Walk 08 - Kawau Island

One of the aspects of this journey that I'm really enjoying is getting to visit places that I've either not been to before, or was so teeny when I did go that it's visit has long been forgotten as was the case with Kawau Island. I have, it's been told to me, been there when I was very little but I had no memory of it until we arrived at Mansion House and I was flooded with the memory of a particularly large Moreton bay Fig Tree which stands on the grounds. I have no other recollection of it, aside from that one tree. It is, to be fair a very big tree.

Kawau Island is one of the bigger islands in the Hauraki Gulf, accessed by a ferry out of Sandspit which is an easy drive of less than an hour North of Auckland. The island was once owned by one of New Zealand's first governors who transformed the existing Copper Mine managers cottage into the extensive Mansion House which still stands today, is the main attraction of the island and will have you yearning for a lottery win as you depart and head back to your standard, normal sized home.

We caught the mail ferry out of Sandspit which makes a stop at a collection of bays around the island on the way to the final drop off point at Mansion House Bay. The weather was looking a little threatening as we headed out but aside from some aggressive wind out on the boat we got lucky again.

The run took us past a lovely collection of old batches and expensive new developments which must have had stunning views. Lovely sailboats sit waiting in the water beside private docks and life just suddenly felt a lot more lazy and relaxed.

 

 

We departed the ferry early on it's first stop at Mansion Bay as we wanted enough time for lunch and the hike before the boat ride back and it was hard for me not to feel like we were involved in a scene from an old Agatha Christie story as we pulled in to the bay, with the beautiful house dominating the view and peacocks patrolling the dock. I was primed and ready to solve a murder using the little grey cells.

 

 Sadly their were no crimes that required our attention so we enjoyed our picnic lunch and the quiet that our early disembarkment had allowed us. As we ate we were visited by the peacocks, a pair of curious (and I would imagine well fed) ducks and some Weka which are a flightless bird about the size of a small chicken.

Our walking track took us up and above Mansion Bay before heading down to Two House Bay and then inland past a large Redwood tree that was planted by governor Sir George Grey, then up to the turning point at a lookout over the remains of the old copper mine before heading back towards Mansion house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

80% of the walk is in amongst the bush and at times the only noise is the wind in the tree tops which is quickly becoming one of my favourite sounds. Mum and Nikki were once again great company and were very supportive and comforting once I realised it was unlikely we were going to see any wild Wallabies bouncing about.

Once we had finished our hike we had just enough time for a quick tour of Mansion House (no photography allowed unfortunately) which I highly recommend if you're visiting Kawau. For only $4 per person you're treated to an extremely well preserved glimpse into the past and it was a wonderful way to end our visit before the quick, 20 minute trip back to Sandspit Wharf.

 

Coming up this week is the start of April and with it, Parkinson's Awareness Month. I'll be doing two walks this weekend including one in Hamilton with some people from the Waikato region who are coming out to support the walks and the Parkinson's community. I'm really looking forward to meeting them and expanding my circle of friends as I hit double digits with walk #10.

Walk 07 - Kitekite Falls

Gosh it feels like an eternity since my last blog post...I was starting to have withdrawals! My apologies for falling a little behind, but it's been such a busy week. It was my intention to post this instead of going for a walk this past weekend and then suddenly it was Monday. Before I know it, it'll be March.....wait it's what?!?!?

So on the 8th my lovely mum and sister joined me for a little journey out to the Waitakere Ranges for a hike to the Kitekite Falls. The Ranges are about 40 minutes out of Auckland and encompass over 16,000 hectares of land including forest, beaches and waterfalls.

It's very dense in places and home to many native animals as well as wild pigs so is not the place to venture out alone, especially if you're a beginner and say, someone out for their 7th walk. On our way in to the park we stopped at the Arataki Visitor Centre to get a more detailed map of the area we were headed to. It's a fabulous place to visit and is stocked with a huge range of free travel guides for the whole of NZ as well as some exhibits showcasing the history of the area, clean toilets, a couple of reptile enclosures, amazing views, clean toilets, an ice cream truck and oh...clean toilets. And if you are braving the ranges by yourself it's a good idea to pop in and let the staff know who you are and where you're heading.

 

 

The start of our walk to the falls was just inland from Piha, a popular surf beach and home to Lion Rock, a rock which, now stay with me here...looks like a lion(ish). A large Kauri stump marks the start of the track and you're initially treated to a lovely graded walk past a stream and into the the ranges.

 

 

 

Though there are are indications of how treacherous the area can be as we passed an area of track which had broken away above the water and as we started the climb up, the area to the left became a sheer drop.

 

You couldn't help but have a conversation about how solo walkers were only one slip away from being swallowed up by the bush. I don't intend to make it sound like a scary place, but I'm becoming more mindful of the safety aspects of these adventures.

We noted there weren't as many bird sounds on this walk and I did miss the Tui and Bellbird calls which I was becoming used to. Cicada chirps filled the air on this day, though we were fortunate enough to spot a Wood Pigeon on the return hike which was a treat, especially for Nikki on her first hike with us.

The climb was pretty steady and we were feeling it by the time we reached our highest point, though we were passed by a large walking group who had some kind words of encouragement, especially from a member of Parkinson's NZ who was amongst them and that helped us dig deep. The people we're meeting along the way who stop and talk to us about what we're doing have such an impact and really motivate us to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

We stopped at our first glimpse of the falls which looked especially lovely on such a hot day.

 and a fellow walker offered to take a picture for us which was sweet.

Heading down to the base of the falls was an adventure all on it's own. The well maintained track becomes muddy steps, which in turn becomes a rocky, rope climb that opens up to an access point that sees you making a couple of brave steps across the stream itself to a rocky area that had swimmers and sun lovers scattered about it. We weren't dressed for swimming or stream hopping so only made a quick stop before hauling ourselves back up the incline.

The route back was much easier as it was downhill for most of the way and we made frequent stops to admire the views.

 

It's the first walk where I've really felt hidden away in the heart of something uniquely Kiwi and it was a great day out.