Cruising the Fabulous Hauraki Gulf! Northern End
There are 47 islands spread across the Hauraki Gulf, and after our short excursion of the previous week, we intend to see more of them. The islands are administered by the Department of Conservation which, to the casual observer, appears to be doing a reasonable job under the pressures of increasing usage. While some of the islands have been designated for recreational use with full access, others have been declared sanctuaries for endangered wildlife with access by permit only.
Sunday, November 29th – 1045 – Under overcast sky and intermittent light rain, we leave Gulf Harbour Marina. The Great Barrier Island, located on the outer fringe of these islands, is our destination. It is this island that figures predominately in making the Hauraki Gulf the fabulous water playground that it is. Captain Cook understood the strategic importance of its size and location and, accordingly, gave the island its very sensible name: Great Barrier Island. Not only do its heights offer some shelter from the prevailing winds, more importantly, its massive length blocks the ocean surge.
An hour later, we are motoring past the lighthouse at the tip of Tiri Tiri Matangi Island. The First Mate loves the way that name rolls off her tongue. It sounds like something from Rudyard Kipling’s wonderful world of words.
.
The lighthouse is picturesque and so is the island, but it is the weekend fleet of variously sized boats slowly drifting around out there with a multitude of fishing poles set that amazes us.
.
We are unable to count them all. Must be at least 70 vessels all with the hope of stocking the larders on a Sunday morning. There’s even one of those jet ski contraptions buzzing around with his fishing rod perched out the rear. The noise and turbulence of that thing can’t be winning him many fishing friends or any fish either!
.
With the winds continuing light, we motor all 30 miles of the trip across the gulf. From a distance, Mount Hobson, the highest point on Great Barrier, is striking. Rising 621m (2,037’), we intend to hike its summit if the weather permits.
.
As we near Man of War Passage which will take us into our intended anchorage of Port Fitzroy, we pass several groupings of rough boulder-like islands that make for an interesting welcome to the island. After several hours of bleakly motoring across a very calm gulf, they are a sensory diversion.
.
Man Of War Passage is
narrow, but deep. Port Fitzroy is large and well-protected with several
lobes or bays for anchoring. We chose Kaiaraara Bay and anchor there
with 2 other sailboats. Though not particularly pretty, it does have
internet! That is an unexpected surprise, for this island is “off the
grid” and sparsely populated. The First Mate is delighted!
.
The weather holds nicely into the evening so it’s Lamb Chops on the Barbie for dinner. If The First Mate gets her act together and has dinner ready for us to sit down before the sun sets, we can eat topside outside. Pleasantly warm turns to unpleasantly cool when the sun sinks below the island.
.
Monday, November 30th – At the head of our bay is Bush’s Beach from where a trail leads up that connects with a trail to the top of Mount Hobson. We wake up in the morning with plans to set out, but Mount Hobson is lost in the clouds. Like every mountain on every island we have seen in the Pacific, Mount Hobson collects and holds its clouds close. No summiting today, but we launch the dinghy to explore ashore.
.
Setting out, we hear the unmistakable hum of a helicopter. It appears over a ridge, circles down to our intended beach and deposits 2 men on the ground.
.
With backpacks and gear, we wonder if they are hikers going from one end of the island to the other. We reach the shore and secure the dinghy above the high tide line. It takes a bit of time for The First Mate to get out of her water shoes, dry her feet and wrestle them into her hiking sandals. The Captain wanders over to talk to the 2 men. Next thing she knows, he is telling her to hurry up. She’s not taking her time. What’s his fussing? Humming down onto the beach is the helicopter returning. To pick up the men? No, to lower replacement parts for the biological toilet strategically located off the edge of the beach. Scrambling out of the way, we both make a quick exit up the trail to escape the wind blast from the blades.
Great Barrier is administered as a recreation reserve open to the public. Approximately 900 hardy souls live here year round with farming and tourism being the main sources of income. Several well-marked and well-maintained trails cut across the island with overnight shelters available for those who want to traverse the island over several days.
.
As we hike up from the beach, once again, we are impressed with the trail system that has been put in place and continues to be maintained. How nice if the USA would do this for the trail infrastructure that we have!
.
We come to a junction in the trail, and as we find throughout any hiking area where the mighty Kauris grow, a shoe disinfectant is set up for our use. The First Mate reads that it is a harmless-to-us, biodegradable spray that does do a good job at killing the spores that cause Kauri Die Back. Willingly and with fervor, The First Mate applies the liquid to her shoes. Again we are impressed, for we have hiked many remote trails and never found one of these wash sites empty of solution.
.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s,
the New Zealand Forest Service planted 150,000 Kauri seedlings across
the island. Though we have hiked through other Kauri areas, we have
never noted young trees. We soon learn to spot their distinctive bark
and identify the foliage. What a joy to hike here and observe the new
growth!
.
We have no idea how old this tree is, but obviously it has a few years to go to reach the towering heights of its seniors.
.
Our pleasure in the new growth, however, is overshadowed by the blight we see in other trees. The First Mate reads that the disease can strike a tree at any stage from incipient seedling to aged giant. Research is being done, but a cure has yet to be found.
.
There are several trails leading to the top of Mount Hobson. An article we had read mentioned that the trail we wanted was closed due to storm damage and was under repair. Our hope is that the repair is completed, but at the trailhead, we learn that our trail is still closed. Fear not! There is another trail, just slightly longer and more round about, but very doable. That we will take tomorrow if the weather clears.
