Rarotonga’s vanishing trails

Having spent the last week traversing Rarotonga via its jungle highways – the mountainous Cross-Island Track, the Maungatea Bluff walk and the ’Ikurangi trail – we’ve experienced the highs and lows of tramping on this island.
While the views are undeniably beautiful, the trails leading to these vistas are largely unmaintained, overgrown, sparingly signposted and, in some cases, impassable. Starting upon these treks is a hazardous endeavour; it even states as much on one of the few signs to be found – Climb at your own risk.
However, to complete the Cross-Island Track is to feel a definite and deserved sense of achievement, a feeling that may outweigh the difficulties, but one that will quickly fade with the onslaught of resulting aches felt during the following days. The panoramas place you almost in another country, as Rarotonga transforms from a low-lying, lagoon-dwelling nation to a land of mist-shrouded mountains.
On our adventures, we encountered the very real threat of getting lost on the trail. An hour after starting upon the Cross-Island Track, we met three tourists tackling the jungles unaccompanied who’d lost their way several hours earlier on returning from the Needle. These dishevelled visitors, upon seeing us, seemed amused at their situation.
Nonetheless, for some who attempt this trek, getting lost for long periods of time could be more cause for alarm than an anecdotal incident. Although armed ourselves with a compass, rough trail map and plenty of water, we lost the trail on several occasions and became concerned as evening approached. To get lost as the sun goes down means an overnight stay in the jungle hotel.
The main danger on the trail is the markers, or lack thereof. Absent in places and camouflaged in others, these are the cause of many losing the trail. The dark green metal rectangles used as markers blend perfectly with the fauna, so even though these markers are present, they are likely missed.
One has to question the logic of utilising a marker painted the same colour as the surrounding leaves as opposed to perhaps a distinctive fluorescent yellow. Even if you are eagle-eyed enough to spot the markers, their rectangular shape in no way points you on your way as an arrow or chevron-shaped marker would.
Perhaps these markers are particular to the cross-island trail but as we were unable to find any markers on the other trails we attempted, we couldn’t say. However, we can happily report that the areas we visited were free from the rubbish that blights some areas of Rarotonga.
After surviving the Cross-Island Track, we were informed by a representative of the National Environment Service of plans for a team of 25 voluntary ‘jungle commandos’, the Air New Zealand Green Team, whose mission it is to clear and more distinctly demarcate the way. This task started Monday and will continue throughout this week.
This is great news for enthusiastic walkers hitting this trail over the next few months, but we have to ask who is in charge of clearing and maintaining these paths in the future, and what’s to be done about the more neglected walks.
Climbing ’Ikurangi and the Maungatea Bluff are no strolls up Hospital Hill, as evidenced by our attempts this week.
These are two of many of the less popular, thus neglected tracks. Both trails were poorly marked after the trail started, obviously not having been walked for a while. After speaking to locals residing near the start of both treks, we were told of their general state of disrepair due to the apparent lack of footfall.
Unlike the Cross-Island Track, these trails surpassed difficulty to reside in the realm of impossibility. The paths were overgrown to the point where they were no longer visible, and certain areas of the jungle were virtually impenetrable. We were unable to complete these tracks as they had appeared to have vanished.
We still plan to persevere with our jungle adventures, so if you hear about two papa’as lost in the mountains, please spare us a thought.
All of these trails, walks and climbs are part of the ecological heritage of Rarotonga, it is an issue of national pride to maintain them and also to use them. To disregard the upkeep of these tracks is to effectively deny people the challenges, rewards and natural beauty afforded by these walks. Perhaps an island “Green Team” could be set up to voluntarily clear the trails and promote low-impact, walking-based tourism for visitors and locals alike.

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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- Budget will decide if residents prosecute Government over landfill
- Forestry project sucking Mangaia dry
- Budget 2010 – fiasco or disaster?