Mangawhai and Whangarei

How not to go hiking in NZ, Mangawhai Heads, 10 June
We wanted to get going early as it was another beautiful day , so we may have been in a bit of a hurry I suppose, but that’s really no excuse. Mike made sarnies, the picnic was packed, and we’d written the route down to key into the Satnav. In the car, ready to go and we’d left the route in the flat. Decided we could manage without, but it wasn’t till we arrived and started putting our boots on that we realised the rucksack containing lunch was nowhere to be seen. So we’d left that behind too, and quickly realised we didn’t have the camera either. Couldn’t believe how daft we’d been.

We had earlier stopped at the local i-site and learnt to our dismay that the walk we were planning to do was only possible in its entirety 3 hours either side of low tide. It’s a circular walk along cliff tops, then returning on the beach which is cut off at high tide. So we had already decided we would just do the cliff tops, as we’d come this far, and return the same way. In fact it’s necessary to walk across a couple of beaches at the very beginning of the walk before climbing to the cliff tops, and we were concerned seeing how high the tide was that we wouldn’t be able to make it at all.



Strange honey comb rocks on the way to start of the climb

From the cliff tops looking through the Nikau palms, back the way we'd come

As it turns out we were able to scramble over rocks and across the top of a beach to reach the start of the walk proper. It’s a new pathway created by DOC in 2008 and starts with a fairly steep climb up steps to the cliff tops. We immediately get a shower and a beautiful double rainbow and continue on our way. The path is literally cut into the hillside and there’s a very steep drop in some places right down to the beach. The sea is beautiful shades of green, turquoise and blue depending on its depth and so very clear you can see all the rocks and seaweed beneath the surface. We’re practising taking photos with Mike’s phone, just hoping we’re able to load them onto the PC back home. The walk is pretty level with great views across to various islands dotted around to the east. Pretty hot walking with only a minimum of shade provided by the odd pohutukawa and nikau palm, would be tough going on a hot Summer’s day. After about an hour we reach the beginning of the descent. Looks like a long way down flights of steps, but not much point in going down as the tide’s way up high and there’s no chance of getting round the base, so all we can do is return the way we’ve come.

17-18 June

We plan to travel up north again and stop over in Whangarei, the largest town on this north-eastern side. As this means passing Mangawhai Heads again we decide to complete the walk we only half did last w/e, as both tides and weather are perfect for it today. This time we make sure we take everything we need including water and lunch. Weather fabulous though the sea’s a bit rougher as there’s a bit more wind about. We’ve got the binoculars and can see fishermen out in their boats and large flocks of sea birds way out to sea.

Looking straight down from the path, with beautiful clear water below

This time we head on down the steps at the far end. It’s quite a steep descent but levels out towards the foot of the cliffs as the path leads us on board walks through nikau palms. We eventually come out onto the rocky beach and almost immediately spot a large group of dolphins close to shore. We think at first they’re whales because they’re pretty large and they aren’t frolicking about like the dolphins we’d seen in Queen Charlotte Sound, but just breaking the surface with their fins. Must be about 20 of them and, blow me, if, just when we think they’ve all gone, they don’t turn around and come back past us again. After this wonderful show we set off through a huge rock arch and back along the cliff base, making our way over rocks and pools.



Approaching the arch

We pick our way over the rocks

Takes a lot longer than the cliff top walk that’s for sure, as we’re picking our way over boulders and wadingthrough deep pebbles. It’s quite hard work and tough on the ankles. Eventually it gets easier as we pass a few sandy coves and soon find a nice sheltered spot for lunch. Continue our way past sandy bays and little rocky coves until we reach the beginning of the walk.

Nearly back at the start, looking back the way we'd come

From here we drive onto Whangarei stopping at the i-site on the way. We take a look at the town basin area beside the Hatea River which has restaurants, bars and the famous clock museum which we visit for half an hour. We’re staying at the Pilgrim Planet, which is run by a kiwi/Canadian couple who did a lot of work on the house themselves. It has 5 bedrooms and a large kitchen and sitting area for guest use, a good set-up. Whangarei is home to ‘A Deco’, Northland’s best restaurant apparently, which is a beautiful Art Deco building but turns out to be fully booked. Probably just as well: apparently portions are tiny and it’s very expensive. We end up having a good meal in the town basin. Very cold night.

