42 Traverse cut back 2015

PeterVahry
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42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Fri Sep 18, 2015 3:30 pm

The Department of Conservation have given permission for a vegetation cut back on the 42 Traverse over 21/22 November. This iconic route through the Tongariro Forest is at risk of being overgrown and too scratchy to be used by many four wheelers. (Actually it already is in many places!)

It is important that some effort is made to clear the route before another summer of growth. Any chainsaw operators will need a certificate, but users of other powered cutting tools like brush cutters, hedge cutters etc. are fine.

If you can help, even for a day, please email peter.vahry@xtra.co.nz

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby Clint » Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:42 am

Good stuff, looks like I've got that weekend free so will try & make it. Got chainsaw + cert. Been through there quite a few times on the motorbike but never in the 4wd. Will confirm by email closer to the day.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby smurf182 » Tue Sep 22, 2015 10:06 pm

Keen to help pending confirmation of my work roster.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby DieselBoy » Mon Sep 28, 2015 2:49 pm

Which end are you heading in from??
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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:48 pm

This year again we will go in at Kapoors Rd. The downhill section to the Wione Stream is the target.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby BlakeNZ » Mon Sep 28, 2015 5:52 pm

peter, what is the best "weapon" for trimming? Would a petrol hedge trimmer be better (and easier to use) than a scrubcutter on a harness?

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Mon Sep 28, 2015 7:30 pm

I've used both weapons down there and think that the scrub cutter is probably more effective and a little less tiring. However the hedge trimmers can work well in some types of vegetation, they're just harder to work with at shoulder height... at least I find that's the case with my body!

The scrub cutter trims well at a low level and reduces the sharp 'spikes' along the edge of the route. DoC allow us to cut back to a useful width that gives a longer time before things close in again.

Besides the 'cutters' we need crews to clear the cut material off the track too and they are vital to the process.

Peter

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby BlakeNZ » Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:45 pm


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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby Clint » Tue Sep 29, 2015 11:34 am

In my experience hedge trimmers don't cut big enough branches to be that useful for track clearing - a scrub cutter for the lighter low stuff & a small chainsaw for hacking back small trees & overhanging branches will do the damage.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby mudlva » Tue Sep 29, 2015 3:49 pm

will doc be do a visual on the chain saw licences.

thinking that having a small 12" saw will be good to do that small trimming that the scrub cutters cannot quite handle, not going to sit a test for a baby saw like that tho

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Tue Sep 29, 2015 4:31 pm

DoC probably won't ask to see a chainsaw cert, but I have to do a H&S plan to cover our arses. Stooping low with a saw soon gets tiresome. With luck DoC may be able to provide some extra brushcutters with harnesses.

The pattern that we've found practical, is having teams with a couple of brushcutters and a chainsaw operator, along with about four people clearing behind them.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Tue Sep 29, 2015 4:42 pm

The tractor mount unit is what we need and I'm working toward such a solution. I've got DoC's support for a new incorporated society called Friends of 42 Traverse that will involve users and aim to raise funding to enable mechanical trimming on a more regular basis, with some manual assistance when needed.
I hope to have the 'Friends' group incorporated before 20 Nov... but it won't have any money to speak of!

Peter

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby spanky » Tue Sep 29, 2015 5:56 pm

could be keen on this,need to do alot at owhango end too , only ever kapoors end gets done to basically the same spot each time.weve been up over winter clearing culverts and cutouts, fair bit of gorse which we will spray as doc arnt interested in doing anything about it.would be nice to see some mountain bike groups come and help as well since they get year round access ,drop rubbish and think they own the track.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Tue Sep 29, 2015 6:59 pm

Owhango end was worked on two years ago and some major cutting done. DoC are willing to weed spray but prefer to do it after a cut back and when new growth starts. Otherwise the dead material just becomes even more scratchy.
The aim of the new group is to involve MTB people if we can.
DoC have $5000 to maintain the entire route for a year, so our help is needed if we are to continue to be able to drive it.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby spanky » Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:36 pm

doc havnt sprayed up there for ages we sprayed acres of blackberry a couple of years ago,theres alot of washouts up there now which need work before we lose some bits of track,we are hoping to get in there with a little digger and fix some later on in summer, ive got some local buisnesses that are willing to donate some farmtuff culverts.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Tue Oct 27, 2015 7:45 pm

Just cranking this activity back into life again... I've just sent an email to most of the 4WD clubs to try to encourage them to get involved and hopefully we'll get a few workers from this forum too.

