Whangarei - Walker's Paradise

At Bascule park, beside Te Matua a Pohe

There are several places to freedom camp in Whangarei but we usually park Tangaroa by the lifting bridge, Te Matua ā Pohe.  This is close to the town centre and beside the popular loop walkway that passes through the town basin with its cafes, galleries and shops.  The canopy bridge across the Hatea River has an arts and craft market on Saturdays during the summer that is well worth a look.  Just along Hatea Drive is Mair Park, gifted to the city by Robert Mair in 1914.   It had been part of the pioneering family's estate and still contains the old coach road which meanders through native bush to a grassy area beside the river, popular with families.  Across the footbridge we took one of the walkways through the Parihaka Reserve to the summit of the Mount Parihaka.  There was a viewing platform here with information panels and great views of the town and harbour.

A H Reed Park

            Another day we strolled along the track runs alongside the river to Whareora Road and the entrance to the A.H. Reed Memorial Park.  A.H. Reed was well known for his publishing and charitable works—and for his epic walks throughout New Zealand.  His family came from England to Whangarei in the 1880s and their homestead was adjacent to the reserve car park.  A.H. Reed had described the 'noble stand of kauri' growing in the park and the council named the domain in his memory in 1957. 

            We went to look at the kauri—they are approached from a canopy walkway that took us over streams and amongst treetops.  It was a wonderful experience to be almost part of the forest.  After admiring the stately giants we followed a track further upriver to the Whangarei Falls.  This stunning cascade drops vertically for more than 26 metres into a pool at its base.  We found platforms on both sides at the top of the falls—a loop track goes from the base of the waterfall, crossing the river above the falls.

Whangarei Falls

            For a change of pace we visited the Whangarei Art Museum at the Town Basin, and then took a look at Whangarei's quirkiest visitor attraction, Claphams Clock Museum.  This was started by Archie Clapham, a Whangarei character who housed his collection of 400 clocks in his home and enjoyed visitors coming to have a look.  In 1961 he donated the collection to the Whangarei Council and in due course a purpose built museum was constructed at the town basin.  There are now 1,600 clocks to peruse, ranging from the ornate to the bizarre.

            On the other side of town there are the 25 hectares of farmland and forest that is home to Kiwi North.  Here we found a nocturnal kiwi house, Whangarei Museum and Heritage Park.  There was so much to see we spent most of a day investigating.  The Heritage Park is home to many old buildings that have been relocated to the site.  These include the Clarke Homestead, a chapel, school, women's jail and Jane Mander's study.  (Jane Mander was one of New Zealand's first female authors; her Story of a New Zealand River, written in 1920, is set locally.)  The chapel is hexagonal, the smallest in New Zealand and built from a single kauri log.  The museum itself was a good mix of settler history and Māori taonga.  We admired the 200 year old waka, the collection of cloaks and other artefacts.  Finally walked through the grounds and came across a miniature railway and the tracks for a steam train.  This runs on certain occasions taking visitors through the grounds as far as the Clarke graveyard.  Kiwi North is a POP and motorhomes are welcome. 

At Whangarei Town Basin

            The town of Whangarei is situated at the head of the Whangarei Harbour— Whangarei is said to mean the gathering place of the whales.  The harbour has been important for Māori, and later for European settlers, many of whom were Scots.  McGregors Bay and McLeod Bay reflect this heritage.  We drove Tangaroa along the road that skirts the northern side of the harbour.  There is a NZMCA park at Manganese Point but we like to stay on the waterfront at Onerahi.  There is a cycle track from here into Whangarei.  It goes along the Waimahanga track—once a railway line—and joins up with the loop walkway track that goes through the Town Basin.

            We took the car for a few trips over the next few days.  As we drove out towards Whangarei Heads, the dramatic, castle-like rocks atop the mountains constantly caught our eye, especially the highest, Mt Manaia.  Māori legend explains that the rocks at the peak are those of a chief named Hautatu who was pursuing another chief, Manaia, who had kidnapped Hautatu's wife and children.  All five were struck by lightning and turned to stone.

            We took the steep track to the summit of Mt Manaia, starting at Taurikura.  The walk climbed to 403 metres above sea level, and took between around three hours (return).  The views from the track were impressive—at the Bluff lookout we looked across to Bream Head and the off shore Hen and Chicken Islands.  There was a viewing platform close to the summit but we went past this and skirted around the back of the sheer cliffs to an area that can be scrambled up—if you have a head for heights!  From the top we had truly amazing 360 degree views, up and down the coast and inland.  The walk down was probably harder than going up and my legs were shaky by the time we got back to the bottom.

