Long Bay Haka





Long Bay Beach



I didn’t walk on Sunday, but North Shore Nordic Walkers still met for a local walk and went down to the beach at Long Bay.

They could hear the sound of a Haka above the noise of the waves as they approached the beach and when they arrived they were surprised to see a group of people in traditional Maori dress being filmed by Maori TV.  One of our walkers had a chat with a lady dressed in costume during a break in the filming and was told that it was for a production that would be used for TV during the Rugby World Club.

They must have looked quite a sight down at the beach as it was a glorious morning and they were by the water in full voice.

The Haka is a symbolic traditional Maori dance and is performed for special events, and despite myths they are not specifically war dances and not exclusively performed by men, although originally the dances were performed by warriors before a battle as a show of strength and also to intimidate the opposition.

Haka by the beach

I’ve witnessed a few Haka performances whilst living in New Zealand and I can tell you that it’s really quite something to watch, the first time my kids saw one performed it was in Rotorua and they were terrified!

The pictures that you see were taken at Long Bay beach and one of my walkers Pam was so thrilled to see them, she dashed back home to fetch her camera!

The lady that you see in the traditional Maori garments actually works for Maori TV.



Maori traditional dress

The dress above is still worn on special occasions, coming from a warm climate the Maori had to adapt their clothing to suit the more temperate climate of New Zealand.  The people had to use materials for clothing that they could find;  flax, animal fur and feathers were used traditionally to decorate the clothes.

The Piu Piu is the Maori skirt or kilt, originally made from flax, the leaves would have had the pattern scraped into them before they were dried. The men wore patterned belts around the waistbands and the women wore plain bands.  Cloaks were made from feathers, flax or fur and decorated.   The women wore fine woven tops in traditional red, white or black.  Headbands were worn and decorated using feathers.

Tikis are also worn, they are usually made from Greenstone or bone and hung around the neck, the women made earrings from Shark’s teeth.  Greenstone (similar to Jade) was also used in many weapons.

The Maori people love to sing and the women sing whilst using Poi, now my daughter drives me daft using one of these. They are balls attached to a length of string or twine that they swing in rhythm to the music.  They are very addictive and I regularly see girls coming out of school chanting to themselves and swinging Poi.

The Poi was originally used to keep the womens hands flexible for weaving and men used them to train for battle, apparently it’s great for coordination.  It’s not so great for swinging around in the house at frightening speed only to end up shattering one of mum’s favourite ornaments!

I'm sorry I didn't walk last Sunday and missed the performance at the beach, but I'm looking forward to Nordic Walking  as usual this Sunday.

Information & Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka

http://www.new-zealand-vacations-in-west-auckland.com/maori-clothing.html

http://www.homeofpoi.com/articles/History_of_Poi_NewZealand.php

http://www.maori.info/maori_tiki.htm

Pictures courtesy of Pam Foster - thanks Pam.

Rangitoto Island



Rangitoto Island from Long Bay Oneroa Track



North Shore Nordic Walkers met at Valley Road car park in Browns Bay on Sunday, we walked across the wooden walkway and along the beach front then into Anzac Road.  We followed the road and crossed at the traffic lights onto Glencoe Rd turning just before the dairy on the right and under the bridge; we followed the concrete walkway alongside the creek which brings you out into Mistletoe Place.  We continued further along and turned left into Redwing Street and doubled back towards Freyburg Park, we then turned left up the steep walkway onto Woodlands Crescent, and turned right into Carlisle Rd.  We continued right onto Beach Road before turning left and back into Valley Road in Browns Bay.



Archway built in 1920's/30's by convicts,
it was the entrance to the mens public toilets



This was a short walk and because the weather is so changeable at the moment I have been sticking to local walks.  We were very lucky with the weather again and it actually turned out quite pleasant if not slightly damp underfoot.  The best feature of all of our walks on the Shore is the views of Rangitoto Island which is located in the Hauraki Gulf; you will have seen this relatively young volcano featured in several of my photographs.  I’ve not actually made it up Rangitoto yet, the kids have during school trips but the prospect of walking there with a herd of noisy school kids wasn’t much of an appeal to me, especially in the height of summer!