9.30 am start at the Kapoors Rd pumice pit on 21 November and you'll need to bring food and drink to get you through the day. Some of us will stay overnight locally and work again on Sunday 'til lunchtime.

Drop an email to pr@auckland4wd.org.nz if you're able to help... to get an idea of numbers.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby skid » Wed Nov 04, 2015 1:36 pm

whats going on here then

bloody sad to see

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby DieselBoy » Wed Nov 04, 2015 3:56 pm

Clearly Mr Carr has been wound up one to many times :lol:

It's always a minority who won't follow the rules i.e track closure dates, and leave the rest of us to pick up the pieces :evil: :evil:

We are almost completely screwed up North now. Thompsons closed, Wires Closed, Waitapheta closed, now the 42 Traverse.

Not good.
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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby Cameron » Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:10 am

pretty bad.
always the goons that get in there and tear shit up for the hell of it eh.

even places like takapari will get shut off I reckon. Was up there in July and some idiots had carted a couple of uteloads of pallets up there and had a huge bonfire going and were tearing up some of the boggy bits off to the side.
so stupid.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby DieselBoy » Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:22 am

That's so bad, but it's everywhere. Even the sneaky places we go are getting like that, fire places full of glass and tins, toilet paper with a rock on top, native trees mindlessly hacked half through with axes, wheel tracks up hills that go no where etc etc.

There is a real problem.

I reckon it's because there aren't enough recreation opportunities for everyone. As a result there is a large number of people that are totally out of touch with the outdoors.

When they head off for a weekend, it's like they don't appreciate the surroundings they find themselves in. They miss the beauty, the quiet, the fresh unpoluted water, the precious native trees fighting for survival, the views, the different landscapes.

The fact that the challenge of 4wheeling is to get to these places and stay a while so you can appreciate all of this, within a limited time frame, and leave it as you found it seems to have got lossed in translation somehow. The idea being it's still as beautiful the next time you or someone else comes back to visit, and you are very privileged to have the means (a 4wd) to get to these places most people will never see.

I seriously think there is a large contingent that the above sentiment is lossed on. All they see is the 4wd challenge. Who can get the furthest up that hill in 2wd, I'm not gonna get towed on this trip so I'll thrash around in the bog until I've completely wrecked it and need to winch off that native tree with out a tree protector, that bank over there looks steep, let's see who can get the furtherest up it, ooh look a flat piece of grass, lets do donuts on it.

No thought is ever given to what is left behind.

It's that last scentence that's the kicker, why do these folks not think about the next people, or even the next time they might want to visit??

It's that disconnect from the outdoors that's the problem. They don't realize how many years the evidence of that five minute thrash up the bank is going to take to recover. They don't realize that the next time it rains, the marks from the 2wd hill climb competition are going to dramatically increase the erosion of the track and ruin it for the the next visitors. Same goes for the bog thrashing, what might have once been passable with a simple snatch now becomes an impossible hazard and an end of trip turn around point for the next visitors.

The same disconnect seems to lead folks to believe that glass beer bottles and tin cans will eventually burn away in the fire place?? Even leaving the fireplace behind is bad enough, it's not hard to throw the rocks back on the river bed and dispose of the ashes, but to leave it all there, complete with rubbish is beyond me. Who do they think comes along to clean it up?? No city council crews out here!!!! It will be there for years, most likely decades.

