Hosted by the Whangamata 4WD Club the Matariki Forestry 4x4 Charity run was held over the October 19 -20 weekend. Ashley Lucas was there and filed this report. 

It was going to be a tricky challenge getting up the greasy clay climb and I had come from the other way to get that action photo.

The big Nissan came up, failed the climb and slid backward, screwing the front end around at the same time.  The driver, Jamie Watt, backed up a little bit further but the right front wheel lifted even further off the ground.  The angle was such that the passenger and Jamie were both puckering the seats and Jamie casually wound down his window, looked towards the rear, to the front and then over to me and casually said three words; “forwards or backwards?”

There were no others around me and now here was my photo opportunity, forwards would be the safest, but backwards would get me that photo opportunity of the underneath of the Nissan.  I had to think long and hard on this one, but my conscience wouldn’t allow me to say anything other than “forwards”.

We were on the first day of the Matariki Forestry fundraising trip hosted by the Whangamata 4x4 Club.  Held just before Labour weekend 2019 the attendance numbers weren’t as high as hoped but that actually made for a better weekend of four-wheel driving over a variety of terrain.  The Club had only recently managed to get access back into this forest and it was on very strict conditions including a 4.00pm curfew.

(Nearly) stumped!

Saturday was in the Matariki Forestry area near Opoutere where we traversed through mature pine forest as well as logged areas which has only just been recently replanted.  One of the hazards of driving in these areas is stumps, and the tricky clay hill had a couple, which is why the climb wasn’t so straight forward.  

Keith Chamberlain found one such stump in his Daihatsu Rugger when the front spring hanger was firmly cast onto the stump.  A team of guys tried lifting it off without success and even towing it backwards failed.  In the end Keith winched it off with his own winch to another nearby stump.

Rain was forecast for the weekend but as the locals know better; the Whangamata coast is sheltered by the hills and while the rest of the country received rain showers we got nothing to write home about.

After lunch we headed into more of a bush area where there were a couple of ‘challenges’ in the form of some bogs for those who wanted to give them a go.  The bog proved more challenging than expected and the first few vehicles had to winch through dragging wet mud onto the exit making it even harder.  Mike White nearly made it through in his Jeep Cherokee by making a new track straight through but it was Malcolm in the LS V8-powered Nissan that managed to drive it unaided.

Back into the main convoy and things slowed up as vehicles ahead struggled with another climb in the bush.   By now I was at the rear and didn’t get to see the problems but it seems several had to be pulled up and Steven Young managed to break a CV or axle in his ‘BIGFUT’ 79 Series V8 Cruiser.  By the time I got there the hill had dried out and wasn’t a problem although it was mentioned that they did do some track work to improve things.

We were supposed to do another track but with the hold-ups and vehicle breakages (a Nissan with broken panhard rod) there wasn’t enough time to do so before the curfew as it was already 3.30pm.

That night many of the Whangamata members and participants dined at the Whangamata RSA to regale stories of the day. Jamie and his passenger (especially the passenger), were thankful that I had forgone my photo opportunity earlier in the day.

Sunday drive

Sunday driving was over in the Waihi, Waikino area up on private farm and bush.  From the farmland there was a steep rutted track up into the scrub with a corner that caught a few out.  Pick the wrong line and you bottomed out or lifted a wheel into the air.  It was interesting watching the various vehicles and styles used to negotiate this corner which for those watching offered some great views back towards the Waihi township. The vehicle that seemed to do it the easiest was also the oldest vehicles there; the 1956 Land Rover of Adam and Angela Plimmer which drove up sedately not even lifting a wheel.   It reminded those in the more modern and modified 4WDs just how good and capable old school motoring really was although Angela did get bounced around in the back while the children claimed the front seats.

Onto a narrow largely overgrown track we drove through wet patches and then a long rutted section that had again been causing the occasional problem until they cut a tree root out.  Then we looped around and onto another track where things slowed up once again.  There was a tight zigzag corner which was best backed down or you had to head up the bottom track the wrong way to turn around as the corner was that tight for most vehicles.

Tramway ‘n tunnels

The track was narrow and cut into the side of the hill during the early gold mining days.  The track we were driving on was actually an old tramway from the gold mining days in the area that was put around the hill with mine shafts dug straight into the side of the hill and several of these old mine shafts could be seen as we drove past.

In places the tracks had been overgrown but the club had gone through cutting back where necessary.  There were the odd boggy places and in one soft section the track was sinking away under the larger vehicles.  Some track maintenance, a few pongas and branches and it was soon driveable again.

Towards the end of this track there was an old tunnel the tramway went through but with the build-up of dirt at the entrance only the smallest of vehicles could go through and even then you breathed in and ducked your head.  Apart from a couple of Suzuki ‘bush’ SJs, most of us had to divert off and climb up over the hill where we all gathered for a group photo taken by Gordon Turner with his drone.

From there it was back down through the farm and our excellent weekend adventure was almost over as for those who could gathered at the local and historic Waikino Hotel nestled in the wild Karangahake Gorge right on the edge of the road.  The Hotel has been restored, offers home-style food and beverages for those traveling through and was an ideal spot to finish off the day.  

It also gave the Whangamata members a chance to thank everyone for coming along and hear more stories and incidents from the weekend, including that of a NZ4WD photographer with a conscience.