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Published: April 15th 2010
Tuesday, April 13th
We've decided to go have an adventure for the rest of the week and the weekend. Mel's cousin was coming to stay with them for a few weeks and even though we're staying in the Boesman on the driveway we felt it would get a little crowded. Besides, we've been yearning to go do something, so it suits us just fine.
We tried to go for a jog, but Talita's knee was acting up, so we just had a brisk walk. Then Ferdi gave the Boesman a thorough cleaning, both inside and out. With the Boesman sparkling (as much as it's possible for a rough road warrior like him to sparkle) we got the new and improved Birdsy out the garage for a photo shoot in the autumn leaves before loading her on the roof. We'll have to finish varnishing her when we get another chance. Having lived in the Boesman for the last few weeks we didn't have too much to pack up, so just after 1pm we set off.
Our first stop was the library to print a letter for Paddy. Then we got a few supplies for our pantry, printed some pictures to
send with Paddy's letter, got a new aluminum flask (that won't break like flask #1 or leak like flask #2) before heading south for the Waitekere Ranges.
Situated a mere 50km from Browns Bay, the Ranges is a big reserve covered with over 250km of tramping trails. It sounded like just the place to spend a few nights. Like usual we had planned nothing, just picked a spot on the map and drove there. The change from city to forest was pretty abrupt and before we knew it we were following a narrow and windy road up and over numerous hills. The map indicated that there was an informal camping spot just after the small settlement of Huia. We had hoped to do some freedom camping, but when we got there we found that we needed to get a permit from an info centre many many miles back. We couldn't phone cause there was no reception so we decided to keep going. Soon we found another spot, but here too we needed a permit so we kept going. Upon studying the map we had seen a spot that looked well off the beaten track called Whatipu. Soon the tar
turned to gravel and we wound our way slowly up and down a tremendous hill. The forest here looks very tropical and the road reminded us of the one leading to Totaranui.
We were hoping for a surprise at the end of the road and we weren't disappointed. Once down the hill we found a camping ground on a big and deserted piece of wild lawn. There was a smallish fee per night, but the spot was so quiet that we decided to stay. Not like we had much choice. It was either stay or drive back over the hill to civilization. We immediately loved the place and found a spot not too far from the very neat composting toilets.
We sat on the grass enjoying a cuppa while Ferdi played guitar and Talita harmonica. It was our first tentative effort playing together and was pretty fun. With our cuppas done we walked down to the beach. The sand here is an amazing charcoal powder that is super soft and changes color as you kick it up, becoming darker for a moment before blending back in. We've never seen sand quite like this.
Back at camp we
made a tasty dinner, had a "bath" from the bucket, then spent a few hours reading before calling it a night.
Today's highlights:
1. Heading off into nature once more.
2. Finding a nice camping spot.
3. Walking on the dark sanded beach.
Thought for the day:
Civilization is seriously over-rated. Wednesday, April 14th
It had rained during the night but when we woke the day was beautiful, sunny and quiet. After a very slow and relaxed breakfast we went for a walk to the Whatipu caves. Before entering the track we had to scrub and spray our shoes so as not to spread disease to the Kauri trees.
The trail wound around the hill and soon we were at the first cave. We went in but didn't really feel safe. There are these big rocks suspended from the roof. They look more "out" than "in", as if they're just waiting to fall on our heads. We went in to a spot where we'd have to crawl to continue and decided that was far enough for us. Besides, our headlamps did little to illuminate our surroundings. We found golden fungi that covered the walls and seem
to catch and collect drops of moisture. It was really rather pretty.
Back outside we continued on and found the main cave to be quite a big hollow in the hill, but not really a cave. Unfortunately, like most of these kinda "caves", it was well used by humans and looked dirty and a little worse for wear.
On we went, stopping for water and a snack at the campsite a little north of the last "cave". We spotted a few Pheasants and a couple of Eastern Rosellas, but these guys once more got away before we could get a proper look at them. One day...
When the sun started beating down on us we turned for home. Back at camp we had a cuppa and sat reading for a while, enjoying the sunshine and the visit from a group of Pukekos who were grazing nearby. The cold wind picked up and even the sun couldn't warm us up enough to stay outside. We made lunch and then spent some time reading in the van. The weather got flakier as the afternoon went on, one moment the sun would shine and the next it would rain.
We decided to stay indoors and relax the rest of the afternoon, but at 5pm we changed our minds and headed up the hill to the east of camp. The sun was shining again and we expected nice views. Partway up the ridge we got a taste of the view to come, but the sun was setting fast so we had to hustle. We climbed the rest of the way to the top at a near jog and made it with 5 minutes to spare. We were rewarded with a great view of the bay we had visited yesterday afternoon as well as views across the Manukau Harbour Inlet. Soon the sun disappeared behind a cloud and we headed back down to camp. We felt great.
Back at camp we bathed from the bucket and prepared dinner followed by a cuppa or two and more reading.
Today's highlights:
1. A very relaxing day.
2. Great views from the hill.
Thought for the day:
We feel truly at home out here in the "wilderness". The city just doesn't do it for us. Thursday, April 15th
For some reason Ferdi sleeps very deeply here. It must be the
wonderful quiet. Ahhh... It's good for the soul. When we finally woke it was to a cloudy day. After breakfast we packed a few snacks and some water then headed out, following a part of the Hillary trail. The full trail covers 70km over 4 days/3 nights and is rumored to be very tough (the last day's hike is a whopping 27km). There are numerous river crossings and it reminded us a bit of the Otter Trail back in SA. We decided to tackle the Hillary trail some day soon. We've got a great desire to do something challenging again.
The walk took us up a steep hill that we scaled in at a pretty good pace. We were rewarded with some nice views of the ocean and wetlands. We marched on, keeping the pace up. At one point it started to rain, but this stopped the moment we had our rain jackets on. After coming down a steep hill we had snacks by a little stream near the Pararaha campsite. We'd covered just over 5km and decided to head back. We still had a ways to go today.
By the time we arrived back we were pretty
tired, having covered the 10km at a good clip. After a pear and a cuppa we headed out. As we drove through the small settlement of Huia we stopped to pick up a hitch-hiker. She's from Russia and had nothing with her but a bunch of her paintings. She was off to some place to try and sell these, but she didn't even carry a pack. Very strange.
We were winding our way around the Waitekere Ranges and at times the going was a bit slow. This did not sit well with a lady in a flash SUV behind us who gave us "The Finger" when she eventually passed us. This was our first encounter with road rage in NZ, so she must've been a South African. Talita just gave her a friendly wave and we continued on our way.
When we turned back into the Waitekere Ranges we dropped the Russian girl off. From here she was heading in a different direction. Before she left Talita had a look at some of her paintings and were very impressed. We wished her good luck and continued on our way. We were heading for Piha where we planned to
do some washing and catch up with emails.
Once checked in at the local holiday park we had a shower followed by a very late lunch. The rest of the day was spent washing and drying clothes and doing some correspondence. After dinner we watched a movie before calling it a day.
Today's highlights:
1. Great hike.
2. Catching up with our emails and things.
Thought for the day:
The more we live in the Boesman the more we love him. He's such an awesome addition to our family.
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sonia zd
non-member comment
wow!!!!!
Spectacular place, pics and just everything! Still miss you in edit though :( @ Postmasters this week .... Looks so wonderful and cannot believe 444 have come and gone. Liam is 7 can you believe it???? Sending LOL Sonia xxxx