Te Araroa The Long Pathway

We’re very lucky here on this part of the North Shore known as East Coast Bays, as the area offers many walks along beautiful coastline, through open parks and bush walks. It’s a group of small suburbs that line the shores of the Hauraki Gulf and the Rangitoto Channel, they include the suburbs of Long Bay, Torbay, Browns Bay, Rothesay Bay, Murrays Bay, Mairangi Bay and Campbells Bay.

Valley Road Car Park, Browns Bay

 
The weather has been really wet so I’ve kept our Nordic Walks local over the last few weeks, so if it does take a turn for the worst whilst we are walking, then we’re not too far from home. Sunday wasn’t promising much in the way of sunshine so I arranged to meet the North Shore Nordic Walkers at Valley Road in Browns Bay. There’s a convenient car park just on the left as you drive down the road and it’s a great location to meet.

We trekked along the boardwalk facing Browns Bay Beach, the boardwalk is a recent addition to the Bay and makes walking with poles a bit tricky but it has improved the walk along the front. Starting at the North end we made our way along and across the little footbridge just the other side of the Bay’s Club.  Then directly opposite at the bottom of the beach and at the end of Browns Bay Road we climbed the steps to start our cliff top walk.

Browns Bay Boardwalk

Once at the top of the steps we turned left into Beechwood Road and followed the cliff top path, we walked past the beautiful houses that face the sea and past the hedgerows, it’s so neat to be able to walk past the gardens and a few obliging residents have thoughfully put out plastic containers and water for people walking with their dogs. The view  along the East Coast Bays coastline is dominated by Rangitoto and despite the weather threatening to rain we had spectacular views, a little misty but still very beautiful. This path that stretches to the next Bay is very popular with joggers and dog walkers and we say our hellos and good mornings as we pass Dan Jones Bluff and make our way down to Rothesay Bay.

The Cliff Top Walkway, Browns Bay

At the end of the path we were surprised to see that the cone from the previous couple of Sundays ago was still perched cheekily on top of the tree at Rothesay Bay, we crossed the footbridge past the park and walked up Rothesay Bay Road making a left turn into Churchill Road.  We then went through to the Gumdiggers Trail which leads onto the next cliff top walkway.  In the 1860’s Kauri gum exports were an important source of income for Maori and settlers particularly in the Northland and this trail leads up onto the cliff top walkway where we continued to follow the path down into Murrays Bay Reserve.

Murrays Bay is a nice little place; there are a couple of eateries and a pretty little walkway under the road which has been beautifully airbrushed by Jonathan Grange.

Dan Jones Bluff, Beechwood Road

The reserve carries upwards onto the cliff top and the footpath continues, but we decided to walk on along the man made causeway as the weather was good and the tide was out.  Now I’ve actually been along this path with another walking group in bad weather, it can be pretty treacherous underfoot here and shouldn’t be tackled in extremely wet weather or when the tide is coming in. The cliffs along here are also unstable and there has already been one fatality this year when a dog walker strayed under the crumbling cliffs. We made our way down to the beach and over the concrete walkway, then continued across the beach and walked to the far end of Mairangi Bay Beach.

Walkway Steps Murrays Bay

In the late 1800’s Joseph Murray purchased the land at Mairangi Bay from a local Maori, originally the area was full of Kauri trees and he collected the Kauri gum from the trees on his land. Then in the early 1900’s Murray sold the land to developers who subdivided it for holiday homes; the area then was originally known as Little Murrays Bay and Murrays Bay as we now know it was actually known as Big Murrays Bay. To avoid confusion the Little Murrays Bay was changed to Mairangi Bay when the Murrays moved from the area to Northcote. The name Mairangi means many things but its best known as “sheltered arm” which seemed most appropriate for a little community whose population was quickly growing, it’s now a thriving shopping centre with many cafes and restaurants.

Under Road Walkway, Murrays Bay

The walk took us about an hour and half and you can actually walk from Long Bay and make it all the way down to Devonport, which is ok if you want to scramble across rocks and pipes but it’s not ideal for Nordic Walking. I’ve managed to get a pole stuck in a couple of the footbridges along this route and in some parts it can be a little challenging.

Man Made Causeway, Mairangi Bay

We tramped our way back along the beaches and up across the cliff top paths, whilst some of the group took the footpath. We all met at Dan Jones Bluff and took our time to descend the steep footsteps back into Browns Bay.  We all had commitments for the rest of the day so we had no coffee or a muffin; I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a nice day this Sunday.

More Information & Sources:

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/kauri-gum-and-gum-digging/2

http://www.impactart.co.nz/about.html

http://www.northshorecity.govt.nz/LeisureAndCulture/ParksWalksAndPlay/Walkways/Documents/Te-Araroa-walkway-map.pdf

http://www.mairangibayvillage.co.nz/The-Village/default.aspx