Varirata December 30th 2007. a review.

The last walk of the year and it was a great way to finish off the year. Varirata was indeed damp underfoot but everybody seemed to keep themselves upright despite the muddy conditions. Entry into the park was delayed whilst one of our pre-arranged guides attained the keys, but this gave us an ideal moment to stretch the legs before the start of our walk.

A good size group took part as we decided to walk the Varirata loop in a counter-clockwise direction. This is the first time I have traversed the track in this direction and it is noticeably easier than clockwise. We parked at the lower lookout of the three and then walked up and down the muddy track until we reached the highest lookout, with its spectacular views of Bootless Bay. And although the weather was overcast, the views from the lookouts were clear. We were lucky with the weather as the rain held off until we left.

The birds and butterflies were abundant and at one stage, a Raggiana Bird of Paradise was spotted, but only by our guide… the rest of us could hear it though. There were other bugs and grubs out with leeches finding our walking boots a handy means of transport and a wallaby was spotted just as we entered the park.

An excellent way to end the year.