View from Mount Manaia

            Not so difficult, but almost as impressive was the climb to the summit of Mt Aubrey at nearby Reotahi.  The track led straight off from the tiny car park, skirting around and up the slopes of the mountain.  When we got to a ridge we saw a side track, with a climb up to a trig on a flat rocky summit.  It really was a climb to this point, using vegetation and rocky protuberances for handholds but again the views were great.  We looked across into the harbour in one direction and over to Bream Head in another.  Manaia towered above us with its distinctive bush clad slopes and rocky outcrops.  Once back down on the ridge track we looped around the other face of the mountain and descended through pūriri and totara, beside steep cliffs.

On the Mt Aubrey Track

View from Mt Aubrey

            Another day we went out to Urquharts Bay. The road terminated at the start of a walkway to the romantically-named Smugglers Bay.  This was an easy but pretty walk that began in farmland beside the Whangarei harbour, then went through coastal forest.  There were gun emplacements at Home Point, dating back to World War II.  There is a fading panoramic view painted inside one concrete bunker that shows what the harbour looked like prior to the refinery being built across the harbour at Marsden Point.  After a steep section through groves of nīkau palms, the track forked and there was a side trip to the pā site at Busby Head.  Māori had long used the area for defence and living, there were big middens at Smugglers Bay.  We continued on down to the sandy beach—where there was no evidence of smuggling to be seen, just white sand, rock pools and views out to sea. 

On the Smugglers Bay Track

Smugglers Bay

Looking down to Smugglers Bay

            Another day we drove to the coast at Pataua South, taking the turn just past Parua Bay.  The road wound around to the northeast, giving glimpses of Taiharuru Estuary before arriving at Pataua.  An arching wooden footbridge joined Pataua South with its northern counterpart.  There were plenty of people, young and old, jumping and diving from the footbridge into the waters below and we watched them for a while before setting our sights on Pataua Mountain.  Sometimes known as Pataua Island, the mountain is really a hill and it is on a peninsula rather than an island.   Despite that it is quite a landmark and we decided to climb it.

            The track started near the pretty sandy beach called Frog Town (no one seems to know why) and went steeply uphill through deep mounds of kikuyu and other grasses.  We were already getting lovely views of the coast and the higher we went the better they became.  We scrambled through the roots of a pōhutukawa at one point before reaching the summit.  From here the views were extensive.  We could look north into Ngunguru Bay and beyond, to the south we looked back to the heads.  Pataua and the footbridge were tiny.  No wonder Māori used the place as a pā—it was in use when the missionary Samuel Marsden took shelter there in 1820.

Pataua

            Retracing our steps we returned to the estuary.  We found a shady spot under the pōhutukawa trees on the Pataua North side and I had a refreshing swim.  Reflecting on our stay in Whangarei and our explorations of its harbour we realised why some of our friends call us 'the mountain goats'.  We had certainly climbed to some heights in the area and taken in some magical views.

Information about places mentioned in this post - correct at time of writing

Walks

• ·    Mount Parihaka Scenic Reserve

www.wdc.govt.nz/FacilitiesandRecreation/WalksTrails/Pages/Parihaka.aspx

Hokianga/Dobbie and Drummond tracks: 1.4-1.9 km, 40-50 min, easy: walking track

Access:  Rurumoki Street, Whangarei

• ·    A.H. Reed Memorial Park

www.wdc.govt.nz/FacilitiesandRecreation/WalksTrails/Pages

/AHReedMemorialPark.aspx

Canopy Loop: 15 min, easy: walking track

Waterfall walk: 1.4 km, 1 hour return, easy: walking track

Access:  Whareora Rd, Kensington, Whangarei

• ·     Mount Manaia Track

www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/northland/places/whangarei-heads-area/things-to-do/mount-manaia-track

3.5 km return, 2-3 hr, easy: walking track (but steep)

Access:  Whangarei Heads Road, McLeod Bay

• ·    Mount Aubrey and Reotahi Coastal Walkway

www.wdc.govt.nz/FacilitiesandRecreation/WalksTrails/Pages/MountAubrey.aspx

1.1 km, 2 hrs, easy: walking track

Access:  Reotahi Road, McLeod Bay

• ·    Smugglers Bay Loop Track

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/northland/places/whangarei-heads-area/things-to-do/smugglers-bay-loop-track

