The history of the Orongorongo Valley is not unlike many other hide-away and remote bush areas from New Zealand’s past. Maori tribes once occupied and fought over remote back country, the colonists arrived over 150 years ago and established towns and cities beside natural harbours and started to clear inland all accessible terrain to harvest trees for production and to establish land for farming. Many ranges such as the Rimutakas were too inhospitable for clearing and development, allowing the native bush to remain largely in its natural state to this day.
Mountain ranges such as the Rimutakas were extensively visited by pioneers and colonialists initially for exploration and also to erect trig stations to map New Zealand and to survey prospective routes for roading and railways.
Early development in the Rimutakas was the construction of the Rimutaka hill road from Kaitoke to Featherston in the 1850s. The Rimutaka Incline railway line was opened in 1878 following almost 8 years of construction including the digging of the 622m long summit tunnel.
Also during the late 1870s the Wellington City Council started construction of the first water intake Dam in the Wainuiomata River, this was superseded by the Morton Dam commissioned in 1911.
By the 1920s increased demand for water supply led the WCC to develop the upper Orongorongo River as a water catchment area. A 22km road was constructed up the Orongorongo River from the mouth to the Huia streams where the weir intakes are now located. The road was used by horse and Dray to transport materials to the site. A shorter packhorse route was also cut over from the Wainuiomata River and down Telephone creek to the weirs.
At the same time construction of the pipeline tunnel was undertaken linking the Orongorongo weirs to the Wainuiomata Valley. The pipeline carried water through to the now decommissioned Karori Reservoir in Wellington. The 3.25km tunnel was dug from both ends and took 2.5 years to meet in the centre; despite being penetrated in 1924 the tunnel work was not completed until 1926. The water intake was officially commissioned in December 1926.
In places remains of the old dray road can be located cut into the hillside above the river along the last couple of kilometres leading up to the weirs. The odd discarded and broken bottle are usually evidence of the bygone era.
The earliest walking tracks into the Orongorongos were the blazed routes over Mt McKerrow and the Whakanui ridge. The Five-mile Track was cut in the early 1880s by J.D.Climie while surveying the area, although the track never extended as far as the river and was not completed until re-cut by H.Girdlestone in 1914. Up until this point the most popular route into the valley was the Mt Baker track from the Catchpool Valley and along the Cattle Ridge which was at that time believed to have been referred to as Browns Track.
The first huts started to appear in the Orongorongo Valley following Girdlestone’s completion of the Five-Mile Track, the most well known being Baine-iti tent camp which was situated at the mouth of Matthew’s Stream. These early huts were usually manuka framed and clad in such things as canvas, tarred paper and flattened out kerosene tins that were all carried through the Five-Mile Track.
In 1927 the WCC transferred administration of The Orongorongo and Wainuiomata catchments to its newly created Water Board. This led to the formal approval of the huts in the valley and on the 21st of August 1930 first hut licences were issued.
The area had become a very popular retreat during the 1920s and 1930s. Many bush huts were erected in the Orongorongo and Catchpool Valleys. All were built with a pioneering spirit as all building materials somehow had to be carried the long distance into the bush.
During the early 1930s a shop named Shanty-town Store was operated with WCC approval on top of Jacobs Ladder at the end of the Five-Mile Track until its closure in 1935.
The war years created a recession in the valley with duty calling to defend our nation overseas. A number of huts suffered through lack of use during this absence and there were many who were to never to return to the valley and to their huts.
The New Zealand Army Bush Guides were active throughout the valley during this time, monitoring and defending Wellington’s vulnerable water supply from attack. They kept all the tracks maintained, and were responsible for locating and flushing out two Army Sergeants who had deserted before being posted overseas and had discreetly built themselves a small bush hut off the side of the Orongorongo River to sit out the rest of the war. This hut, although now rebuilt a short distance from the original site, has ever since been known as Deserters Whare.
A new era was born after the war; the men had returned, enthusiasm had returned and with it the desire to repair and rebuild the tracks and huts of the valley. The post-war era brought with it surplus 4x4 and 6x4 army trucks, which were hired to transport new building materials up the Orongorongo riverbed to upgrade and replace huts. Apart from the odd dray this was the first transport brought up the river for this purpose. The standard of huts improved with the availability of vehicular transport, dirt floors were giving way to timber or concrete, manuka framing was giving way to milled framing, cladding and fittings were improving.
The hiring of a 4x4 truck would often be a communal event between a number of huts and particularly at times such as Christmas periods, when the truck would stop off and deliver supplies to huts all the way up the river before making the return journey back to civilization.
