Parau Track - Kakamatua Ridge Track - Farley Track - Panto Track - Parau Track

Date:  Friday 4 March 2016
Party:  Anna, Lesley and Elizabeth

Distance: 14.5 km.  Time:  4 Hours 45 min.
Notes: Apparently this is the first trip in the Waitaks that the three of us have managed to do together this year.  So there was much to discuss.  This is a circuit we have done several times before and it provides a good stretch of the legs with much mud, many tree roots and a couple of very steep ascents and descents.  It doesn't have the stand-out views of some tracks but there are lovely glimpses through the bush of harbour, bays and valleys along with a couple of very pretty streams to cross.

Just for variety we parked by the locked gate on the Huia Dam Road and set off up Parau Track from the West.  This track is now well marked as the temporary route for the Hilary Trail while the Lower Huia Dam Road remains closed because of a slip.  It is well sign posted but definitely one of the rougher sections of the Hilary Trail.  It was a gorgeous, hot, sunny day and we were very happy to have the shelter of the bush for virtually the entire walk.  At various points along the way there are groves of young kauri, nikau and tree ferns, all of which were looking splendid in the dappled light.  

We were trudging back along Parau Track at about 12.30, looking forward to lunch [left overs for me which had leaked all through my pack, left overs for Elizabeth too I think, but more artfully presented than mine.  Lesley on short rations due to an empty fridge, produced a scratched together Vogel's sandwich with a smidgeon of lettuce and tomato by the look of it].  Anyhow, while we were still in anticipation mode we happened upon a group of three women who fell upon us with enormous relief declaring they were completely lost!  Such excitement, especially when we learnt there were nine more souls a little further down the track including a 71 year old.  That is not old in my books, as was borne out when we met her at the end of the day.  I felt ever so important being able to flash my phone with GPS in operation plus an old fashioned paper map and point out exactly where they were. Their relief at suddenly not being lost any more was tempered by consternation at the news they were about an hour and a half's walk away from rescue.  I tried to cheer them up by alerting them to the beauty of their surroundings and the flutter of kereru wings in the branches above us - Lesley was more sensitive to their complete disinterest in anything other than escaping the Hell they found themselves in.  It was meant to be a gentle stroll from the Arataki Visitors' Centre followed by lunch on Waiheke Island for the group of foreign visitors here on a company junket.  Oh well, I am sure the experience was great for team bonding.  We came upon a park ranger at the end of the track who told us it is a not uncommon occurrence.  It certainly made the back end of our trip go quickly as we speculated on the whys and wherefores of it all.

After all that excitement we repaired to the Huia Foodstore for refreshment and were just making our way back into Titirangi when we came across our lost souls, no doubt asleep,  in their very large bus. I am not quite sure why but we ended up taking a wrong turn and following them, so it was our turn to be lost.  They turned [that's a lot of turns] into a vineyard, we dug out the GPS on the phone and headed for the motorway.

Elizabeth and Peter's Chorizo and Pasta Recipe

• Primo chorizo sausages. You can buy them in packs of 2. Each pack is 200g. We figured one sausage per person.
• 1 onion
• Herbs: mixture of dried oregano, sweet basil, powdered garlic and a bay leaf. Mixed this together at home.
• Pouch of olives - Crespo pitted dry black olives. 70 g. We may have added 2 pouches, I can’t quite remember.
• 2 fresh red capsicums courtesy of Andrea.
• 1 packet of Backcountry freeze dried vegetables. Had peas, carrots and corn.
• Delmaine double concentrate tomato paste. 280g split into 4 tubs each 70g.
• 1 packet of Ornelle shaved parmesan cheese. 100g.
• Salt and pepper to add while cooking for taste.
• 1 packet of San Remo pasta bow ties. 500g.
• Dried porcini mushrooms

Method:

Fry onion, capsicum and sausages together.

Add herbs when almost cooked. Fry for another minute or two so herbs become fragrant.

Put into billy with tomato paste and enough water to bring to required consistency.  Add olives. Bring to boil and then simmer until cooked enough, add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook pasta in another billy. Add freeze dried vegetable to pasta just before pasta done so that vegetable cook in the pasta water with the pasta.

When pasta cooked drain and mix everything into one billy.

Add parmesan cheese to each serving and voila a restaurant quality meal!!!!