There’s a heavy frost outside in the morning and we set off to take a walk around the A. H. Reed Kauri Park. It’s a fabulous morning with mist rising off the fields and we walk through bush to the canopy walkway. Very dark here but there's a lovely green mossy stoned river winding its way through the reserve.



Very cool, dank and green, the river below the canopy walkway

We then follow the signs for the waterfall walk which takes us through frosty fields beside a beautiful deep green river and over a swing bridge up to the impressive Falls at Titipunga, with a 26m drop to a deep pool below. Stop for an early lunch back in Whangarei, then drive on around the harbour coastline towards Whangarei Heads where we plan to climb Mount Manaia.

Walking beside the river towards the Falls

Whangarei Falls at Titipunga on the Hatea River

There are 5 distinct stone fingers on the rocky summit of the mountain and a Maori legend explains the story behind them. It’s a steep climb up through native bush, about 500m above sea level and mostly climbing good DOC-built steps. Although it’s a sunny day we’re steadily climbing up through deep shade, with lots of nikau palms, supple jack, and ancient puriri trees. About half way up I spot a parrot on the branch of a tree. It’s dark greeny-brown, quite large, and very busy ripping up bark with its hooked beak, presumably looking for insects. We’ve seen kakas before, flying overhead in Zealandia, shame it’s too dark to see clearly. We’re hoping he’ll come close enough for a decent picture but he’s too intent on finding food, and ignores us completely.

Mike on the look-out with Whangarei Harbour behind

A bit further on we follow a side path leading to a terrific look-out where we rest. Amazing views across the harbour, and over to the rocky outcrops on Bream Head, the southern tip of this peninsular. We continue upwards and soon come to a wooden ladder that takes us to a flat rock and that’s as far up as it’s possible to go.

This is as high as we get

The rock fingers of the summit are hidden from view unfortunately, but we see a crazy couple making their way up towards them. No ropes or any special equipment; I can hardly bare to watch. From here we can see over to the southern end of the Tutukaka Coast which leads up to the Bay of Islands. We spend quite a while resting in the sunshine and chatting to another English couple who’ve made it up here, then we head back down, which, believe me, is a lot quicker than climbing up. Drive straight back home in less than 3 hours.

Crazy kiwis trying to get to the top. She's even carrying a handbag up there

The Queen's Birthday w/e

This is taken fairly seriously over here with a Bank Holiday every year, not just for the Jubilee. We decide to mark the occasion with a trip to Tauranga and a stop-over on the Friday evening in Paeroa. Mike finishes work early but we get stuck in all the traffic making its way out of Auckland, arriving in Paeroa in the dark after 7. We’re in a ‘luxury homestay' and are welcomed by Betty and Mark to our self-contained unit. The bathroom is luxury indeed with a sauna, a large spa bath and a shower. We’re soon on our way out to eat at the recommended Thai restaurant .

Paeroa is famous for two things: antique shops and L&P (‘world famous in New Zealand’). It’s quite a pleasant fizzy drink and the town has not one but two giant replicas of it. Unfortunately for us it’s not famous for its restaurants; they all look empty and sad and the food in the Thai place is only average and I really shouldn’t have looked at the state of the floor.

Looking along the Ohinemuri River towards the first suspension bridge

Just coming out of the 1km long tunnel

It’s a beautiful morning and we’re off early to walk the Karangahake Gorge, with the early morning mist burning off. The antique shops of Paeroa will have to wait. We plan to do the longer ‘historic’ walkway beginning with a 1k walk through an old railway tunnel. It’s lit, so no need for the torches just yet. We cross the Ohinemuri  river and begin a long walk alongside it, so dead level. There are loads of people cycling in the opposite direction, must be a bike hire place at the far end. It’s certainly a beautiful rocky river gorge but unfortunately there’s a main road on the far side of it and we can’t escape the traffic noise so decide to stop at the Owharoa Falls, turn back, and investigate the mining tunnels. The falls are pretty spectacular and we meet a man there who recommends the Windows Walk.