3 km loop, 1.5 hr, easy: walking track

Access: Urquharts Bay Road, Urquharts Bay

• ·    Pataua Island

easy beach walk and 15 min climb to the top of Pataua Island Mountain

Access: Mahanga Rd, Pataua South

Places to visit

• ·  Whangarei Art Museum

Town Basin, Whangarei

http://whangareiartmuseum.co.nz

Hours: 10.00 am-4.00 pm daily

Entry: donation

• Claphams Clock Museum

 Town basin, Whangarei

http://claphamsclocks.com

Hours: 9.00 am-5.00 pm 

Entry price: adult $10, senior and student $8, child $4

• ·   Kiwi North: Whangarei Museum, Kiwi House, Heritage Park

500, SH 14, Maunu, Whangarei

www.kiwinorth.co.nz

Hours: 10.00 am-4.00 pm 

Entry price: adult $20, senior and student $15, child $5

Cycling the Twin Coast Trail

Sunset at Horeke

Our bus parked beside the tavern at Horeke

A cold drink after our cycle ride

Relaxing with a cold drink at the picturesque and historical Horeke Hotel after completing the Pou Herenga Tai - Twin Coast Cycle Trail, we reflected that we had cycled as much through history as we had through the amazing scenery.  After all, the Horeke pub was the first built in New Zealand (though not the first to get a license) and served thirsty boat-builders from the adjacent yard as early as 1830.  Nestled behind a pōhutukawa on the shores of the Hokianga Harbour, the wooden building was constructed by the first settlers in the area—including an infamous local, Jack Marmon, known as Cannibal Jack.  The shipyard is long gone and Horeke is a quiet backwater now.  We enjoyed a stunning sunset and a peaceful night with Tangaroa parked beside the tavern.

            The 87-kilometre-long cycle trail can be ridden in two days but we split it into a leisurely four, starting on the east coast at Opua in the Bay of Islands.  Opua's waterside, once busy with sailing ships, whaling boats and the comings and goings of everyone from settlers and missionaries to ex-convicts, is now home to a marina, a base for local boaties and visiting overseas yachtsmen. 

The cycle trail left from Opua

            The cycle trail started at the end of the marina area and followed the route of an old railway.  This line linked what was then the coal-mining town of Kawakawa (and later the meat-works at Moerewa) with Opua Wharf.  It was completed in 1884 and carried freight and passengers until it's closure until 1985.  After this the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway operated tourist rides from Kawakawa along the tracks to Opua.  In turn this ceased in 2001 as the bridges along the route needed strengthening.  Members of the Vintage Railway Trust have been gradually repairing the bridges and now a service operates again as far as Taumarere Station.  Cyclists can ride either a steam or diesel train from here to Kawakawa if they time their ride correctly.

            We enjoyed the estuary and river views as the cycle trail took us beside mangroves, through an old rail tunnel and over the amazing Taumarere Bridge, the longest curved wooden bridge in the Southern Hemisphere.  We stopped for a short break at the picnic area beside the old railway station here before continuing to Kawakawa.  

Taumarere Bridge

This little town was a rural backwater until it achieved fame for its toilets block.  Designed by the Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, this funky building features sculpture, broken tiles, inset glass bottles, a living tree and a grass roof.  It is the most photographed public toilet in New Zealand.  Hundertwasser lived in Kawakawa from 1975 and it was the artist's last project, completed in 1999.

            Kawakawa has been revived by the toilets, and many other buildings have been decorated Hundertwasser-style, making it a pleasant place for a stop.  There are a couple of cafes along the main street, also one at the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Station.  This is the trust's headquarters and is worth a visit in its own right.  Railway buffs can check out Gabriel, the steam train that puffs along Kawakawa's main street, as well as several other steam and diesel trains, both working and in various stages of repair.

The Railway Station and cafe in Kawakawa

Inside Kawakawa's Hundertwasser toilets

            The second part of our cycle journey took us from Kawakawa to Kaikohe.  The sunny beaches of the Bay of Islands seemed far behind as we cycled through a pastoral landscape.  Before long we skirted behind the meat-freezing works and an abandoned wood mill at Moerewa, getting a glimpse of the township—a typical small rural Northland settlement.  The twin suspension bridges over the Orauta Stream, a little further on, were the highlight of this section.  We spent some time here, admiring the sturdy, weathered old timbers of the bridge and the pretty cascading waterfalls below.  We followed the route of the old railway through cuttings and along straights (with a couple of roadside sections) before approaching the outskirts of Kaikohe.

