Offroad-Express

Auckland 4WD Club are co-ordinating with DoC, a vegetation cutting back of the 42nd Traverse over Nov 10-11.
http://www.nzfwda.org.nz/events/

Assistance by four wheelers is welcomed. Use of chainsaws will only be allowed by those holding relevant evidence of certified training.

Chainsaw licences!!! This and club wofs is why i dont belong to any 4x4 club and havent done for years. Sorry to be picking on you Peter but this PC shit HAS to stop. If you want people to help let them! I can't believe what is happening to this country.

COILY wrote:Chainsaw licences!!! This and club wofs is why i dont belong to any 4x4 club and havent done for years. Sorry to be picking on you Peter but this PC shit HAS to stop. If you want people to help let them! I can't believe what is happening to this country.

The chainsaw bit is a requirement of DOC.
They dont want untrained prople using equipment on managed land...
Its all about liability....

COILY wrote:Chainsaw licences!!! This and club wofs is why i dont belong to any 4x4 club and havent done for years. Sorry to be picking on you Peter but this PC shit HAS to stop. If you want people to help let them! I can't believe what is happening to this country.

Having worked proffessionally in forestry and seen what untrained so called experts and folks with the attitude of it's only a chainsaw I know more than the so called PC brigade do and having had my hand inside a guy trying to stop him bleeding out and had another guy killed instanly from drop starting a saw after he thought he knew what he was doing, I beleive that proffesssional training (quite often free, funded by ACC) and certification is not unreseanable and that good qualtiy PPE is a must.
A chainsaw is the most dangerous tool to its user hands down

And before you ask I have been signed off by DoC and several local forestry companies to use a chainsaw on there land and as a land owner and manager of land if you don't have the tickets you don't use a saw end of story

Sticking your head in the sand and ranting dosn't help anyone if you think having the right tickets is PC shit why do you have a drivers liecence or did you decide thats PC shit too?

Rant over!

Now that the discussion about certificated chainsaw operators has faded, I'll raise the topic of the 42 Traverse cutback again, since there is only a bit over a month to go.

To keep this track open we need to keep it from growing over. People power can do a lot to help. Not everyone needs to wield a chainsaw.. we need people to drag stuff off the track and trim the smaller stuff too.

It would be good to get an idea of how many volunteers might be coming from the ORE ranks (and from where)

Peter

PeterVahry wrote:Now that the discussion about certificated chainsaw operators has faded, I'll raise the topic of the 42 Traverse cutback again, since there is only a bit over a month to go.

To keep this track open we need to keep it from growing over. People power can do a lot to help. Not everyone needs to wield a chainsaw.. we need people to drag stuff off the track and trim the smaller stuff too.

It would be good to get an idea of how many volunteers might be coming from the ORE ranks (and from where)

Peter

I don't have a chainsaw license but i do have my TWR, so ill just turn up with the D9.... It'll clear the track much faster then a chainsaw.

will have a look at the calender

could be a starter to help out here

Might be able to attend also. Weekend is currently free, so fingers crossed

Pick
Axe
Spade
Bow Saw

All good to use??

Pick
Axe
Spade
Bow Saw
All good to use??

Here's another bout of PC grizzles coming, but the use of some cutting devices create 'spears' that can create real risks to tyres and people, so are discouraged by DOC.
Certainly spades will be useful, as there will be areas that need some 'water management'.

Brush-cutters can be very useful and are not regulated by DOC.... although those machines need to be handled with care.

the track is very over growen and needs to be cut back...how do you cut it back with any tool (powered or not) without leaving "spears"?

not a grizzel...just curious

are we allowed to camp in our trucks? seen as we are doing them a favour? and i cant afford gas money and accommodation.
Would be keen to come and help out. handy with an axe if i'm allowed to use it. coming from Pokeno.

are we allowed to camp in our trucks?

You possibly could do that, just don't tell me. A more comfortable option is a 'backpacker' bunk for about $20 at the 'Park Lodge'. Give them a call and mention the 42 Traverse cut back.
Another option would be to 'car-pool' and cut costs that way. We'll probably do that anyway to get people into the 42 Traverse, so there is not a problem with moving or turning groups around.

On the other question of 'spears' we can only minimise the problem by avoiding 'slashing' cuts and by cutting stuff as short as feasible.