Scoria pathway on Rangitoto



Rangitoto translates as ‘Bloody Sky’ which is derived from the Maori phrase ‘Te Rangi totongia a Tamatekapua *– the day the blood of Tamatekapua was shed’. It’s believed to have erupted around 600 years ago; despite the presence of around 50 volcanoes in and around Auckland; it’s the only eruption to have been witnessed by man. Rangitoto is different from all the other volcanoes as it came up from the sea and is classed as extinct, whereas the volcano field in Auckland is still only dormant. Maori occupation on Mt Motutapu saw the volcano erupt from the sea, the scene must have been phenomenal as the volcano spewed ash and fire, a crater was formed, a number of cones developed and appeared which resulted in a summit of around 260m high and a 5.5km wide island.

The volcano is these days a great attraction, and the hike up to the summit offers spectacular 360 views of Auckland City skyline and the Hauraki Gulf.  The tracks on the island were built with convict labour and scoria on the island was quarried for Auckland buildings.



The crater at the summit of Rangitoto



There are more concrete pillboxes along the coastline, which are remnants of the World War II fortification and during the 1920’s and 30’s the area was used as a holiday destination.   Baches were built on the island, with apparently no services and all water was tank water, not much of a holiday by today’s standards! There were originally around 140 baches and when the leases lapsed they began to disappear and deteriorate.  The Rangitoto Conservation Trust now administers around 34 of the remaining baches on the island.

Sources and Information:

New Zealand Herald ‘City of Fire’ 13 February 2008

http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/attractions/islands/rangitoto-island.html

http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/auckland/rangitoto-island-scenic-reserve-brochure.pdf

* TAMA TE KAPUA (c.A.D. 1350). - Captain of Te Arawa Canoe http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/tama-te-kapua/1

Google Map Rangitoto Location: http://bit.ly/iJ7ash

Photo's courtesy of my husband who took my two reluctant children to Rangitoto in 2010

The Spirit of New Zealand

Due to the terrible weather this weekend, I scheduled a local walk on Sunday.  North Shore Nordic Walkers met at Toroa Street at Torbay, we walked past the shops along Beach Road and turned into Rewi Street, which eventually brings you back onto Cliff Road and through the Oneroa Walkway.  We followed the walkway down to the car park at MERC, Long Bay and walked along the beach, by which time the morning has definitely cleared and the sun was shining.  On our way back we spotted The Spirit of New Zealand anchored in the Marine Reserve. 

The Spirit of New Zealand at Long Bay - Okura Marine Reserve

The Spirit of New Zealand is a beautiful three mast, black sailing ship and I took a few pictures with my faithful mobile phone but they were too blurry and did the ship no justice.

We finished our walk and headed back walking up Long Bay Drive and back up to Toroa Street and then we had our coffee at the Baker’s Gallery.

I was so inspired by the sight of the ship that I went back later and took more pictures, sadly my camera isn’t brilliant but you can see the masts and some of detail of the ship.



MERC from the beach

The Spirit of New Zealand is a steel built barquentine sailing ship; i.e. is square rigged on the foremast. It's used in a number of training programmes and is operated by the Spirit of Adventure Trust Board. The training programme involves sail training and youth development for secondary school students, it’s also used for handicapped people and adult trips. 

Originally the first ship the ‘Spirit of Adventure' was gifted by New Zealand entrepreneur Lou Fisher and was commissioned in 1973, she sailed the coast around New Zealand until 1997 when she was sold to Fiji and into the tourism industry.

Cliffs at the south end of Long Bay Beach

The Spirit of New Zealand was commissioned in 1986, she replaced the Spirit of Adventure and spends 340 days at sea, as such she is thought to be one of the busiest youth ships in the world and is to continue her many voyages and adventures until 2020.

I contacted the Trust to confirm that it was actually the Spirit of New Zealand that we saw, Dean and Steph confirmed that the tall ship was in the area and was currently taking on 40 new young people to sail the ship.  During a ten day voyage the students, young men and women will learn sailing and leadership skills.  They will be looked after by a crew of professionals and with the help of volunteers they will be skilfully guided and assisted during their stay on the ship.

