Newsletter - 21st September 2025
Last week's walks
Wednesday morning was dry, but it was very windy. However, many more walkers than expected turned out in all three groups despite the conditions. This week’s Tawa walks started at Outlet City – a most unappealing name more suggestive of a sewer discharge than a group of shops! We had 8 PPs who walked 4.4km; 22 SSs walking 5.9km; and 23 FFs who covered 7.9km. On Thursday there were 6 walkers out in Johnsonville walking 5.5km and Friday saw reduced numbers – only 12 in total – trudging 11.4km up the hills between Takapu Station and Horokiwi Road on a bitterly cold morning.
Walk details for Wednesday September 24th
This Week’s Walks: The schedule says that the walks start at Melling. However we have not managed to check the parking availability and so have left these walks for another day. Instead. this week’s walks will start from Liardet Park in Berhampore. This was the next walk on our list. Also this week is the first week of the school holidays so we are bravely picking that the traffic will be lighter than usual and it should be a relatively easy drive for our visit to town.
The walks will start at 9:20am from the designated starting point.
PPs: A 5.38 km loop. This walk can be readily shortened if walkers so wish. The walk is mainly on footpaths and a little on well formed tracks. You can see the walk here.
SSs: A 6.68km loop that takes in footpaths and walkways. Similarly to the PP walk, this walk can be readily shortened. You can see the walk here.
FFs: A 7.68 km loop also on footpaths and good quality tracks. You can see the walk on Mapometer here and on Plotaroute here.
Parking: The parking for all three groups is the Liardet Park carpark on Liardet Street. Liardet Park backs onto Macalister Park on Adelaide Road. There is plenty of car parking for all.
Coffee: Coffee has not been organised anywhere for this coming Wednesday. Groups can, if they wish, organise to have coffee on their way home or head home and call into Simmer or Thyme.
Happy walking.
Russell Paterson
Walk Schedules: You can look at the walk schedule for September 2025 here.
Reminder: Please ensure that you inform your group’s leader if you leave a walk partway through.
Cancellations: If the walks are cancelled an email will be sent out as early as possible but definitely before 8:00am.
Calendar of Events
CPCW Photos
Wednesday Walkers
PPs: Mike Drain provided this week’s photo of the PPs. It is good to see numbers in this group heading back to what they have been in the past – and this on a day with mediocre weather.
SSs: We now have two groups of SSs. Photos of the first group were provided by Paul Alpe and Rowena Rowe and the second group photo came from Janet Tyson.
FFs: Bill Gaudie took this photo of the FFs gathered at the top of the over bridge at the Tawa railway station.
Thursday Walkers
This week the Thursday team walked around Johnsonville. The photos were taken by Gillian Mills.
Friday Walkers
Friday’s walk, plotted and led by Keith Thomas, had been a long time coming. On both previous scheduled dates it was cancelled due to bad weather. The forecast this week looked more positive, but it still threw a few chilly showers from the south at the walkers accompanied by a bitterly cold wind. It forced the walkers to keep moving to stay warm! The walk headed up from Takapu Road station, through Grenada North and up through the bush to Horokiwi Rd, along the road and then down the Grindertron Trail and back home to Churton Park.
The photos, from Wendy Bentley, are of the earlier group – affectionately known as “Merv’s Marvels”.
As a little extra for this week’s newsletter I am including some photos from our peripatetic Convenor, David, who is currently walking the Tour du Mt Blanc with Wayne. They are now on the seventh day of their adventure. Some of the days they have walked this week have included total ascents of 1200m. As you will see, their efforts have been rewarded with stunning scenery. So, from the beginnings of a Wednesday walk might emerge some impressive expeditions. Keep dreaming!
