Shortly before Cave we left the State Highway at Cleland Road, crossed the one-way bridge spanning the Tengawai River and soon turned left onto Brothers Road. This steep and narrow gravel road leads to top the range, passes the only farm house and buildings up there, and continues for a few more kilometres until it becomes a ‘paper road’ over farm property.
With a fine turnout of nineteen people we parked the four vehicles, donned our boots and packs and began walking over a farm paddock to the gate not far away. From there the ‘paper road’, which is actually fenced along each side and is a well-used and maintained 4WD vehicle track, continues all the way along the range to Rockwood Road.
Our goal was to reach the trig marking the highest point at 616 metres but, as the organiser of this trip had learned from the landowner a couple of days prior, the beacon is no longer there. As GPS has now made trig beacons unnecessary they are not being maintained by LINZ or, as in this case, have been removed completely.
The question was, “Would we find the remaining stone block or has it gone too?” After walking five kilometres, not far past one of the two high-voltage transmission lines that traverse the range, we were to find out. Yes, the stone block is still there though in a somewhat damaged state. A sign on it gives the geodetic code B2UK which uniquely identifies this particular survey mark. Right beside it there now sits a cell phone tower plus two large water tanks and another cell phone tower a short distance away!
We left our packs on the track and crossed a ploughed paddock to have a closer look, returned to have some lunch then, with a gentle nor’west breeze at our backs, began our walk back to the vehicles.
On this fine sunny day there were grand views as we looked down over Albury, the rolling country forming its hinterland and behind that the Dalgety and Rollesbury Ranges separated by the Mackenzie Pass. Further round there was Fairlie and the Two Thumb Range, Four Peaks and glimpses to the coast as well. Banks Peninsula was visible in the distance.
Those who enjoyed the day were Barry, Robert, Hazel, Allan, Judy, Colin, Peter S, Catherine T, Owen, Catherine and Don (from the SCTC) and Kate, Jane, Margaret H, Marg S, Viv K, Ken and Rob (from the TTC) plus trip leader and report writer, Dorothy.