The Owharoa Falls where we decide to turn back and investigate the old mining ruins

Mining began on the Karangahake Mountain back in 1875, and it was pretty intensive for decades, with 3 batteries built in the area to crush rock from which gold and silver ore was extracted. So there are loads of old industrial remains to be seen, and as we leave the gorge and turn up the Waitawheta River we pass 2 battery ruins, huge bits of rusty iron, and a number of old railway tracks. The Windows Walk is so called because it is a tunnel which runs parallel to the rock face through which windows have been cut to allow daylight through. From this tunnel others go off at right angles into the heart of the mountain and excavated waste rock was thrown out through these windows. It’s pitch black away from the windows though, so the torches are very useful and I, for one, wouldn’t be doing this without them. Mike goes off into one of the side tunnels to explore while I remain standing beside a windows, through which I can see the river down below and the suspension bridges used to cross to other tunnels. We later pass a couple struggling along blindly: their 2 kids having run off ahead with the torches leaving them in complete darkness!

Looking out from one of the 'windows' down towards another suspension bridge; we return on the far side

Crossing a rather wobbly bridge

Back out in the sunshine, we cross a very wobbly suspension bridge and return on a track the other side of the Waitawheta River. We pass a small cave and the man coming out with his daughter is talking about cave wetas. Naturally we ask him to show us too, and there they are: about 20 of them just above our heads in a cluster. Their bodies are much smaller than the wetas we’ve seen in the back yard but their legs and antennae are much longer and spidery. I really don’t want one landing on my head so Mike stays inside to take photos while I get back out into the sunshine.

Cave Wetas, probably about life size

It makes for a really interesting and varied walk and made even more so when we later learn that our landlord was contracted by DOC to create the extension to the Windows Walk tunnel taking it down to the suspension bridge to make it a circular walk.

Last section of the walk taking us back to the car

We have lunch in the nearby Ohinemuri Winery which is good but takes forever to arrive so we’re setting off for Tauranga later than we imagined and have to put off the Paeroa antique shops again.

We arrive just as it’s getting dark and go off to check out the restaurants (rather disappointing ) ending up in a Japanese place drinking saki. We’ve planned to meet up with Peta and Jeremy probably for dinner tomorrow as they’re staying in the same hotel for the w/e coincidentally.

The next morning we go to Mount Maunganui for breakfast with Peta and Jem and climb the volcano. Parking is a bit of an issue because a running event had been scheduled for that morning and the place is crammed with runners and supporters and some of the roads are closed, but eventually we’re all parked and breakfasted and ready for the ascent. A pleasant climb circling round the mount with great views improving as we got to the top. It really helps to understand the geography of a place viewing it from a height like this and we see how the long low island of Matakana clearly shelters the bay here creating the lovely long safe beaches.

Mike, Peta, and Jem virtually at the top of Mount Maunganui

From the top. We later walked over to the tip of the little island as the tide was going out

At the top of the Mount we’re virtually mobbed by a flock of fantails fluttering around like butterflies, such pretty vivacious little birds. By the time we’re back down again the awards are being presented and the races are over. We separate, with Mike and I walking over the beach to an island just off the coast as its low tide, and then having lunch outside one of the cafes on the coastal strip on this lovely sunny afternoon. After lunch we return to the hotel and wander into Tauranga, going to the Art Gallery where there’s a good exhibition of photos by Brian Brake (one of NZ’s most famous photographers).

We go to P&J’s room for a drink before dinner. Not too much choice here in Tauranga, in fact Mt Maunganui seems better in that respect, and we end up in a large Turkish place, service and food not great, but good to have company.

The poppet head frame in the morning mists at Waihi

Looking down into the open pit of Martha's Mine

We’re off quite early on another beautiful sunny morning but as we make our way north we hit dense fog. Stopping at Waihi we breakfast then visit the i-site where a helpful Scots woman tells us what’s worth a look. Waihi has existed as a mining town since gold was discovered in 1878. Martha mine is now an enormous open pit and the walk around its rim takes us about an hour. Initially the massive hole was filled with fog but this gradually clears until we can just about see the bottom of it if we crane over from the viewing platform. These days massive trucks transport rock to be processed a few kms away. We learn that from 1 ton of rock, 3 gms of gold is extracted. Hardly seems worth all that effort!