On the bridge

Pou beside the cycle trail

            Kaikohe was known as 'the hub of the north' after the arrival of the railway in 1914 brought prosperity to the area.  Prior to this Kaikohe had been a small Māori settlement though the area has always been important to the local Ngāpuhi iwi.  Hone Heke, the warrior who started an uprising after chopping down the flagpole at Russell, died at Kaikohe in 1850.  His grand-nephew, Hone Heke Ngapua, was born in Kaikohe and became one of the first Māori Members of Parliament.

At Ngawha Springs

While we were in the vicinity we went to visit the unique attraction of Ngawha Springs.  The area around Kaikohe is dotted with volcanic cones and the associated geothermal energy has resulted in many hot springs, especially at Ngawha.  What makes these pools so different from other hot pools in New Zealand is the way they have retained their basic, unsophisticated character.  For four dollars per person we got to soak in several of the (spa pool-sized) pools at Ngawha, each of the fifteen fed by its own spring and having its own mineral make up and temperature.  From the scalding hot, black waters of the Bulldog Pool to the milky white Cool Pools, there was a place for everyone to soothe their aching muscles.  We liked the greeny-yellow water in the Tanemahuta Pool from where we watched a couple of girls scrape the bottom of their pool for mud face masks.  Nearby a tattooed local with hair in a topknot could have been Hone Heke himself.

Historic church at Okaihau

            The next portion of the cycle trail took us through rich farmlands, past Lake Omapere and on to the little settlement of Okaihau.  This was the highest part of the trail, but was flat and easy to ride.  An interesting part of this section was an eighty metre-long curved rail tunnel.  We had torches with us and went slowly to avoid crashing into the sides.  There were wide views of the surrounding countryside from beside the peaceful lake and it was hard to realise that, during the New Zealand Wars, battles were fought on and around the pā sites we could see.  St Catherine's Church in Okaihau has a memorial to twelve British soldiers who died in the conflict.  Signboards beside the trail gave information about this and other features of interest.

            We thought the ride from Okaihau to Horeke was the best part of the whole cycle trail.  The scenery was varied and the views were spectacular.  Near Okaihau we had panoramic views across to the Puketi Forest while, after turning in the other direction, we looked out on the picturesque Utakura Valley.  A series of switchback curves took us—slowly and carefully—down a steep descent and we were soon on a narrow track through native bush beside the river.  We took a rest at a picnic spot in the shade of spreading trees and were soon joined by a flock of chooks, hopeful of getting some crumbs from our picnic.

            The trail widened here and soon we were swooping down hills bordered by lush pastures.  It almost seemed a shame when we neared Horeke and came to a boardwalk across wetlands that fringe the Hokianga Harbour.  This 1,200-metre section of boardwalk was wide and easy to ride, taking us through mangroves, reeds and rushes to where Tangaroa was parked beside the Horeke Hotel.  The trail itself finished a couple of kilometres down the road beside the old Māngungu Mission Station.

Boardwalk section near Horeke

                        The Twin Coast Cycle Trail had taken us through diverse scenery as we rode from the Bay of Islands to the less-visited Hokianga region.  We passed through countryside that has been home to both Māori and Pakehā (white New Zealander), and towns that have flourished and then declined.  Following the route of the railway that once brought prosperity to the region we have enjoyed not only the scenery but the historic places we visited on the way.  This is a cycle trail not to be missed.

Mangungu Mission Station on the Hokianga Harbour

Information about places mentioned in this post, correct at time of writingCycle Trails

• ·         Twin Coast Cycle Trail

https://www.nzcycletrail.com/trails/twin-coast-trail/

www.aa.co.nz/travel/rental-vehicles-and-transport/nz-cycle-trail-guide

(or pick up a guide at any New Zealand Automobile Association/AA New Zealand office and some i-SITEs)

Opua to Kawakawa, 12 km, grade: easiest

Kawakawa to Kaikohe, 32 km, grade: easiest

Kaikohe to Okaihau, 14 km, grade: easiest

Okaihau to Horeke, 24 km, grade: intermediate

Places to visit

• ·         Bay of Islands Vintage Steam Railway

Gillies Street, Kawakawa

Train timetable and other information on the website: www.bayofislandsvintagerailway.org.nz

• ·         Hundertwasser Public Toilets

Gillies Street, Kawakawa 

Hours: 0pen 24 hours daily

• ·         Ngawha Springs

Ngawha Springs Road at Ngawha Springs

www.ngawhasprings.co.nz

Hours: 9.00 am-9.00 pm 

Entry price: adult $4, seniors $3, high school students $2, primary school students $1  cash only, honesty box if unattended