If people had more opportunities to gain exposure to the outdoors and gain an appreciation and understanding from an earlier age, maybe it wouldn't be so alien to them once they get a license and a 4wd, and realize how fragile it all is!!!!!
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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby stovanovich » Thu Nov 05, 2015 2:37 pm

DieselBoy wrote:
When they head off for a weekend, it's like they don't appreciate the surroundings they find themselves in. They miss the beauty, the quiet, the fresh unpoluted water, the precious native trees fighting for survival, the views, the different landscapes.

The fact that the challenge of 4wheeling is to get to these places and stay a while so you can appreciate all of this, within a limited time frame, and leave it as you found it seems to have got lossed in translation somehow. The idea being it's still as beautiful the next time you or someone else comes back to visit, and you are very privileged to have the means (a 4wd) to get to these places most people will never see.

I seriously think there is a large contingent that the above sentiment is lossed on. All they see is the 4wd challenge. Who can get the furthest up that hill in 2wd, I'm not gonna get towed on this trip so I'll thrash around in the bog until I've completely wrecked it and need to winch off that native tree with out a tree protector, that bank over there looks steep, let's see who can get the furtherest up it, ooh look a flat piece of grass, lets do donuts on it.

No thought is ever given to what is left behind.



Aint that the truth, I consider myself lucky to have grown up amongst the wild, between the ages of 0 & 15 almost every long weekend or holiday was spent in Pureora either around hunters or 4 wheelers. I learnt from a young age the respect that comes with a. both sports & b. the surroundings that said sports rely on to survive! We are so lucky in NZ to even have that as a possibility yet there isn't enough people whom have had that opportunity to truly understand the significance of the places we take for granted.
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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015 postponed

Postby PeterVahry » Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:31 pm

Sadly as a result of the damage done and the action by DoC to block the ends of the 42 with concrete blocks, they have withdrawn permission to work on clearing vegetation until after 1 Dec.

"Many apologies for the inconvenience of this. The people doing the damage have cost the Department several thousand dollars in repair bills and so we were forced to take pretty radical action with the T42. It was definitely not our preferred option, as it is only a tiny minority of people doing it, but was the only option for us."

The route still needs the planned work and a bit of extra credit with DoC now, so a new date will be investigated and posted shortly.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby stovanovich » Thu Nov 05, 2015 4:16 pm

Peter, IF the the track opens as per normal on Dec 1st is there anything wrong with those of us going to use it to take along some trimmers etc and give it a clean as we go too even outside of the scheduled working bee? Show DOC that even the casual user is doing their bit too?
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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:05 pm

That's a tricky one... it's illegal to cut vegetation on DoC managed lands without permission so if someone complained about your actions, it could pose problems. DoC are also obliged to follow H&S rules if they do give permission! Part of the planning for the 21/22 had been getting a H&S policy agreed on for the volunteer work.

Even carrying a chainsaw in a vehicle on conservation land can get you into trouble.

If you were part of a group going in to drive the route with the aim to also stop and do some trimming, then a call to DoC might get permission. It's something that I'll raise with the DoC contacts as we plan a new cut back date.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby Smurf » Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:18 pm

DieselBoy wrote:That's so bad, but it's everywhere. Even the sneaky places we go are getting like that, fire places full of glass and tins, toilet paper with a rock on top, native trees mindlessly hacked half through with axes, wheel tracks up hills that go no where etc etc.

There is a real problem.

I reckon it's because there aren't enough recreation opportunities for everyone. As a result there is a large number of people that are totally out of touch with the outdoors.

When they head off for a weekend, it's like they don't appreciate the surroundings they find themselves in. They miss the beauty, the quiet, the fresh unpoluted water, the precious native trees fighting for survival, the views, the different landscapes.

The fact that the challenge of 4wheeling is to get to these places and stay a while so you can appreciate all of this, within a limited time frame, and leave it as you found it seems to have got lossed in translation somehow. The idea being it's still as beautiful the next time you or someone else comes back to visit, and you are very privileged to have the means (a 4wd) to get to these places most people will never see.

