Trip Reports, January - February 2014

Karangahake Gorge Windows Walk

23 February 2014

This walk in the area where gold mining was carried out back in the late 1800s is always a favourite, and exploring the tracks, tunnels and abandoned relics of the Crown, Woodstock and Talisman mining operations is fascinating.   DOC have done a great job with information boards and historic photographs to bring the past to life.   Ten at a time we started off crossing the suspension bridge over the Ohinemuri River and it was a lengthy business as there were over 30 of us!   Then another bridge over the Waitewheta River, followed by the steady climb up the steps to the Woodstock Tramway track which leads on into numerous tunnels and the famous "windows" cut into the mountainside.  The views down into the gorge were spectacular as always.     After crossing the Waitewheta River again we ventured into the cavernous underground Woodstock pumphouse with the remains of its beam engine and other machinery and, turning off our torches and braving the blackness, could see lots of tiny glow worms!   Emerging from here into the sunlight again we found several  little swallows nests on the walls of the tunnel entrance.  After walking back down river and lunch lying on the grass in the brilliant sunshine, we set off again heading for the 1 km long railway tunnel on the other side of the Ohinemuri River.  Although this tunnel is wide and dimly lit torches are still needed and we managed to avoid being run down by one or two people riding through on bikes!   At the end of our walk the café across the road beckoned and we relaxed with coffees and ice creams before the bus journey back to Auckland.  

Thank you John for patiently explaining the workings of the ore crushing batteries and gold extraction methods and for leading a great walk, as always!

John posing!

Waitawheta River

Mt. Albert and Point Chevalier

09 February 2014

We started at the north-western corner of Unitech grounds and learnt that the lovely brick building in front of us had once been the "Avondale Asylum!"  The building was then not as big, with a whole new wing added when it ceased to perform its original function.  We then went on to see many exotic trees within these grounds.  Weeping white mulberry, Black locust, Brazilian coral tree, Bay and Japanese tan oak were but a few!

Going on to the Oakley Creek walkway, we saw a rare sight: how many waterfalls are there in a metropolis like Auckland?  After that it was back to Point Chevalier and on to Western Springs, where we saw Paradise ducks, black swans and many other water birds.

Then through Jaeger's bush to Cox’s Bay, where we saw a good example of a Cook's pine and heard the history of Hellaby’s meat works, originally situated there.  Westmere had been the first subdivision where bungalows, rather than villas,  became popular.  So it was a busy day, when we squeezed in so many different walks into one day.

Thank you, Des, for the impressive amount of ground we covered and amount of new information we heard.

A grand old villa in Westmere.

Under the "Black locust" tree.

Cook's pine with typical "bent" trunk.

Dry seed pods on the "Black locust" tree.

Ponsonby and Inner City Streets and Parks

26 January 2014

We had it all today - parks with exotic trees, historic streets and buildings , artwork, statues and sculpture,  and apart from some light drizzle, we kept dry!    Des lead us through the streets and parks of St Mary's Bay, Ponsonby and Freemans Bay into the inner city entertaining and informing us with stories from Auckland's past,  bringing to life the places we were passing through.      We heard of the Sisters of Mercy and Bishop Pompalier, of the streets which were formerly overcrowded slums and are now full of beautifully restored homes  -  even two former goldminer's cottages side by side which were barged  from Thames many years ago.  And we learnt the reason the well- heeled built turrets on top of their houses!  There were plenty of examples of statuary and sculpture to admire - John Radford's half buried chunks of buildings (called TIP) from Auckland's past in Western Park, a replica of Michelangelo's Moses in Myers Park, even Lord Auckland in the Civic Square.  And there were more than a few of us Aucklanders who didn't know that our city was named after this gentleman!!!  While on the theme of works of art, mention must be made of the well-known and colourful VAANA Peace Mural on the corner of Ponsonby and Karangahape Roads. 

Not forgetting things botanical, we stopped many times to admire some fine examples of exotic trees in Myers and Western Parks - Cook's Pine ( Araucaria columnaris), native of New Caledonia and named after Captain Cook, Weeping Lilly Pilly (Waterhousea floribunda) from Australia, and the Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora (Lauraceae)) with its lovely aroma to name a few. 

We made our way back to St Mary's Bay via the walkway bordering the motorway and were impressed by the effectiveness of the noise barrier alongside.   So three and a half hours after setting out a happy group of 30 odd walkers were back at their cars and already anticipating the next "walk with Des" on February 9 around Mt Albert and Pt Chevalier.   

A big thank you to Des, our leader for the day (and our font of all knowledge!)

Replica of Michelangelo's Moses in Myers Park

Lord Auckland