Today's plans involve a circular walk that includes two ferries. The walk from Russell to Pahia is in sections, some apparently harder than others. We pack some cheese and crackers, nuts and seeds, three bottles of water and the suntan cream - it is already sunny. Set up for the day with fresh fruit, muesli, grilled tomatoes on sourdough toast and a soy sausage, toast with homemade jam we begin the day's journey.
The first section starts from the B&B garden down along the Lemon Tree Walkway, then along a section of a back road until we reach the waste transfer station (sounds picturesque so far?). A small path past the waste depot leads to the start of the wetland boardwalk.
Eric prepares to enter the bush. "Do we have to shout 'Yo Bear'" No Eric that's a different country.
Lisette from Russell Nature Walks had told us we should try clicking our fingers together three times as we enter this sort of area. This was to entice the Fernbird to be nosey and come out to have a look at us. A notoriously skulking bird, we had heard one on our morning's walk yesterday, but not seen it. We were hoping for better luck today.
But not right here apparently!
We pass some farmland with a kingfisher sitting on a rock
A few minor ups and downs later another boardwalk through the mangroves starts. There are various blooping and plopping sounds as the mud beneath us bubbles and fish jump.
That's where we have just walked from - we must be doing the walk backwards!
We meet some ladies here who are doing the walk the other way around. They say that it has taken them an hour and half to walk from the ferry at Okiato, and that they hadn't been rushing. That sounds like our sort of walking pace so we hope this is a good indication of the time we'll reach the ferry.
"Well I've walked 4.5km so I deserve a bit of a ride now."
The next section is flat, and has some scrubby sedge vegetation before the mangroves start again. It was historically near a manganese mine, and some of the boulders they extracted the manganese from still lie on the ground where they fell. The flying fox system that took them from the mine to the boats used to run above this area.
Eric checking out what birds we might see.
We have already seen a TomTit, a Grey Warbler, Kingfisher, Caspian Tern, White-fronted Tern, Banded Rail a Reef Heron and a Grey Heron (or White-faced - a bit too far away to tell). Most were too difficult to photograph but managed to get some shots of the White-fronted Terns. Still no Fernbirds.
This is a Flame Tree flower. as with quite a lot of the flora we've been photographing, it is not native to New Zealand.
Quite pretty though.
A Shag sitting on the oyster bed posts looking for an easy meal?
Another Tern photo - this one was about to dive for a fish
That's the splash where it went in!
After the boardwalk we climb steeply into the forest.
What goes up must come down. Eric contemplates bounding down the steps - it's cooler in here and he's full of renewed energy.
But not for long - the track makes it's way up and down, up and down and yet more up and down.
Eric tells us we are still on stage three - just a different part. What does that say? Steep stepped descent
- you can say that again! They should have added steep stepped ascent as well. Phew!
Next section - Oh no, more undulating stepped steeper grades (does that mean steeper than the last lot?!)
We must have been near the top of the hill because the next section starts with steps down.
Eric has to have another ride as dog's must be kept on leads and we have forgotten his. This is Kiwi protection zone. Loose dogs are bad news for Kiwis.
More of those gorgeous tree ferns. Think this is a Silverback Fern.
And marvellous epiphytes.
This bit of path was horrendously undulating, but we took it slow and reached the end of section in our own time - well there were lots of interesting flora to look out for and birds to listen to on the way. We saw the usual Fantail following us around, pairs of Rosella flying overhead, lots of Tui and the odd NZ Pigeon.
We are at the start of Stage One!
Not more steps! Dogs on leads and no cycling (Eric thinks anyone who wanted to cycle down these would be totally bonkers).
We are back on the flat again here, and alongside a stream - not sure what flower this is, but probably something non-native based on our previous floral photographing history. It had huge leaves and a very tall, large flower spike.
One of those Australasian Harriers?
"But we've just done that bit"
We have to follow the leaflet guide instructions backward as we've come from Stage Three and finished this part of the walk at Stage One. Now it's off to the ferry to find the walk stages to Pahia on the opposite side. We decide that after all that up and down we would rather go onward than face going back the way we came!
But first, some lunch at this rather pleasant picnic spot.
No-one on the beach again.
Eric settles down for a snack.
Eric takes a last look at the water before we try to find our way to the ferry.
Up hill and down dale and there's a ferry waiting at the ramp. We walk hastily to ensure we do not have to wait for next one -
Yippee, we made it!
A rusting hulk seen from the ferry. Still floating though, so maybe not so rusty.
Opua draws nearer.
Here's the map for the next parts of our day's hike. Part of the Opua to Pahia walk.
Eric's rearing to go.
At least this looks a bit flatter, it appears to be a boardwalk around the edge of the coast.
Looking back to Opua Harbour.
Two Black (or Variable, or Pied) Oystercatchers on the foreshore - the only way you can tell the difference is the size apparently.
More views along the way.
Eric finds a hammock to lounge on at this convenient rest area.
We hit some more climbing bits, but they are only moderate ones so we breathe a sigh of relief.
Eric come down from there!
Eric wanted to go to the top
As he wasn't allowed up the coastguard platform, Eric dragged us up to Robinson's Viewpoint (yet more steps up and through a lot of overgrown vegetation. Good seat at the top though.
Back down to the main path now. A few gentle undulations later...
We are nearly back at sea-level - but not quite.
The estuary has multiple Kingfisher sitting on rocks and twigs. At least 11 were counted.
And two Grey or White-faced Heron - probably the latter, but too far away to be sure.
More views
Another mangrove forest boardwalk.
A pair of wellies abandoned on the boardwalk. Or, had the person in these wellies undergone spontaneous combustion? (The wellies survived because they are rubber).
"I could canoe down that - If I had a canoe"
Aha, we have reached the next section of the walk.
We pass through a rather idyllic looking campsite.
There a few more (fairly) gentle ups and downs.
Eric says he can see where we are supposed to finish now. It's just around that second headland.
A bridge - that means civilisation doesn't it?
There are two options for the next section, depending on the state of the tide. We are lucky that the tide is out and we can walk around the beach rather than up and over the headland.
Some beach seaweed that look like miniature cabbages.
One of the consequences of walking across this part of the beach is that our shoes get very muddy.
The next section.
Not far now, we can see the small pier at the end of the headland on the far left of the photo, then it's onto the main stretch into Pahia and to the ferry.
Some of the real-estate along this part of the beach.
Getting closer now.
We're round the headland and there's the ferry pier in the distance.
Eric admiring the beach at Taiputuputu Pahi - or perhaps he's looking for a seat with a back on for a proper sit down.
The ferry building looms ever closer.
Eric enjoys a well-deserved ice-cream in Pahia at the end of this part of the walk.
Only problem is, in having the ice-cream we miss the 6:30 ferry and after this they stop running every half hour and only run every hour. It's a wait on the dock then! At least we get to sit down for a while.
Views from the dock
The ferry arrives at last.
The sun has gone down, but not quite dark yet.
View back towards Pahia and Waitangi Treaty Grounds from the ferry.
Back in Russell at last
Only remains to walk back to the B&B - our last bit of uphill of the day.
It's taken us a while but we've walked 14 kilometres!