The Spirit of New Zealand

It’s a marvellous opportunity for a young adult to take part in and the programme is largely dependent on volunteers, membership funding and grants. The trust employs 12 sea going staff to help with the running of the ship from port to port, with 7 staff located at Princes Wharf.

Sources & Information:

http://www.spiritofadventure.org.nz/ 

http://www.newzeal.com/steve/Ships/spiritNZ.htm

Kaitiakitanga - Orewa

The weather was terrible the day before Sunday and so the ground was very wet.  I arranged to meet the Nordic Walkers at Orewa Surf Club, the sky was a little grey on the way down and there was mist rolling over the hilltop along the highway.

The Mist on the sea at Orewa

The drive down to Orewa takes you along East Coast Road and into Silverdale, you  pass the Lakes golf course at Dairy Flat and further on, opposite the shops on the left by the traffic lights there is a new development.  I believe Pak 'n' Save is opening a new shop there very soon, the area has been cleared to make way for the new building and it's really confusing as you approach the traffic lights because seeing the area now it’s cleared, it looks really odd. Turning right onto Hibiscus Coast Highway you can already see the new houses and there is a new recreation centre open to accommodate the area too.

Passing the holiday park at Orewa and turning right into the car park to park near the Surf club, the mist and the waves off the sea were spectacular.  Boarders and surfers were out in force.

I’ve not seen the sea like that before at Orewa, one of the instructors remarked on it a few weeks back, its seems like sea and weather patterns are changing, or maybe it’s a change that happens and we just don’t notice it.



 Pouwhenua Signpost alongside the estuary at Orewa



Anyway walking on the beach wasn’t an option so we took the estuary path because the tide was in and the sea was rough. Walking through the camping grounds and under the bridge there is a lovely big signpost explaining the Maori heritage in this area. The Ngati Whatua tribe lived in Orewa and there are still remnants of a Pa on the hillside south of the signpost situated by the estuary.  According to the signpost, the tribe are caretakers for the area and keep the traditional values; Manaakitanga, a sacred obligation to care for visitors and people; and Kaitiakitanga, guardianship, care and respect for nature and the environment.

Ngati Whatua the Mana Whenua* of the area has a sacred obligation to uphold and protect the integrity of the tribe. The Pouwhenua that guards the mouth of the estuary at Orewa represents the physical past, the future and is a carved representation of Tangaroa the God of the Sea.

The Pouwhenua Carving

The design of the Pouwhenua represents the connection of the people to their ancestors; it’s a wonderful addition to the area and is a great place to take your kids for a lesson in Maori history. 

Further along the walkway are Maori middens dating back about 350 years ago and some have been preserved for future generations to take a look at.  They house waste from shell fish, stones and charcoal, remnants from a previous life.

An Ancient Moari Midden

Our walk took us past a midden and we headed up the walkway to Kingsway School. We cut the walk by leaving the path and passing the main entrance to the school and up the road back onto Hibiscus Coast highway, under the bridge and back onto the car park at the surf club, by which time the sun had broken through and turned the drab morning into a glorious day for Nordic Walking.  We were surprised that our walk which started in cold weather, took us on a 8 km Nordic Walk along the estuary and back, but we returned in superb weather and it was a great drive back along the coast and back to Torbay.

Information and Sources:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/north-harbour-news/4752091/Orewa-track-nearly-there

* http://www.kaitiakitanga.net/stories/origins%20research.htm

Long Bay World War II Pillboxes

Oneroa Track Pillbox

Following last week’s excitement I decided to walk locally this weekend, we met at Toroa Street in Torbay and walked down Cliff Road into the Oneroa Track. This track takes you past one of the Long Bay gun emplacements which is adjacent to Vaughan Anglican Retreat with MERC on the other side. Apparently over 60 emplacements were built between North Head and Orewa, and 118 in total were built around Auckland, some of which are still standing today. They were built of concrete, usually had turf on the roof and would have been covered in camouflage nets. Each pillbox housed a Bren or a Vickers .303 calibre machine gun, the Vickers gun had a range of 4 km. Originally there were three pill boxes at Long Bay, and a concrete gun emplacement was built in the middle of the beach but only the two of them are left now, this one and the other on the Coastal Walk Track.

