Coming Events

Traditionally, we do a hike on the Sunday of the World Naked Bike Ride weekend, so this year it's on Sunday 16th March.

Last year's hike was a challenge for some, and have said they'd like to do a less challenging hike this year, so we have a couple of options:

1. The Daly's Clearing Loop Track starts at the carpark at the end of Franklin Road, Waitawheta Valley, which is a 15 minute drive from Waihi Beach Hotel. We start the hike at 10:30 a.m., climbing south-west and uphill through private farmland for 30 minutes to reach the park boundary.

The track then follows a ridge with a gentle climb through bush to meet the main North / South Track. A highlight along this track is the extensive groves of nīkau nestled under tall tawa, kohekohe and pukatea forest. We then turn south until we reach the junction with the Daly's Clearing Track. Daly's Clearing Hut is about 15 minutes along this track, above the Romanga Stream, where we can stop for lunch.

From the hut, it's all downhill to the Waitawheta Tramline Track where we turn left to meander alongside the Waitawheta River. There will be opportunity along there for a cooling dip in the many swimming spots. Then it's just a few minutes flat walk back to the carpark.

Total walk time is around three and a half hours.

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2. Kaiaua Shorebird Coastal walk. This is a pleasant and easy flat walk along the shell-bank coastline starting just South of Ray's Rest freedom camping near Kaiaua. It involves a short 10 minute walk along the Hauraki Rail Trail to reach a track that accesses the coast. Then it takes around 50 minutes to the end of the spit where the shorebirds - mainly godwits - gather over summer. From March they start to gather for their long 10,000 Km flight back to Alaska.

After a lunch break we then do the return walk back to Ray's Rest. Total walk time is around two hours.

If you're keen on a swim, we'll need to start around 10 a.m. and you'll need to take a dip early on in the walk, as the tide will be on it's way out and soon becomes too shallow to swim.

Ray's Rest is about 60 minutes drive from the Waihi Beach Hotel.

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So - these are the suggested options. Let me know by a comment below or by email (haurakinaturally@gmail.com) if you plan to join us and which you'd prefer to do. If there are a substantial number of folks favouring each walk, we could possibly do both.

See you there!

Rok