You may wonder at the title. We were booked to go to Tiri Tiri Matangi Island today but on arriving at the tour office today's trip had been cancelled due to the inclement weather (rain and wind promised). We re-group and return to the B&B to peruse the guide books for alternative venues. Decision made we set out for the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and the surf beaches on the west coast, taking our already planned picnic lunch with us. We start off in the rain and, after about an hours drive, the first port-of-call is the Arataki Visitor Centre. The entrance to the visitor centre follows a raised walkway with regular flora identification panels and several (rather stunning) viewpoints, even when it was cloudy.
It was too windy for Eric as there was quite a drop from the viewing platform.
The centre itself has an exhibition about the history and ecology of the region, with a short video - and of course a shop for browsing in. The area was occupied by Maori but then purchased from them in the mid 19th century, when it was extensively logged for Kauri wood, until 1921, but has since been allowed to regenerate. The beaches in this area have been used as film locations for 'The Piano' 'Hercules' and 'Xena Warrior Princess'! amongst others. Armed with several guides and a map for the area we start out for KareKare originally known as Waikarekare (translates as 'bay of the boisterous seas'!). The brochure shows two short walks, one to the beach and one to a waterfall. It's stopped raining so it's to the beach first, through a glade of Pohutukawa trees and across the dunes.
The sand makes for difficult walking. The beach is almost deserted and you can see why it earned it's Maori name.
The rocky lava outcrop is called The Watchman, and used to have a pa, or Maori fort, there for over 400 years.
The beach has lots of these Ram's Horn Shell, which apparently is the buoyancy organ in Spirula spirula, some form of deep sea squid.
The wind is very strong and whipping up the black sand, which is incredibly sparkly, like there are tiny diamonds being blown around.
Up the hill and on to the waterfall - Te Ahoaho, or 'pendulous white thread'.
Back in the car park Eric makes friends with the local Pou.
As this is a driving tour we return to the car and set off to our next destination, Piha. There are two short walks here, but unfortunately they both involve going up steep steps! One climb is avoided by happening upon a viewpoint on the road that looks down onto the iconic Lion Rock.
Eric clings on in the wind.
But at least it's blown the clouds away.
We travel on down to the actual beach, where Eric wonders whether to go in for a dip.
We advise that it's too dangerous, a famous pop star Pearl Jam's Eddie Veeder nearly died whilst swimming from a beach on this coast, and there is even a whole TV programme (Piha Rescue) devoted to rescues from here!
One of us wimps out of the other Lookout Track walk and waits on the beach only to be accosted by an elderly lady selling knitted beanie hats in the tea cosy mode. Perhaps she has no pension, but the wimp has no money so is unable to purchase one. The wimp misses out on the amazing views from the lookout.
Eric didn't climb the steps either and instead waits by the rental car.
Once the wanderer returns, we sally out again. The next part of the driving tour involves a Scenic Drive, with viewpoint stops and suggested walks of different lengths. This regional park has more than 16,000 hectares of native rainforest, lots of coastline and walking tracks and yet is on the outskirts of Auckland.
We stop at Parkinson Lookout and are confused in terms of the direction we are travelling as it gives a view out over Auckland.
What? Auckland's in that direction?
The next lookout is at Pukematekeo, with views all around, although slightly obscured by misty clouds in some directions, particularly towards the mountains of the Waitakere Range.
The next beach on the tour is Te Henga ( Bethells) and as the bush walks here are all long we content ourselves with visiting the beach area and driving alongside a wetland, which annoyingly, with the road being so narrow, has nowhere to pull off, stop and look.
Back to the Scenic Drive and on to the gannet colony at Muriwai Regional Park - a good place for our picnic, overlooking the beach with kite surfers making their way across the water's surface (and through the air!).
The beach seems to go on forever,
but we are able to get up close and personal with the gannet colony (and it's free!).
They really are amazing flyers even they were struggling against today's wind.
Courtship and mating is underway at the moment.
There are also Terns here, which look so delicate when they are flying, although they are hunkered down in this photo!
Eric poses with the gannets
The sun is out by now but still with a few showers passing through.
Time to head back to the accommodation, stopping to provision up for another picnic tomorrow (hopefully the weather will be good enough for us to make it to Tiri Tiri Island this time).