Bucklands Beach - Pigeon Mountain Reserve - Murvale Reserve - Macleans Park - Musick Point - Bucklands Beach

Date: 3 July 2020

Party: Anna, Elizabeth, Lesley

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Time: 3 hours

Notes: The last time we did something like this walk, it was 2011, and Janet B was part of the party. 

This time, it was seriously freezing when we set off from Bucklands Beach, although we did take the time to admire how close Tahuna Torea Spit is at low tide, and to check out the boats heading out for the day in the channel between the Spit and Bucklands. First stop was Pigeon Mountain / Ōhuiarangi to see what changes have been made to the landscape there: read more about the changes here. Our interest has stemmed from a similar project currently proposed for Mt Albert / Ōwairaka which would also see exotic trees removed and replaced by new native tree plantings.There wasn't much to see - just a small area that has been cleared of larger trees, with some harakeke plantings and a few other shrubs, but not much else. There was a mysterious fenced off area which was only a few metres wide, but which extended across an area close to the summit. The view is amazing! Anna directed us onwards, and we had a close look at urban Bucklands Beach, making our way through Murvale Reserve and Macleans Park before ending up on the Esplanade at Eastern Beach. Highlights included a meeting of some of the more elderly locals behind the public toilet block (we can only assume it was out of the wind), who had thermoses, food, camp chairs and blankets and were happily ensconced for the day. Up and over the hill through the Howick Golf Club, and on to Musick Point. The Musick Memorial Radio Station is at the highest point, with views out to Browns Island, Motutapu and Waiheke, and the Coromandel Peninsula curving around to look as though the whole area encloses a single bay. The day was sunny and clear, so we could see Anna's apartment and the Harbour Bridge way in the distance. Spectacular. We hit the beach, and slid and crunched our way back to Bucklands Espresso Lounge across the muddy low tide. Nice hot coffee, delicious ginger crunch, and some slightly out-of-season monarch butterflies finished off a great walk on a crisp, bluebird day.

Franklin Road - Waitawheta Tramway Track - Waitawheta Hut - Daly's Track - Franklin Road

Date: 5 - 6 June 2020

Party: Anna, Elizabeth, Lesley

Map: https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/bay-of-plenty/kaimai-to-coast-brochure.pdf

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		Daly's Clearing Hut
		Weraroa Virescens

Rakiura / Stewart Island

Date: 8-11 February 2020

Party: Anna, Elizabeth, Peter, Lesley, Tony, Jack, Andrea, Chris

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Auckland - Queenstown (flight)

Queenstown - Invercargill (van)

Invercargill - Oban (flight)

Oban - Christmas Village Hut (water taxi)

Christmas Village Hut - Mt Anglem / Hananui (walk)

Christmas Village Hut - Bungaree Hut (walk)

Bungaree Hut - Ulva Island (water taxi)

Ulva Island - Halfmoon Bay (water taxi)

The Volcanoes Walk (in reverse)

Date: 5 April 2019
Party: Anna, Elizabeth, Lesley
Map:

Distance: approx 11km
Elevation:

Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Notes: This has been one of our go-to walks since the closure of the Waitakere tracks, and mighty good training for elevation. The Reverse Version, adapted by Anna, took us up the (steep) motorway side of Mt Hobson, and the (steep) Pines side of Mt Eden. Cheers for the hamstring/calf stretch, Anna. Fantastic and different views from both, with the Commercial Bay building now a feature of the city skyline. We also ventured around the back of Mt St John, which was novel, and gives a different perspective on the crater there. We made the most of the Reverse Version of Ayr St 🙃 and refuelled at the Shore Road cafe, planning our May trip to Raglan. Elizabeth has been given strict instructions to have a sore knee checked out and fully functional by then.

Auckland

Waiheke and the Sculpture on the Gulf

Date: 22 March 2019
Party: Anna, Lesley
Map: https://sotg.nz/
Distance: 2km of sculpture trail, then a hike around the coastal track from Matiatia to Owhanake Bay, and across the headland back to Matiatia
Elevation: not much
Time: We took the 9am ferry there and the 2pm ferry back to Auckland, and walked most of this time
Notes: This was such a fabulous trip. It somehow suited the post-Christchurch extremist attack mood - maybe the bright and sunny, normal day was a counterpoint to the shocking events of the week before. Everything also seemed to fall into place on the day. Ferries caught, ferries arriving, weather, sculptures, lack of crowds, and a fantail hovering around while we observed the national two-minute silence to remember the victims of the attack.

The first sculpture was by Euan Lockie, and proved hard to beat (see the hut moored in the water), but we enjoyed most and puzzled over a few.

The coastal track was fantastic; the houses outrageous. There were stairs. There was the bay we went to with Nigel for the ‘Annual Quiz Group Boat Trip’ and the beach Tony was taken to in the tender to ‘stabilise’ his sea-sickness on the trip! It was really, really hot. Anna had a sumptuous lunch, I had a brunch bar. The water was turquoise, and it could all not have been better.

Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder