Botanic Gardens - Totara Park Trail

Botanic Gardens, Auckland

The weather was pretty bad on Sunday morning and only a few of us took our poles and met up with some of Jenny’s group, the Acacia Cove Nordic Walkers at the Botanic Gardens, Manurewa.  The gardens are situated just alongside the Southern (SH1) motorway, it’s a bit of a trek from the North Shore but the Gardens are beautiful; not so much this time of year but four of us from North Shore Nordic Walkers turned up prepared to battle with the elements for a Nordic Walk around the Totara Park Trail.

Donning poles and stout waterproofs our small but enthusiastic group were lead by Ann though the Botanic Gardens and onto the path for the Totara Park Trail.

Nordic Walking Through The Botanic Gardens

Ann was very knowledgeable and chatted to us along the way about the trail and the surrounding area.  One of our walkers Mary, a retired school teacher, told us that there was a school camp facility here. Unfortunately the camp has long since gone, but the bush here is simply outstanding and it's easy to see why it was such a popular spot for a school camp.

Te Araroa - The Long Pathway

Originally the land was purchased by Mr Gillies in 1925 from the Manurewa Land Company, it was in a derelict state when he acquired the land and it was cleared to build a homestead.  The homestead was sold twice before being bought by the Council in 1966 after the previous owner had bequeathed that the homestead should stay and the bush remain in the property of the public.

Statue Outside The Visitor Information Centre

The park is typical of New Zealand bush, with native trees and plants in abundance and teaming with wild birds. The park is well signposted with information at various points about some of the tree and plants.

The track was in excellent condition, wide in parts, although there are a number of steep steps and a few inclines. It wasn’t long before we were at the trail for the Puhinui Stream Track some of which Ann said is bridle path, although we were assured that riders weren’t really encountered that frequently.  We followed the track for some time enduring the wet weather, chatting along the way; to be honest I hate wearing my raincoat, I can’t hear a darn thing so some of the information Ann was giving us was slightly lost so I hurried along to try and get as near as I could to listen.

Lookout Point - Sadly Not Much to See!

We eventually popped out along a road before continuing our track, stopping briefly under a tree before making our way over to the lookout point, Eugenia Rise.  Unfortunately because the day was wet and cloudy we couldn't see much, we could just make out Rangitoto and on turning around we could just see the faded outline of the Sky tower, both of which are always great landmarks to look out for.

We decided to head back to the Botanic Gardens for a coffee to dry off.

Some Of Our Very Wet Nordic Walkers

On the way back into the Gardens Ann pointed out the Te Araroa walkway, this  is a 3000-km trail  from Cape Reinga which is the northern tip of New Zealand to Bluff in the South and it officially opened in December 2011.  The trail one of the longest in the world, passes through bush, along coastline, through farmland and it even crosses through cities; it took ten years to get to the stage it is today and it was done with the help of hundreds of volunteers.

Boatanical Gardens?

The path alongside the Puhinui Stream was recently opened, it’s a significant section of the Te Araroa walkway and I think I read it was 12 km - it's already a very popular walk from the suburbs on the west through to the Gardens and Totara Park on the east.

We made our way back through the garden to the cars for a quick change of clothes and had a chat in Cafe Miko which is a lovely cafe, with beautiful views overlooking the gardens.

Sculpture At The Front Of The Visitor Entrance

My poached eggs and tea were very yummy, just the thing after a cold wet walk.  It's always a pleasure to catch up with our fellow Nordic Walkers and despite the wet weather this lovely walk was worth the wet tramp.

Information & Sources:

http://www.teararoa.org.nz/index.cfm

http://www.manukau.govt.nz/EN/Yourcommunity/ParksWalksBeaches/FindAPark/Pages/TotaraPark.aspx

http://www.manukau.govt.nz/SiteCollectionDocuments/Puhinui%20stream%20forest%20trail.pdf

http://www.teararoa.org.nz/auckland/puhinui-stream-track/