants and statisticians are (relatively) hardy souls. Miri was aptly wearing a T-shirt that said "You got this".
Finally the levelling out, and even a short descent to a wonderful clearing and a seat overlooking the plains. We lingered for mug shots and snacks. From here it is only 8 minutes through the beech forest, smelling like honey dew, to the waterfall.
The waterfall sits in a dimly lit grotto and cascades down like a bridal veil. Beautiful! It is always good for the wairua to see a waterfall. More photos to be had.
We began the descent on the Waterfall Track, which is like a highway compared to the Totaranui Trail. "It's all downhill from here". On the way down we met the wife of John Burton, the bloke behind the Totaranui Trail. Apparently there may be another 5 hour loop sometime in the future - we are looking forward to that.
We signed the visitors book then returned to Williams Flat. It was time to check out Cust, a small Canterbury town in the middle of nowhere. We went to Route 72 Cafe and Emporium and sat upstairs for lunch with windows open, looking out to the vista beyond. The Canterbury plains with the foothills in the distance. Then we wandered around the very quirky emporium - a great place to buy trendy sunglasses and bling. A bit further down the road there are a couple of even quirkier second hand shops to check out. We peered over the fence of the Cust Hotel (which has the awesome address: "Main Road, Cust, 1709 Cust Road, Cust 7444") to check out the garden bar - it looked a bit rough around the edges I thought - but might be the quirkiest experience of them all. Watch this space.