We move on back to Paeroa to look at the antique shops at long last, and they really are rather good. The best we’ve seen yet in NZ and the prices aren’t too bad either. Buy a couple of bits, go for lunch in the cafe by the giant L&P bottle, and then make our way back home through the bank holiday traffic.

One Grey Sunday, 27 May

Tapapakanga nicely framed

The kids have been gone a week now and, though it’s not a great day weather-wise, we decide to continue with our Sunday walks to keep the blues away. Heading south towards the Tapapakanga regional park, we stop at Clevedon for the Sunday market and get some provisions. There’s the usual farmer’s market but also a community market selling a lot of homemade jewellery and craft-work, along with jams, cakes etc. Tapapakanga is on the coast just north west of the Hunua Ranges and turns out to be a pleasant mixture of farmland and coastal walking. We see a lot of sheep, and Paradise Shell ducks and also two large flocks of turkeys which we imagine must be wild as they aren’t fenced in at all.


Not such a welcoming sea. The Coromandel Peninsular is just across the water

After our circular walk we move onto the Miranda Shorebird Centre which is a bit further down the coast. It’s apparently quite famous for its migratory birds, has an info centre, and a couple of hides looking out onto the shore. Unfortunately we’re a little late and, as it’s 3 hours past high tide, the feeding birds have moved further down the beach which makes it more difficult to spot them.

Black swans wandering down stream. The Godwits were too far away to photograph

It’s quite a long path through dense fennel (very aromatic) and over sand dunes to get to the main hide and as we approach we pass a woman with a large telescope slung over her shoulder. She tells us what to expect out there but we’ve missed the chance to view through the telescope unfortunately. It’s a bleak wind-swept place on this rather grey day and there’s no-one else around. We see quite a few bar-tailed Godwits which migrate the enormous distance between Alaska and New Zealand, and loads of stilts who fly with their long legs trailing behind them looking like daddy-long-legs in flight.

To warm up we then proceed to the Miranda Hot Springs which aren’t too far away, and soak in the large open air public pool. It’s next door to a holiday park so is pretty crowded but is deeper than most so we can swim and although it’s a dark gloomy day, it’s a pleasant thing to soak in the hot steaming waters as dusk is falling.

Holidays Week 2

Sunday 13 May
We set off on our road trip north up Highway 1, which soon becomes a normal 2-way road despite its grand name. We have two cars between us but don’t drive in convoy, making sure each car has a working mobile phone. We all stop for lunch in Dargaville and I get treated to the Mother’s Day Special in a little cafe as today is Mother’s Day in this part of the world. Billy continues with his beef, scallop, beef, beef, scallop theme, but we’re all so full we have to take our kumara cake away with us to eat later.

Lined up in front of one of the biggest kauris

Sun setting at the mouth of Hokianga Harbour

The countryside becomes more wild and beautiful as we drive northwards soon entering the winding climbing roads of the Waipoua Forest , home to the greatest of the ancient Kauri trees. So we stop and walk on down to view these enormous 2,000 year old trees. They aren’t all that tall but have the most enormous girth and such a variety of plant life living on them. It’s getting quite late now and the days are shorter, so the sun is going down as we park at South Head, the entrance to Hokianga Harbour, for a short walk. It’s a beautiful view out across the Tasman Sea to the setting sun, and just a short drive now to Rawene where we catch the vehicle ferry across to Kohukohu, and on to the Tree House for our night’s stop.

Tree House kitchen, dorms off to the left.

Pauline remembers us from last time and gives us all a brilliant welcome and settles us in. We have the two dormitories to ourselves which is great as they’re next to the open plan kitchen/sitting area and it’s like having our own place. We get on with doing dinner, Malaysian Beef Rendang, made a while back, frozen and carried up in the cool box (we’re in the middle of the bush here and there are no restaurants or bars within walking distance). After dinner we watch the possums which can be spotted up in the trees next to the house, their big round eyes shining in our torchlight. We walk down to the road and gaze up at the biggest and brightest Milky Way we’ve ever seen.

