The goal was clear, ambitious, and far from easy: reach Rocky Creek Biv with our kids (aged 3-6). Some of them had recently celebrated their birthdays, so we thought – what better gift than a challenging tramp on the West Coast?
To spice things up a bit, I brought along some of the track-cutting tools I’d recently purchased using Christchurch Tramping Club funds. They turned out to be great entertainment for the kids while walking – but also a very effective way to slow us down. Oh well… we’re learning as we go!
We started off at the Taipo car park, just off SH73. There’s a compulsory river crossing a few minutes in, which proved to be a little tricky to navigate, so we added a few permolat markers to make sure the next party won’t struggle. Our pace was slow but steady, and the kids showed impressive resilience. However, after about 3 km it became clear we wouldn’t make it to the biv at our current pace. Everyone was a bit lethargic, so after about 3.5 km we called it a day and set up camp in the muddy bush.
The kids suddenly got a second wind and spent the rest of the evening playing with the fire and the creek. The local weka population provided endless entertainment. One weka even stole Miranda’s Crocs and refused to give them back, despite the kids’ immediate chase, loud protests, and some decent detective work trying to track it into the bushes.
The next day, we walked back the same way. It was a great experience just to spend some time in proper bush with the kiddos. We’ll have to try for the biv again in a year or two!
Stats: 3.5 km, 4 h 50 min, 200 m ascent (in).
Participants: Michal + Anna + Elliot, Miranda + Mia + Bernard, Ira + Nico + Adrian
Tramped on 16-17th November 2025.
Photos
Map – out
Max elevation: 303 m
Min elevation: 136 m
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