A beautiful sunny Sunday – What to explore? So many choices. Over summer I had heard of a little track on the way to Raglan, a beach west of Hamilton. The track was only about twenty minutes in length but led to a small waterfall. This seemed an ideal choice on such a hot day.

Lunch time found me at a VERY busy Whatawhata café, having a coffee and a date scone.  (Whatawhata is a small farming country district about ten minutes west of Hamiton) Since opening about five to six years ago, the owners have added a canopy making the outdoor area much more shady which was very pleasant on such a hot day. They also have a little “petting area” attached where there are a few sheep, goat and a pig all ready to accept food when offered.  An Indian family of about 30 family members were celebrating the birthday of one of their sons. Looked fun but really noisy.

Having satisfied my hunger, I travelled west along the main highway where, about ten minutes past the café, I turned right into Karakariki  Rd.  – a well maintained tarsealed road, through VERY brown, dry  farmland. Arriving at Karakariki Christian camp there was a turn on the left and travelled to the end of this no exit road. Much to my surprise there would have been fifty cars in this little known (as I thought)  car park. The track is maintained by Department of Conservation. The track runs through farm land so beautiful hills and valleys surrounded the car park.

Quickly popping on my walking shoes, sunscreen and a hat, I took off over the cattle stop to the start of the signposted track. Over the first style, starting the walk, sheltered by thick, leafy and very old trees providing much needed shade.

First swing bridge crossed. This is why the track is so much fun for young ones -there is a collection of styles, swing bridges and right at the end there is a little rope to assist them to get down to the water. What adventures!!

People were passing me both ways. Mainly youngish families chatting excitedly as they passed along. A small shallow bubbling stream ran alongside the side of the track. Every now and again there was a little track which allowed you to potter down to the little stream. One or two young families were actually settled there, away from the reasonably crowded waterfall. Second style crossed followed by a second swing bridge. Because of the small roots and rocks in the track I found I needed to watch my feet a little rather than really enjoying the bubbling stream and summer flowers which I was passing.

Wildflowers

A waterfall suddenly appeared in front of me at the end of the track. A swimming hole was in front which had encouraged many in to swim – Older children leapt off the top while the little ones played in the pool below.

A scramble down a little bank assisted by a rope tied to a tree allowed access to this delightful watery playground.  For littlies, there needed to be a bit of adult assistance but they all managed it.

On my walk back to the car, it was such a pleasure still hearing the excited shouts and giggles of families enjoying this simple natural pleasure.

So many Magic Moments in NZ

As inhospitable as the terrain looks, I have spent many happy years enjoying its challenging tracks, being awed by its majestic scenery and energized by the peacefulness I always found here.

Sunset at Whakapapa

Tracks of 1-3 hours include Taranaki Falls and Silica rapids both framed by the mountains surrounding them. Slightly further in distance is the Tama Lakes (5-6 hours return ) which was the track which Yvonne and I did. With the Abel Tasman on the calendar for December 2022 training is underway. Further yet, on past the Tama Lakes, was Waihohonu Hut, a 6 hour hike. This hut is relatively new and is much more comfortable but not as close as the old one to the Waihohonu stream. At the end of a hot and dusty hike, you could drop your pack at the hut and race down to this freezing cold mountain stream, a quick strip and then covered by a sarong, a dash into the water, discarding the wrap as you dived in. Usually there was no one else around, so not too many worries about privacy. It was such bliss to get rid of the dust and sweat from the hike just completed.

Alpine terrain surrounding the Tama Lakes

Lower Tama Lake

“Round the Mountain” is the most challenging at 66.2 kms. Rugged terrain. Rocky. Alpine. Forest. Each day the terrain was different. It took us four nights and five days staying in Waihohonu, Rangipo, Mangaehuehu and lastly Mangaturuturu. I have completed this twice. The first time was shocking weather. I was already pretty shattered by the challenges this track offered as I had never done anything which had pushed me out of my comfort zone quite so much and then to have weather not loving me either !!. Each night I would climb into my bunk thinking very positively “tomorrow will be better” but no. Rain. Wind. A bit of sleet. Rain and wind!! all delivered alongside the threat of an avalanche (which never eventuated thank goodness) The second time was picture perfect. A completely different experience – for me. We had met up with a young couple on the first day who were also walking the track . She had not broken her boots in before starting, so within two hours on the track she had developed large blisters which had progressively got bigger over the next four days. She was in absolute agony. He was so selfish. He had just bought a new video camera so could not help her at all as he was too busy filming!!!! On the last day we shared her pack contents between the three of us, I don’t think she would have made it out otherwise. I am always surprised by the people you meet on tracks. Usually such great and interesting people who are happy to share their stories. I don’t think I have ever met anyone as selfish as he was.

Whakapapa will always be special to me. I hope that somewhere in the world you are able to find such a place for yourself. If you find Whakapapa so much the better.

(17th August 2021)

This COVID lockdown has been so different for me to my last one. I had been working part time as the Telehealth Coordinator at the Waikato District Health Board (Hamilton NZ). With the arrival of COVID my hours were quickly increased to full time. We were frantically trying to support health professionals, working from home, to continue seeing their patients using technology. Working from home was foreign to those of us in NZ so there were problems with connectivity, learning technology etiquette and booking appointments on line. An exciting but very tiring time.

This time is so different. I have the luxury of living at a slower pace. Home looking shiny, gardens manicured within an inch of their lives, new activities trialed such as making a pizza from beginning to end and learning how to video and edit on my phone (first attempts not too successful but can only get better) and the most enjoyable part ,walking each day and having the time to enjoy the beauty of nature. There are three favorite walks from which I can choose, all about an hour and half in length. They are a treat I give myself each day.

At the mention of an overnight stay, spending time with good friends at Coromandel, I instantly accepted. We were to stay at some cabins close to Coromandel (these sounded very much like basic hiking cabins which I am very used to) and our places for fishing were booked on a mussel barge.  

Driving into Tirau, a little township about fifty kms southwest of Hamilton, on my way to explore the Te Waihou walkway, I was greeted by these two amazing corrugated iron creations. (www.corrugatedcreations.co.nz)

There was also a pukeko, flowers and a sassy little minx sitting on top of a rustic building which housed a cafe. These varied corrugated creations set around the town added to the feeling ”I have escaped for the day” as I explored all the fascinating nooks and crannies this little township offered.

Tirau in Maori Language means” place of many cabbage trees” A  little town made up of 690 population.