On Boxing Day our daughter and her boyfriend flew up from Wellington to join us for a week exploring the Far North. As the weather looked pretty good we decided to take them on an overnight tramp along part of the Te Araroa Trail from near Mangamuka Bridge into the Omahuta Forest. Continue reading Omahuta Forest
Tag: Te Araroa
Bay of Islands with the Brits
The English branch of the Potter family is visiting NZ this Christmas, so we took the opportunity to spend a couple of days with them in Kerikeri.
Continue reading Bay of Islands with the Brits
Wairoa River
The alpine section of our trip is over, and we spent the morning descending steadily to the Wairoa River.
Continue reading Wairoa River
Tarn Hut
Today was a rather short day, because we reached Tarn Hut soon after lunch.
Continue reading Tarn Hut
Mt Rintoul Hut
The weather had improved by morning, but the whole area was under a blanket of white snow. There was more rain forecast for the afternoon so again we decided to make an early start. Continue reading Mt Rintoul Hut
Old Man Hut
About six in the morning, Felicity started making tea as usual, and suggested that we get going early to avoid rain forcast for later in the day. It turned out to be a good call. Continue reading Old Man Hut
Starveall Hut
Our voyage across Cook Strait turned out to be very pleasant, with the sea so calm I could almost have kayaked.
Mangatawhiri River Track
Running from the junction of State Highway 2 and Lyons Rd to State Highway 1 at Mercer, this track is part of the Te Araroa Trail.
Coast to coast walkway
One section of the Te Araroa trail that we have always wanted to walk runs from downtown Auckland to Onehunga. Yesterday we decided that we would do it properly by parking in Devonport and catching the ferry to the city.
Bream Head Te Whara track
We’ve been up at Whangarei Heads today, checking out a campervan. Continue reading Bream Head Te Whara track
Omahuta Puketi Forest Track
A friend who is walking the Te Araroa Trail told us that the track through to Puketi is one of the most beautiful areas of kauri forest he has ever been in, and we would now have to agree. Our friend Mike hasn’t done much tramping in NZ so we invited him to tag along, expecting he would be impressed too.
Papakauri Stream
Our friend Murray Faulkner is walking the Te Araroa Walkway, and when we heard he was about to do the Russell Forest section we decided to join him for a day. Yesterday he took a water taxi from Opua to the Waikare Inlet where he joined his wife Linley and their campervan. We drove up from Auckland and met them there mid-afternoon.
Continue reading Papakauri Stream
Kimptons Track
Kimpton’s career as a road surveyor was presumably not a successful one.
Continue reading Kimptons Track
Upper Puhinui Stream
As we headed south on the motorway this morning, a gentle drizzle began which forced me to learn how to use the wipers on the new car. By the time we arrived at Lambie Drive it seemed to have settled in, so we donned our trusty ponchos and set off alongside the stream towards Manurewa. Continue reading Upper Puhinui Stream
Lower Puhinui Creek walkway
Our mission for today was to explore the section of the Te Araroa Trail that runs from the edge of the Manukau Harbour and up the banks of Puhinui Creek.
Continue reading Lower Puhinui Creek walkway