Oneroa Track Gun Emplacement

The weather was fair on Sunday and we continued our walk along the beach at Long Bay to the Coastal Walk track at the north end. It’s interesting to note that originally this area was once a rural location and as such it was used as a holiday destination. The hilltops and land surrounding the Regional Park had baches (holiday homes) dotted along facing the beach, once the leases on the baches expired the land was bought by the council, you can just see in the above photo that they are actually building on land around this area and there has been much activity during the summer, a lot of the hillside has been dug into to make way for new homes. However Long Bay Regional Park is a great place to visit with access to the beach and the park with barbeque and picnic areas available for public use.

View of Long Bay Beach from Oneroa Track

Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve shore and waters are typical of those of the sheltered inner Hauraki Gulf. The coastal habitat is quite diverse along the beaches of both Long Bay and Karepiro Bay; rocky reefs are situated at the headlands either end of the lengthy and sandy Long Bay together with the contrasting mudflats of Okura River and the estuary.

The southern end of Long Bay at Toroa Point is exposed, however in comparison the Okura River estuary at the north is very sheltered as it extends inland for quite a way and the murky waters are an ideal environment for mangrove forests and for the saltmarsh grasses and bush.

We came off the beach and walked across the park continuing along the path towards Vaughan Homestead where we then followed the Coastal Walk track up the steps and across the cliff top.

Long Bay continues on to the Okura Estuary and has three beaches along the way, Long Bay, Granny's Bay and Pohutukawa Bay.

Some of our Nordic Walkers on the Coastal Walk Track Pillbox

We took a side track along a narrow path to take a look at the other WWII gun emplacement building; it had been cleared recently and we could get full access to the concrete pillbox. It was full of water and we couldn’t get a look inside but it stands there still after all these years silently watching the bay, so we took a few minutes to watch the boats come and go. It must have been quite a different sight that the soldiers must have had during World War II, the gun emplacements would have housed bunks for three soldiers and they would have taken turns watching the sea for signs of enemy ships. The gun fields were positioned to crossfire or overlap to make it difficult for a ground invasion, they were never used and in 1942 after the Pacific battles and the defeat of the Japanese the emplacements were decommissioned.

After a few minutes we turned back onto the track and came to a clearing at the top of the cliff just before Granny's Bay. It appears that the council have cleared the area recently of pine trees and made the track more accessible, you get a great view of the hillside and farm land now and a better much view of the beach. You can actually walk across to the other beaches from Long Bay beach at low tide but it can be slippery and not ideal for Nordic Walking.


View of Long Bay from the Coastal Walk Track Pillbox

Pohutukawa Bay is a 15 min walk along the coastal track, it’s a beautiful sandy beach and if you’re not careful you could get more than a scenic view along the track if you venture down to the beach there, and we have had to avert our eyes on a couple of occasions! There used to be a sign that did state that this area could be used for nude bathing but that seems to have gone astray, so if you decide to take this path do be warned.

The Nordic Walkers salute!

The Coastal Walk track carries on right down to the Okura Estuary and this too can be very slippery underfoot especially when it’s been raining, so we decided to head back. We came across a number of other walkers from Papakura on their way over to the estuary. This walking track is very popular and people come a long way to use it plus it’s well used by joggers. There are a lot of high and muddy steps, I wouldn’t recommend running; a friend and I once encountered a chap jogging in his Speedos, not a sight to be witnessed by the squeamish and I did feel compelled to shake my head and pass a comment or too as he passed us, not a young chap either - sadly!

Long Bay Beach from the Cliff

We headed back for stretches and a coffee, very few of us ventured out on Sunday, it seems that the cold damp weather maybe putting a few people off walking, and I suspect next weekend will be a quiet one too; it’s the Queen’s birthday weekend and a lot of people take to their baches for the holiday, I’ll be chucking another log on the fire!

Information & Sources:

http://www.torbay.co.nz/images/pdf_newsletters/torbay_nletter_09_07.pdf

http://www.doc.govt.nz/
http://bitly.com/lWsl29