PeterVahry wrote:

but the use of some cutting devices create 'spears' that can create real risks to tyres and people, so are discouraged by DOC.

i could introduce you to a motorcyclist who had one of these spears go into his throat and come out his cheek. i think he would agree that they are a danger.

One of the reasons I keep up with the forum is that it keeps me "in the loop", take that information away and it's just a bunch of dudes wanting to know if 31's will fit their Surf

Rant over.

I have a hedge trimmer too. Woooot

A reminder that we are still looking for help with this project.
The 'Park Travellers Lodge' in National Park are offering a double room for $75 or a backpacker bunk for $20 to those helping with the cut back project.

10am start at Owhango Hotel carpark on Sat 10 Nov. If you can help, let me know please. peter.vahry@xtra.co.nz

Mudde1 wrote:

PeterVahry wrote:

but the use of some cutting devices create 'spears' that can create real risks to tyres and people, so are discouraged by DOC.

i could introduce you to a motorcyclist who had one of these spears go into his throat and come out his cheek. i think he would agree that they are a danger.

and I bet you, that they will never come and help clean the track up to avoid this happening again

I have a hedge trimmer too. Woooot

cant remember who brought one up to rallywoods but this was more effective than a chainsaw ... and safer as well in case it slips and accidentally goes into your shin

hmmm weekend off ...might be there as well

Jerry wrote:

I have a hedge trimmer too. Woooot

cant remember who brought one up to rallywoods but this was more effective than a chainsaw ... and safer as well in case it slips and accidentally goes into your shin

hmmm weekend off ...might be there as well

it was Ants and will you have a leave pass for that weekend Jerry

theres a shiny trip close to home suitable for your prado
guests welcome too

In discussion with DoC about the coming maintenance, they advise that the route suffered damage at the Owhango end over Labour weekend when around 20 4x4's used the track, despite its closure until 1 December.

The work weekend is still all go but access may be slower and a little restricted. DoC are investigating what can be done to try and repair some of the damage.

PeterVahry wrote:the route suffered damage at the Owhango end over Labour weekend when around 20 4x4's used the track, despite its closure until 1 December.

this feckin shits me

knowing the huge amount of work put in by a few individuals over nearly 10 years to get this route re-opened with conditions and the work over the last few years by 4wders attending working bee's, its pretty dissappointing to see this happening.

hopefully the club who were responsible for this are reading the thread on here and decide to attend this working bee to try and rectify the bad decision they have made

bloody annoying and even more annoying to see a club doing this reckless stuff

The cut back is happening this weekend and hopefully will be well supported. To allow vehicles into the track, some repairs are planned which will divert effort from the targeted work. Ruapehu District Council have offered use of road sweep gravel stored in a dump at Raurimu, that will be bagged and transported to Owhango to harden the damaged and softest areas.

10.00 am at the Owhango Hotel on Sat for the briefing.... see you there.

Well we waited for the support to show up from the members of this forum but it was in vain. However those people who did assist from Auckland 4WD, Taupo 4WD, Wilderness 4WD, two from Havelock Nth and three from Wellington, did a great job over about 6 Km of track. There is still plenty to do.
You'll need to wait until 1 Dec however when the route officially opens for 4x4 use. (1 Dec to 30 April)

PeterVahry wrote:Well we waited for the support to show up from the members of this forum but it was in vain

alas, yet again working on a saturday seemed to get in the way of my favourite pastime

yea guts I missed it, but by the end of Saturday I had less than $2 to my name, so wasn't feasible to come down. and I know we invited our club, but most people were already busy that weekend.

any chance of organising one for around christmas?

Managing maintenance in the peak use season is difficult and DoC with their safety management requirements are unlikely to support such an exercise in summer.

Even in early Nov we had a steady flow of mountain bikes and motor cycles coming through our work areas, which meant managing that and the use of the chainsaws etc.

There is an eight page safety management plan to comply with.

after killing a few people, big safety plans will be the norm for doc now

That's true, but there are some 6889 members of this forum who didn't take the risk of contributing their effort last weekend, so they remained safe.

Perhaps some ORE fundraising might be a solution so it is possible to engage local contractors to do the necessary work.... what say half the members donated $2 a year?

How much are all those motor bikers and mountain bikers contributing seeing as they have access 12 months of the year.

its irrelevant what others have and haven't done. The point is that the ORE community have done nothing despite all the talk on here about helping out with this or other tracks.