By the numbers
Walked 12.07kms
17,519 steps
Today there was no real plan to go anywhere, but I knew
there would be some pretty hot days coming up. We made the plan to visit
Smugglers Cove at Whangarei Heads as I had not been there before. When we left
Claude and I visited the information centre to see what we could find about
where we were going. I came away with a few brochures for different areas that
I am visiting as you do. Though has always been something I have always done
even in hospitals.
We headed out to Urquhart Bay where I would be dropped off
to do the Busby Head / Smugglers Cove walk. On the way there we had a quick
stop at the walking trail for Mt. Manaia to let traffic past. It was one spot
that I wanted to stop at since there was a memorial to the early settlers and
seemed to be directed towards the settlers of Waipu with Norman Mcleod. I took
pics of the memorial and off we went again. Once I got out of the car the plan
was to walk to Smugglers Cove and head to Ocean Beach via the Peach Cove trail.
It should only take a couple of hours. I had luckily purchased another bottle
of water and had a pie for lunch that I was taking with me.
I headed for the first part of the walk to the gun placement
and was surprised that this was actually being protected. I did find that it
had been fired three times as a test during World War II and the munitions area
I think was disguised as a farmhouse, which fooled the locals too. The
communication building was known to be as several that had murals painted by
the soldiers of the local area above the window sill. I actually went back
inside to look after I read that. Luckily I had to dig my pie out from the
depths of my bag to munch on as I walked towards Busby Head. The walk was steep
and sort of tough, but I made it to the branch that would take me back to the
carpark or Smugglers. I headed to Smugglers thinking I could wander up Busby
head until I found it to be a thin path. The path to Smugglers Cove was in
better condition and wide. I raised an eyebrow when a guy in thongs / jandals
walked by to head up to Busby Head. The walk down to the beach was pretty easy
and there were not that many people down there. I decided to keep walking and
go through the gate that divided the cows with the beach. The cows had no
problems with me or others walking by.
Once I had climbed a slight rise to a seat I had to sit for
a couple of minutes and then went to the Te Whara Track that goes via Mt. Lion
and Te Whara then onto Ocean Beach. The offering for the walk would be 3.5
hours and I was thinking about it and going we spoke about it. The walk is
actually following an old Maori trail. I made it half way up several steps
before reconsidering a very tough walking trail. I didn’t feel like going up
huge mountains. I decided the easiest way was to walk via the road to where I
was going to meet Claude. It was a narrow road, but at last I got to see some
sights before I took the main road to the beach direction. Half way to the
destination, Claude pulls up to pick me up as he was driving past. The road was
flatter than going through the bush and takes less time. We drove to the end of
the road to Ocean Beach, which has a surf club and a memorial to a mine sweeper
that sunk due to a mine in New Zealand waters. I was glad I had made it to
where I had as it was a great view.
The next place we ended up taking the road to was to Pataua
South that is a town divided by a river so there is a Pataua North. Between
them is a footbridge that people can walk across. They both have separate roads
to head over to each part so you wouldn’t really want to live there and have to
walk to either side. I did take a wander and from the beach watched a boat
cross the bar. The local garbos were working and following the truck. They run
after the truck throwing things in unlike our guys who just lift wheely bins. I
could have followed my map that I left in the car and ended up at Frog Town
Beach, but I think I had done enough walking for one day and in the hot sun too.
Once we made our way back I found that I had gotten sunburnt. I think I have
learnt a lesson in NZ. You can really get sunburnt.
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