Following a number of drownings during the early 1950s the WCC was approached for permission to erect a phone line to link huts on both sides of the Orongorongo River in the event of an emergency. The request was received by the WCC Engineers Department and recommendations were made to the City Engineer and to the Council Committee who both formally approved the phone line erection. During the 50-year history of the line many huts, some of which no longer exist, have been connected and disconnected. In its prime the line ran from Matthews Stream to south of Greens Stream and for many years was connected to the Opossum Research Station where radio communication was available. The span that linked both sides of the Orongorongo River was removed by the Department of Conservation during the early 1990s leaving only isolated pockets of huts that are still connected today.
The river buggies followed a few years behind the 4x4 trucks, the most popular usually being the Ford Model-A. The buggies were typically constructed from old cars with the bodies removed and a large wooden tray fitted to the back for maximum load capacity. Bush ingenuity created many modifications to these vehicles such as large and dual wheels, twin inline gearboxes for lower gearing, and eventually to homemade chassis for higher ground clearance. Much more independence and flexibility was achieved by owning a river buggy, materials could be transported as they were needed and the high overall cost of hiring a 4x4 truck could be avoided. Many of the baches in the valley today owe their existence to transportation by the Orongorongo River Buggies.
A controversial 4WD road was constructed along the true left side of the Orongorongo River by the DSIR in 1968, to provide access to their Opossum Research Station at Greens Stream. Research has been undertaken in the valley since 1946. Initially by the Department of Internal Affairs working from McGregors hut in Greens Stream, until the first Opossum Research Station was built in 1952, responsibility was transferred to the NZFS in 1956, then to the DSIR in 1965 and subsequently to Landcare in 1992.
The advent of the DSIR road brought an increase of interest and vehiclular traffic into the valley, more reliable 4x4 vehicles started to supersede the old river buggies and the 4x4-truck era had ended. A number of new baches were built during this period and a number of old ones were re-built or upgraded. Recommendations were made to the Water Board and it was considered that the maximum number of baches the valley could sustain without detracting from the character of the area would be 100. At its peak around 70 baches existed with still around 60 in existence today. The bach of today is usually of sound construction; many have hot water, showers, flush toilets, gas cooking and refrigeration.
During both the WCC and the Water Board administrations, many bach owners were warranted as Honorary Rangers. This system worked very effectively within the valley and unfortunately has never been continued by the Department of Conservation.
The Water Board relinquished administration of the Orongorongo Valley to the N.Z.F.S. in 1980 and subsequently to the Department of Conservation in 1987. This period has probably seen the greatest amount of change in the area. Although N.Z.F.S. policy at that time did not support the existence of private bachs on crown land, new licences were offered to bach owners recognising that all the baches were legally established and had been currently licensed by the former Water Board. Owners were offered a new 20-year licence contract expiring in 2000. The Department of Conservation has since offered a 60-year licence expiring in 2050.
During this 20-year period extensive negotiations have been undertaken in respect of baches for suitable licence conditions.
Access by vehicle into the valley was closed off for some time but has since has been reopened on a restricted basis following negotiations with the Department of Conservation who recognised the ongoing need for servicing and maintaining of baches. Recent years have also seen the awareness of disabled needs and Vehicle Access permits which can be applied for and granted for this purpose.
The Water Board preferred only one owners name and contact address to be listed on the bach licences, as opposed to a complete list of all owners to ease their administration. This has always caused great deal of difficulty for bach owners to obtain licences issued with the correct names entered onto them.
Although the Department of Conservation has now added Spouses of owners to bach licences, it is acknowledged that many part owners and family members have still not been added to licences.
The arrival of the NZFS administration brought the first specific management plan of the area into effect. A number of policies were introduced into the valley and also some new development. The long serving Five-Mile Track gave way to the benched Orongorongo Track in 1982 and then the new Big Bend wet weather track along the true right of the valley linking the “Orongorongo Track” to the Whakanui Track. The mid 1980s also saw the transfer of some baches to the NZFS to be available for hire to the public wanting to experience and enjoy the unique valley.
The use of the Orongorongo Valley over the past 54 years as a Government research area has been very rewarding for further understanding of ecology and conservation, But has taken its toll on the fauna and flora of the valley. The lack of effective pest and predator management is evident in the deterioration of the forest and the depletion of the Valleys native bird life. Birds were once prolific in the area, the much prized huia was last sighted in the Catchpool valley in 1901.
Although the area holds a colourful history of pioneering habitation and public usage not unlike so much of yesteryears New Zealand, it is now very unique in that the same pioneering spirit and habitation still exists within the valley today.