On my first explore, I scrambled to the top of our jungly bank like a mountain goat. The trip down, however, was completed almost entirely on my backside.
There’s now a blue rope ladder to help with the journey in both directions. It feels top secret – you part the massive māmaku fern fronds and crawl up a chute beneath the trees.
Up, up and away 
Spot the ladder
I cleared a vast carpet of tradescantia from the top, plus some holly, barberry and ivy. Another invader is fairy crassula, a South African import with round succulent leaves.
High on the bank I also found a couple of small houhere/lacebark trees. The serrated leaves looked like trouble to me, but it’s not a nettle. The leaves are quite wide, so I think it’s a northern NZ Hoheria populnea rather than the Wellington native Hoheria sexstylosa.
In the past Māori twisted and plaited the outer bark of houhere to create ropes. Perhaps my next rope ladder can be a home-grown creation?
Houhere/lacebark leaf 
Houhere/lacebark leaf
kōwhai 
There’s a tree by a bush
A kakapo that sings
Chris is building
A Stairway to Heaven…
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When he climbs it he knows
If there are weeds to be disposed
With a saw
He can get what he came for
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