We had a weekend in Hawkes Bay planned so I scoped out a new summit to add to the log. This one is called Te Ahioteatua. Its about half way between Wairoa and Lake Waikaremoana. I had the contact details for the land owner from car rally days of siting STSP repeaters up this hill.
SILLY WARREN FORGOT HIS RADIO – DOUP! The previous week I had given a few talks to clubs spreading the gospel of SOTA. However in the rush to get away for the weekend I forgot to check the pack and I only discovered when I was setting up that the HF radio wasnt there. Fortunately I still had the VHF handheld and managed 8 contacts from that – 7 into Hawkes Bay and 1 into Wairoa. Boy was I pleased to still collect summit points.
This hill is a friendly one to walk up and the landowner is easy to get permission from. Its a drive from civilisation but as you can see we were spoilt with the weather and had a great time relaxing in the sun playing radio.
Details
Summit – Te Ahioteatua ZL1/HB-110
Height – 546 mASL (climb 85 m)
Access – Off Hunt Road. Park at the gate and follow the vehicle track up to the summit.
Coverage – OK on Spark but patchy (breaching distance limits) on Vodafone
Summit Marker – Radio Masts (trig has fallen over)
Land Access Permission – Required – private land.
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