Excursions

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=95 BGCOLOR="#999999" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="047005f0ermwup.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B><IMG SRC="0624b5b0.jpg" border=0 width="75" height="91" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></B><B>OHNZ - Professional 4WD Driver Training in New Zealand</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="OHNZ Professional 4WD Driver Training i"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Group Training Courses "><U>Group Training Courses </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="OneonOne Training"><U>One-on-One Training</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NZQA Assessment"><U>NZQA Assessment</U></A>   |   <B>Excursions</B>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advanced Training."><U>Advanced Training.</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#3399FF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Akatarawa History Courtesy of Greater Wellington</B></div> <bR> <div> The Akatarawa Forest covers hill country between Upper Hutt and Paraparaumu. Translated to English, Akatarawa means 'trailing vines'. The Maori used the Forest for hunting and food gathering as well as an access trail to and from the Hutt Valley. The indigenous (native) forest of the area, covering approximately 14,000 hectares, has changed considerably since European settlement. These changes have been brought about by the introduction of animals, fires and logging. </div> <div> The most significant change to the forest was the removal of timber. For more than 100 years saw-milling was an important part of the economy of this area. During the peak period of 1900 to 1920 many families associated with saw-milling moved in to the Akatarawa area. Small cottages or whares provided the barest essentials for the workers and their families. Access was via Karapoti Road which was formed in 1911 as a tram track with wooden rails. Old tram lines, trucks and discarded machinery can still be seen today - relics of a bygone era. </div> <bR> <div> Readily accessible Rimu, Matai, Totara, Kahikatea and some Miro have been extracted from the block. Isolated and un-merchantable podocarp remnants are scattered throughout the block. Further change to the indigenous forest took place from 1930 to 1957 - following further logging - with the scattered inter-planting of exotic conifers such as Douglas Fir, Lawson's Cypress, Monterey Cypress, Western Red Cedar and Japanese Cedar. Today many of these tree species have blended in well with the surrounding native bush. </div> <div> The rivers in the area have the potential for meeting future water supply needs. Parts of the block contain exotic forests which are managed for multiple-use purposes - timber production maintenance of water quality, soil protection and recreation. </div> <div> As a potential future water supply catchment area, the Akatarawa Forest is managed carefully to protect the rich variety of plant, fish, insect and bird species that make up the forest ecosystem. The Wellington Regional Council has established vegetation plots and animal abundance plots to monitor vegetation response and animal numbers in the area. Photo points are also used as a tool to provide a record of vegetation changes at specific sites. The <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" >control of possums</FONT> and other animal pests is undertaken by the Council using a variety of methods. </div> <bR> <div> There is an extensive network of tracks and old logging roads in the Akatarawa Forest. Forest roads are used daily for management purposes. They also provide access for a variety of recreational activities including walking, horse-riding, picnicking, trail bike riding, hunting, fishing and nature study. </div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=385 BGCOLOR="#66CCFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Excursions</div> <div> From one on one, to small parties of up to ten vehicles, we can arrange outings throughout New Zealand. On our own doorstep is the 40,000 acre Akatarawa Forest, with a mixture of classic bush and plantation forestry, offering all manner of recreational opportunities and challenges.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="093c2520.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="338" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="10">Scenic drives through this area are easily arranged, with your choice of tracks from the simple scenic and picturesque tiki-tour, through to full-on hard yakka with mud, hill, water and more mud. The choice is yours</div> <bR> <div> What we can promise you is an experience you won't forget in a hurry. What we can't promise is the weather.</div> <bR> <div> For participation on the harder trips, we will need some evidence that both you and your vehicle are up to the challenge. If you've been through our training programmes, then that job is easy. If not, we will need to discuss specifics, just to make sure no-one is trying to tackle something just a trite to difficult.</div> <bR> <div> If none of this grabs your attention, then make a suggestion as to the type and style of trip you'd like us to organise - after all, all things are possible !</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>