Monday 14 May

We all sleep pretty well, despite being in bunk beds in dorms, we pack up and drive the short distance to Kohukohu where we stop for breakfast at its famous cafe. Weather’s very changeable: sunshine, showers and rainbows, but warm enough to eat breakfast outside and it certainly lives up to its excellent reputation. Knowing we have a fair amount of time (our next stop, Russell  on the east coast, isn’t far away) we wander around the cute little town of Kohukohu, spending a long time in the Art Gallery, and then Max gives us a special walking tour of the town with the aid of a guide book he picked up somewhere along the line, the highlight for me being the lovingly restored cream store on the side of the road, which looks like an ancient wooden dog kennel on stilts.



The Hokianga car ferry which criss-crosses from Rawene to Kohukohu all day long

We finally say goodbye to Kohukohu, cross over on the ferry boat one last time, and head east to the Bay of Islands. We make our planned toilet stop in Kawakawa mainly for Bill whose favourite artist, the Austrian Hundertwasser, lived here and was commissioned to design and build the most fabulous toilets in the world. Very reminiscent of the Gaudi stuff in Barcelona but if anything wilder and more colourful, the toilets are just brilliant.

Billy outside the Hundertwasser toilets at Kawakawa

Inside the ladies loo. The windows are made of coloured bottles

Continuing east we come to Opua on the Bay of Islands and take another ferry over to Okiato, and then on to Russell where we’re met by the Book-a-Bach rep and shown round the house. I’ve seen the pix on the website but the house really exceeds my expectations. It’s set back from the waterfront on a hillside but close to the centre of town. It has large windows so the views are great and many them have stained glass edging in beautiful reds and blues. The house is completely built of wood inside and out, and feels very solid: has a lovely Edwardian style fireplace, a pot bellied stove and an old oven installed. Mostly open plan which suits us and the bedrooms are lovely, all with en suites. Mike and I plumb for the separate apartment which is up above the garage leaving all the bedrooms in the house to the kids, thinking we’ll be away from any noise late on, and it works well. There’s also a large spa pool and a gas barbeque, so we really have done very well for ourselves. We wander into town, very blustery down by the sea, but it’s a pretty place with lots of clap-board houses and a nice old wharf housing the i-site at its end. The men book fishing and we shop for essentials and check out the restaurants. That evening we eat out at Sally’s and the oyster fest begins. We have a lovely waitress from Connecticut who manages us very well, noisy bunch that we are.

Looking down to the sitting room from the landing of our Russell house

Tuesday 15 May

We wake up to a wet blustery morning and the fishing trip’s been cancelled. After coffee and a trip to the inevitable local museum, we decide we’ll go walking nearby, while the kids go off to visit the Omata Vineyard, a local winery. 

Looking down the wharf at Russell, with one of many rainbows

Looking down on Whangamumu Bay with the whaling station hidden to the left

We drive westwards on a tiny road past little bays, ending up on a gravel road where we park in a layby. The route to Whangamumu is marked and we should get to an old whaling station on the bay on the other side of the hill. Walk starts off boggy, crossing a meadow and scaring the pukekoes, but we’re soon climbing through kanuka trees on a decent path, the only trouble being that it’s on clay so a bit slippery as it’s been raining recently. Climbing quite steeply then we get to the crest and this most beautiful crescent-shaped bay appears below us in the afternoon sunshine with a fishing boat sitting in the middle of the natural harbour. It’s downhill all the way, and we get a quick shower of rain just as we arrive. We begin by unsuccessfully searching for the old whaling station, can’t find it anywhere despite the signs, so explore the beach, walking through a wonderful tangle of ancient collapsed Pohutukawa trees with strangely patterned clay rocks at the water’s edge. Across on the far side of the cove Mike spots the old whaling station, painted green so well camouflaged and seemingly impossible to get to at high tide. There’s bright sunshine and a double rainbow above us as we head back over the hill to the car.

A tangle of ancient pohutukawa trees on the beach

Out to eat again this evening, and the Duke of Marlborough comes out favourite when we vote on which restaurant to grace with our presence. It’s the oldest and finest restaurant in Russell, and used to be a famous drinking hole for the riff-raff that made up the population in those days. Once Russell was known as the hell hole of the Pacific because of the savage and drunken behaviour of the whalers and sealers that lived in the place but tonight the D of M seems a very civilised rather up-market establishment even after the Boons arrive and get stuck into the inevitable oysters.