Whatipu circuit - Donald McLean Track - Karamatura Forks - Huia Ridge Track - Walker Ridge Track - Orange Peel Corner - Walker Ridge Track (cont.) - Gibbons Track - Omananui Track - Puriri Ridge Track - Mt Donald McLean Car Park

Date: 12 February 2016
Party: Anna, Lesley
Map: http://trampaddicts.weebly.com/whatipu-circuit.html


Distance: Nearly 15km
Elevation:


Time: 5 hours 20 mins
Notes: From the start at Mt Donald McLean car-park this had the makings of an interesting tramp. We pulled our car in behind a wee suzuki, whose driver was the most ancient man we have seen out in the Waitakeres. He must have been at least 80, with a dodgy old-school pack, a stick, rheumy eyes and a hat a Boy Scout would have been proud of. As we got ourselves organised, he mumbled something then trundled off down the road. We hit the track, and discovered him at the first junction, where he mumbled some more and headed in the opposite direction to us. Well, we collectively thought, glad I am not going in the same direction as him/them! (More of him later...).This is a pretty straight forward tramp (initially) with signs at regular intervals and well-groomed tracks. There are some totally amazing views from Gibbons and Omananui Tracks out across the harbour, where you can see the confluence of harbour/sea and the sand bars which make this a very tricky stretch of water to navigate. The colours on this incredibly hot day were New Zealand classics, with the sharp blue sky and the peacock blues and turquoises of the water. The toi toi and pampas grasses were out (see Anna's photo) - it could not have been a more perfect day.

You can see on the elevation map that there is a significant downhill stretch, followed by two peaks. The Gibbons Track goes downhill to meet the lodge/camping area at Whatipu (where we saw a few campers and enjoyed a toilet break), then if you scan the way forward, and chance to look up, you see the trig. We have been here before, and know that there is a nice bench on the first peak, before you descend and then ascend again to the trig. It looks exposed and hot. But we've done it before, right? It's too hot for me. We hit the bench peak and have a drink and admire the ever-expanding view, then down-up on the way to the trig. I have to stop about 3/4 of the way to the trig, feeling buggered. We have to progress in 10 step increments. We are almost at the top when we spot...80-year-old-man. Coming down from the trig. He has gone in the opposite direction to us, has summited, and is now on the way to WALK THE REST OF THE TRAMP, and reckons he will be out about 6 pm. He has not even broken a sweat, and chats with Anna while I decide if I need to throw up or faint. Under the trig is too cramped for shade (we tried though) so we descend a bit, and eat some lunch. Munching happily on our sandwiches, we are surprised by a group of four, one with a go-pro attached to the centre of his chest. (What? Damn why didn't we think of that?!) The rest of the tramp seems lengthy (as things do when you are buggered) and we are disproportionately happy when the car park and beloved car finally appear. Love you, Golf GTi. We repair (literally) to the Huia Cafe and some light refreshments, and watch jealously as a stream of locals buy double-decker, freezing cold, melt-all-over-your-hands icecreams. We are slightly consoled by the fact that every one of them has a little extra padding...

Pampas grass

Heading up to the trig, 'bench' peak in background. Trying not to pass out in the heat.

Glen Esk Road - Piha Valley Track - McKenzie Track - Quarry Track - McElwain Lookout - Centennial Track - Home Track - Connect Track - Kitekite Falls - Kitekite Falls Track - Glen Esk Road Car Park

Date: January 22, 2016
Party: Anna, Lesley
Map:

Distance: 11km
Elevation: 0-350 + 100-270 = 520 total





Time: Just over 4 hours, but we had an instagram stop (!) AND a longer lunch break than usual to watch the abseilers.

Notes: We are feeling the hot breath of Moss Pass in Nelson Lakes (March 2016) on our backs, so our first walks of the year are focused on elevation. Hills, and more hills. And lots of steps, just to mix it up. We discovered that the elevation difference between Blue Lake Hut and Moss Pass is about 600m (Moss Pass is 1785m high, Blue Lakes Hut is at 1190m, and it's about 1.7 km to the peak), so we are trying to make sure that we have a sense of how high and far it is, to consolidate our confidence. No paranoia here.... 

This is one of those walks you could recommend to someone else with a clear conscience. It has everything, and can be shortened or lengthened depending on what you want to do. The view from the lookout is amazing - we could see Te Toiokawharu in the distance and the west coast beaches stretching off to the right, with Piha directly in front of us. Hard to believe it had only taken a short while to get so far from where we had parked. We ran into Black Rock Dam on Centennial Track, which was in great shape - the water really clear and the remnants of the dam clearly visible in the structure. We wanted to have lunch at the falls, and joined the crowds of people (yes, crowds) soaking in the pools or canyoning or lounging on the rocks. What a novelty to come across anyone else! And as we walked down, we came across plenty of others headed up for a dip. The day was incredibly hot - late 20s - so that water looked pretty inviting. We loved the abseilers - one minute there was a sedate group of children splashing around, next there was a succession of people whizzing (or not) down the side of the falls. The instructor came down the ropes in the picture in about 3 seconds. We had coffee and gingerella (ok, and ginger crunch) at the Piha Cafe, which was really busy too - obviously we have never been to Piha in the summer! A great start to the tramping and walking year. Man, have we got plans!!

Gingerella

Steps up from the Dam

Kitekite Falls as we have never seen them before!

Black Rock Dam

Moss

So graceful!

Boulder Blonde

Upstream

Scribbles!

Found washed up on a log...

The Andrews Family (a special guest appearance!)

Maeve

John Beth and Lucy in San Francisco

John Lucy Maeve Ellis Beth

Lucy Maeve

Ellis Maeve Marta (?) John Beth

Holidays here, there, and everywhere