6-11 December 2015

Day 1   Tryphena ferry terminal to Medlands  Campsite   3h 30

We all made our own way to Great Barrier Island, seemingly using the full range of transport available with boat, plane, car pool & shuttle all involved. Nine of the group gathered at the ferry terminal; Dawn and Michael joined next morning at Medlands.

Once gathered we strolled up the road for a relaxed picnic lunch in the sun at Mulberry Grove and discussion of what we had forgotten; it seemed most of us had forgotten or sacrificed at least one item we would rather have had with us.  This provided a perfect opportunity for some to experience the local store pricing strategy unique to the island I’m sure; simple multiples of $5 seemed to be the order of the day.

After lunch it took about 3 hours to walk up Rosalie Bay road and down the Kowhai track to reach picturesque Medlands beach, perfect timing to enjoy a late afternoon swim.  Views were split on the importance of a swim vs setting up one’s tent, personally the swim won hands down and it was divine. The provision of showers at the campsite was a definite added bonus to rinse that salt off, DoC have definitely provided a great facility.

Day 2   Harataonga Coastal Walkway   4h

After a beautiful night we checked on David who had only a tent fly to brave the elements. He assured us with a straight face that he had slept well. The breakfast highlight was Judith and Anita cooking eggs they had purchased in Tryphena and trekked in unbroken. A very insensitive act I thought as was their obvious enjoyment of the said breakfast. Anita took 12 photos of this achievement and maintained this strike rate of mega photography throughout the trip.

Steve, the local shuttle operator, picked us up at 9 and provided a most informative trip to our track entrance. It was interesting hearing some of the history of the island and in particular the demise of a ship, the Wiltshire, which ran aground. This is NZ’s version of “Whisky Galore” as the locals were quick to salvage what they could to beat the arrival of the Customs officials. Steve reckons the best score was the family who salvaged timber - there is evidence of the timber, doors and fittings in some of the local buildings to this day.

The Harataonga Coastal walkway was a gem. A gentle traverse around the coast with beautiful scenery, bush and bird life. The Loop track provided a great spot to view the beach and relax before descending towards lovely Hatataonga beach with a stream perfect for a soak. The grass at the campsite was freshly groomed and there was a certain reluctance from the sheep to share their favourite spots. It was apparent in the morning that not all had appreciated the pre-dawn chorus from the local kaka despite the often mellifluous tones.

Day 3   Harataonga to Mt Heale hut   4h 45

By day 3 we had seen Hirakimata/Mt Hobson (621 metres) from various viewpoints - would the 360° views from the summit outweigh the grunt up a stairway of hundreds of steps? We walked along the metalled road from our Harataonga campsite to join “SH1” followed by a 5km uphill slog along this road to reach the start of the Windy Canyon track. Two of our group, claiming to be early risers, had slipped off 40 mins early – we recognised this as a shameless attempt to hitch a ride! The road section proved to be very scenic so it was not the ordeal feared. We arrived at the track end after 2 hours to find that the other two had indeed been picked up by a friendly local and had continued on. We sprayed our boots at the Kauri Dieback cleaning station, recalling that Great Barrier Island was one of the first places the disease was noticed back in the 1970s.

The track up Windy Canyon wound its way between the huge rocks of the volcanic landscape, in places climbing steeply and precariously. A sudden crashing sound alerted us to Eggs tumbling off the track, fortunately becoming caught up in the scant undergrowth. Luckily injuries were minimal - and the incident gave rise to a delightful quip from Helen, "Eggs should have stayed sunny side up rather than flipping easy over!"

We followed the ridge down, then up out of the forest into low scrub allowing views of Whangapoua beach and Okiwi and up to the jagged skyline and Hirakimata. Along this section grew sun orchids, an endemic Great Barrier tree daisy, prostrate kanuka as well as other very healthy- looking vegetation. No possums or mustelids here.

We lunched at an H-framed "Wooden Horse", formerly used for winching logs from one side of the ridge to the other. The track dropped into nice bush again and then climbed to the summit, not too testing as the 745 wooden steps were in manageable flights and the surroundings interesting. The summit trig platform was windy but the views impressive. Track damage resulting from slips caused by the devastating June 2014 storm meant that we had to detour around one of these as we made our way down to Mt Heale Hut.  It was now 2.15p.m. -  Dawn and Mike had been there since midday and Mike assured us hitching had helped his sore foot. The 4 year old hut was spacious with wide views over the island and Hauraki Gulf, had gas cookers and solar lights and there was only one other person in residence. We had a relaxing afternoon, before dinner and a good night's sleep.

Day 4    Mt Heale hut to Green Campsite, Whangaparapara    7h

The fourth day proved the longest – we descended the South Fork track towards Port Fitzroy, over a narrow swing bridge and enjoyed views across the valley out to the bays. Lower down we crossed a stream many times where the effects of flood damage were clear and part of the original track had been washed out; fortunately the water level was low. Some pretty pink stones and obsidian were found. At the track junction we continued towards Whangaparapara, on an easy going gradient along the forestry road, now well maintained after decades of decline. We admired a couple of large kauri, then stopped for lunch and had a 10 min side trip scramble up Maungapiko, a rocky lookout which gave a spectacular view of Port Fitzroy. Soon after lunch we reached Withey’s track, a charming bush section with several small streams to cross and one very steep climb. Eventually we reached the Tramline track, a short distance from the Green campsite on the estuary shore of the Whangaparapara harbour. Several chose to cool off in pretty Kauri Falls en route, Diane leading the charge and Helen close behind; the resident mosquitos were delighted. The small campsite was lovely and we were deluded into thinking it was free of mosquitos but all of us found the local variety were distinctly nocturnal – night time departures from tents resulted in profound invasions of the sneaky midgets.

Day 5    Green camp site to Awana Beach    6h

Now we are eight, Eggs, David and Diane for various reasons decided not to tramp today, so off we set about 8.30 to cross the Island. Our first destination was Kauri Falls, as not all of us saw them yesterday, so these were much admired before we continued along the Tramline track which traverses the centre of the island. Lulled into a false sense of security, we ambled along a mostly level track, with the odd gully (unfortunately the old tramline bridges are long gone) then passed the side track to the hot pools but declined to go there, as our work was ahead. Soon the first steep rise and descent was encountered before an even steeper rise, the short level stretch on top was our lunch stop (snooze stop for some) before we faced a very long, steep, slippery descent to the Awana Stream, with its inviting pools, into which we all plunged before facing the last 40 minute steep climb up to the ridge and the main road. Fortunately, throughout the day there were excellent information panels to tell us how the engineers achieved the seemingly impossible feat of hauling kauri logs up and down this very steep tramline. At the road we had a short wait in the sun before Steve arrived, to transport us down to the Awana Bay campsite, another pretty location.

Day 6

Packed up in the morning with most choosing to visit Don and Helen’s bach for a different view of Awana beach from the deck. The group then dispersed in various directions, by plane, ferry or choosing to stay on the Island for a longer time.

Participants: Diane Sealey, David Kinghorn, Dawn Anselmi, John and Jean Wilson, Peter (Eggs) Eggleton, Michael Nightingale, Judith Bogle, Anita Patterson, Don and Helen Burns (leaders)