Wednesday 16 May

Weather not great again so we decide to go to Waitangi, scene of the famous treaty between Pakeha and Maori  in 1840 which gave rights of land and waterways ownership to the Maori in exchange for their allegiance to the Crown.

Detail of the waka at Waitangi

We go back across the Bay on the ferry and have lunch in Paihia before driving on up to Waitangi. It’s a rather beautiful spot with a large wharenui (carved meeting house) beside a green lawn with a large flag pole, overlooking the Bay of Islands. We go in for the guided tour, which is, as usual, led by a Maori woman. There’s a long tradition of Maori women acting as guides to the Pakeha and in our experience they’ve always been entertaining and good value. So we learn about the history and signing of the Waitangi Treaty and our guide told us the story of her ancestor being one of the last to sign the treaty but finding little space left went and placed his name right at the top of the list. We’re shown the enormous and impressive waka and learn about the significance of the magnificent carving in the wharenui.

On the way home we split up: the kids are buying food for the barbeque and we’re off to buy vast quantities of oysters; we’re eating in tonight. The dining table looks splendid and everyone pulls their weight to get dinner on the table. Mike has set a new record, totalling 29 oysters in just 3 days, but others aren’t far behind, Billy having given up on his beef, scallop, scallop, beef diet.

Table's all laid for dinner. Oysters are quite cheap here: just as well!

Late in the evening Bill and Craig decide to have one last go at catching a fish and take their crab lines down to sit on the wharf hoping for a nibble.

Thursday 17 May

We’re out by 10, crossing Hokianga on the car ferry one last time and heading south back towards Auckland. We plan a stop at Waiomio Glow Worm Caves. It’s Maori owned and run but much smaller than the Waitomo caves we’d seen south of Hamilton. Our guide is informative and delightful, she leads us through a narrow cave entrance between walls of stalagtites and stalagmites. There are no electric lights so we’re carrying 3 lanterns between us. Occasionally she stops and ask us to turn out the lights so we can gaze up at the glow worms shining for all they’re worth up on the ceilings, making strange patterns with their greenish light.  The tour takes half an hour or so and we exit much higher up the hill side and walk back down through native bush strewn with enormous rocks and boulders. Back at the carpark I must be slightly disorientated, as I try to climb into the wrong car – it’s not even the right colour – most embarrassing.

We stop for lunch at Waipu and eat well at the Pizza Barn which is rather tastefully decorated with twentieth century kitch. Across the road we wander round an antique shop where we are recommended to take the coast road rather than the highway. It’s a good plan, more interesting than the highway and we stop at beautiful Lang’s Beach and wander, collecting shells and gazing at yet another rainbow, must be the twentieth of the holiday at least.

Lang's Beach on the way home

Back home we decide to eat out at Galbraith’s and spend a lot of time debating and voting on what to do on our last full day together.

Friday 18 May

Rangitoto it is, though I decide to stay home and prepare lasagne for our last dinner together. Mike, Craig, and Bill do the full circuit but Katy, Max and Rachel get the early ferry home. They forget to take a camera to Rangitoto unfortunately. Max and Rachel stay in town and go to the imax, while Kate and I have a relaxing time wandering round the local Newmarket designer shops and shop for dinner. A lovely evening at home.

Saturday 19 May

There’s a lot of sorting and packing going on, then once Max and Rachel arrive from the flat, we walk round to the local Parnell Farmer’s market, buy yummy food for lunch and some lovely flowers are bought for me. After lunch Kate, Craig and Mike go to the Art Gallery and the rest of us head for the Sky Tower. I’ve not been up it before and am not usually very keen on these kinds of attractions but it was lovely going with the boys and Rachel and we got great views across Auckland of course, though try as we might we couldn’t find our house (hidden by the bulk of the hospital we think).

Looking out over the harbour and bridge to North Shore from Sky Tower

Everything’s packed into the two cars and we drive in convoy down to our favourite Thai restaurant on the Great South Road. A lovely dinner and we’re all off to the airport. Not much fun hanging around feeling sad they’re all going, so we don’t stay long. Big hugs all round and they’re gone.