Sunday 15 March 2015

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.

4 comments:

  1. Walk 7 looked great! The falls looked lovely as did all your pictures! Glad your Mom and your sister were along for the hike. Must have been a fun time!
    Congratulations on another successful hike!

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    1. Thanks! Nikki set a cracking pace, we had to keep dragging her back ;) It was good fun though!

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  2. The 3 ladies in red ;-)
    Love to discover NZ by this way: your story and your pics!
    Please be careful: you're right, better walk with somebody than alone, you never know...

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    1. I'm looking forward to being able to share pictures further up and down the country with you too. Always following the 'safety first' rule :)

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