.
Following a trail map found in one of the hiking shelters, we continue on up a forest road eventually turning off onto Line W Track which will lead us over and down to the Kiwiriki Track which we will follow back to Bush’s Beach. The First Mate is entranced by the many, many shades of green. For long stretches, the path is covered with moss. As she pauses to look and take her pictures, The Captain treks on way ahead. Oh, well, can’t get lost here, and isn’t this enchanting?
.
Waiting at the highest point on the trail is The Captain who had paused to admire the view down to and across Man Of War Passage.
.
Surprise! Not all trails are in pristine condition. The Kiwiriki Track has suffered a slip making passage across a ravine a challenge. One cannot help but wonder that if this trail is still considered navigable, what must the closed trail to the top of Mount Hobson look like?
.
By the time the trail gets rough, we have already gone most of the way around and are not that far from Bush’s Beach, and we are not about to retrace our steps. The First Mate gamely presses on.
.
Returning to the beach, the two Forest Service men, with task completed, have been whisked off the island. The self-composting toilet is back in place.
.
Our dinghy awaits us very high and dry now that it is low tide. No problem. That’s why we have wheels on her. The mud, however, is so soft it practically covers our feet as we drag the boat down to the water. Now in the water, moving forward is made even harder by the soft, slick mud. Each step works its way deeper and deeper into the goo. We are getting bogged down in goo. This is no good. We finally pull the wheels up, climb into the dinghy bringing as little muddy goo with us as possible and slowly push then paddle our way out until deep enough to drop the engine. Yuck! We’ll watch the tide and try not to do that again!
Tuesday, December 1st – The weather is not cooperating for our proposed climb up Mount Hobson and doesn’t look like it will for a day or so. We decide to do more exploring along the coast and, under a dismal sky, run up to Katherine Bay which proves to be very pretty with sandy beaches beckoning from shore. Anchored shortly after noon, The Captain’s Log reads, “weather fairly poor for the rest of the day.” We remain warm, cozy and dry on board each occupied with his/her own pursuits. The next day, Wednesday, we return to Kaiaraara Bay with hopes that a trek up Mount Hobson will finally be possible on Thursday.
Thursday, December 3rd – It’s overcast, but we can see the top of Mount Hobson. Hike is on! Back to Bush’s Beach. Dinghy is pulled up above the high tide line with hopes that we will escape the low tide goo when we return. Off we set.
.
Stopping at the hikers’ overnight hut, The Captain double-checks our route to the top.
.
Leaving the forest service road, we head down the trail into the deeper bush. At the bottom, a stream becomes our trail for a while, as part of the original trail had seen storm damage and slippage. The diversions criss-crossing the stream are fun as we follow the stakes up the gorge. However, the temporary trail all too soon leaves the stream when we merge with the main trail to continue deeper into the bush and up into the heights.
.
Every once in a while, a clear spot gives us a view to our destination. Patches of blue keep our hopes alive that a view will be possible when we reach the top. In the distance, a landslide or slip, as New Zealanders call them, can be seen reminding us of avalanche damage that can be seen in our mountains of Colorado. Only these slips here are caused by weak soil, loose rocks, steep slopes and heavy rainfall, not cascading walls of snow.
.
A great walkway skirts the edges of a ravine. Solidly built, there’s not a wobble to the whole expanse.
.
But then comes this bridge running across a deep gorge. Not being a fan of high spots and swaying supports, it stops The First Mate short! Talk about wobbles and narrow and, well, just don’t look down, ole gal. Gingerly she steps down onto the narrow planks, and walking slowly so as not to “rock the boat”, she makes it across.
.
The Captain (show off) has no such concerns.
.
Rounding a corner, a vast landslide area greets us, but the forest service has done a great job of forging and marking a trail through the area. We follow the stakes across the rough terrain. Once again, we are impressed.
.
We are now about to tackle “The Steps”. 100’s and 100‘s of steps await to take us to the summit. They were built to preserve the nesting places of endangered birds and to protect the very sensitive ecosystems up at these heights. Stopping at the new and rather grand Mt Heale Hut, we enjoy a bit of a rest before proceeding up those steps.
.
The views from various directions are not bad either.
.
We look back down on the sheltered west coast where Avante is anchored.
.
Enough of this resting stuff — onward and upward. Up, up, up those steps. Beautiful sturdy construction. What a labor that was! The climber doesn’t have it easy either! Up we go, and as usual, The Captain is quickly out of sight.
.
In many spots, the stairway is quite steep as it climbs over boulders or snakes around trees.
.
Finally, the summit is reached. Time for lunch while we catch our breath and enjoy the well-earned views. Clouds still cover the sky, for after all, this is the “Land of the Long White Cloud” as the Maoris called it. However, there is enough blue and sun to be able to see down to the valley below and the wave-hit eastern shores.
.
This view looks south along the East coast around which we hope to sail in the following days.
.
Climbing Mount Hobson takes us 7 1/2 hours from start to finish. What a great hike! Even the weather cooperated allowing us views to the mountains and the coasts. Back at Bush’s Beach, we are further pleased to see the tide up enough that we do not have the gooey, sinking, muddy push/pull of the dinghy back out into the water.