I seriously think there is a large contingent that the above sentiment is lossed on. All they see is the 4wd challenge. Who can get the furthest up that hill in 2wd, I'm not gonna get towed on this trip so I'll thrash around in the bog until I've completely wrecked it and need to winch off that native tree with out a tree protector, that bank over there looks steep, let's see who can get the furtherest up it, ooh look a flat piece of grass, lets do donuts on it.

No thought is ever given to what is left behind.

It's that last scentence that's the kicker, why do these folks not think about the next people, or even the next time they might want to visit??

It's that disconnect from the outdoors that's the problem. They don't realize how many years the evidence of that five minute thrash up the bank is going to take to recover. They don't realize that the next time it rains, the marks from the 2wd hill climb competition are going to dramatically increase the erosion of the track and ruin it for the the next visitors. Same goes for the bog thrashing, what might have once been passable with a simple snatch now becomes an impossible hazard and an end of trip turn around point for the next visitors.

The same disconnect seems to lead folks to believe that glass beer bottles and tin cans will eventually burn away in the fire place?? Even leaving the fireplace behind is bad enough, it's not hard to throw the rocks back on the river bed and dispose of the ashes, but to leave it all there, complete with rubbish is beyond me. Who do they think comes along to clean it up?? No city council crews out here!!!! It will be there for years, most likely decades.

If people had more opportunities to gain exposure to the outdoors and gain an appreciation and understanding from an earlier age, maybe it wouldn't be so alien to them once they get a license and a 4wd, and realize how fragile it all is!!!!!


I completely agree with this, I want to show my kids as much of our country as possible and what it has to offer. Hopefully they can appreciate it and then in time show their families. We try to leave places as good as we found them if not better by tidying up after others or repairing tracks etc.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby derk » Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:28 pm

I don't know much about the current doc staff in the tongariro conservancy or their current relationship with the 4wd community but is there an element of doc grandstanding against an isolated event or a perceived event to make a stand against 4wds or is there really on going issues of longer term non compliance and 4wd problems going on with the track?

disclaimer: I'm reasonably well aware of the all historical long term input and hard work put in by individuals, taupo 4wd club, nz4wda etc to get the track opened back up to 4wds etc and the work done to keep it open and also the current problems maintaining interest from the 4wd community supporting work party's and maintenance etc on the track

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby PeterVahry » Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:52 pm

Regretfully, there are ongoing incidents during the winter closures to 4WD's and this year the damage was serious. The current DoC staff are good to work with and have been very helpful in working to get the now postponed cut back organised. A comment fron DoC today...

"Many apologies for the inconvenience of this. The people doing the damage have cost the Department several thousand dollars in repair bills and so we were forced to take pretty radical action with the T42. It was definitely not our preferred option, as it is only a tiny minority of people doing it, but was the only option for us."

When a new date is decided, hopefully we will get a strong attendance to demonstrate that 4WD people do care.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby derk » Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:02 pm

^^^ thanks for the reply and info

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby spanky » Thu Nov 05, 2015 7:14 pm

not sure what damage they are talking about ,they say in the paper that even bikes and mountain bikes couldnt get through. the only damage ive seen up there this winter was from the huge storm we had in july,had an insane amount of water in 24 hours,there is some parts of the track that need attention due to water damage,we cleared a few culverts and cut some cutouts last weekend,once it opens we will be spraying blackberry,cant be arsed doing from the bike so will wait till can take a sprayer in the jeep, the only way we can continue to have places to play is if clubs work with doc or other land custodians and get areas that are for 4x4s and motor bikes etc. i know it took our 4x4 club and especially a few club members a huge amount of effort and time to get ngaroma to where it is now,we spent the best part of the last 8-10 years working up there to have it as a 4x4 area.but now we have it and its there for everyone to use, we have got 2 unit loads of metal to put in the potholes for the road at some stage,maybe before xmas but not sure yet.

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Re: 42 Traverse cut back 2015

Postby stovanovich » Mon Nov 30, 2015 9:20 am

So has anyone heard anymore on the track yet? Is it opening as normal tomorrow or is it another track we add to the "closed indefinitely" list due to dickheads?
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