Twenty-eight people took advantage of a still and mild autumn afternoon to walk around the Bayswater-Belmont area taking in reserves and coastal walks. About half the group  left The Bracken about 1:40pm; the rest met at the start of the walk at Northboro Reserve in Northboro Rd near Hauraki Corner. The walk through the reserve was along a concrete pathway bordering the coast - a plain of dry mudflats and small mangroves as the tide was out. There were views looking across to the harbour bridge. We soon came to a long footbridge which came out below the O’Neills Point Cemetery, and followed the pathway to Bayswater Rd on the Bayswater peninsula. We cut across the peninsula to follow a reserve track through a BMX area and across another wooden bridge. The track soon suddenly changed from a boardwalk track to a very rough route huddling the coastal boundary of several sections with houses - fortunately the tide was out so we really had no difficulty getting along.

We tried to get around the headland of Duders Point but one on the far side the going got more tricky with trees etc. blocking the way. A flight of steps going up the cliff ended at someone’s house so we had no option but to turn back and go along Aramoana Rd and Wesley St to the navy flats at Wakakura Cres. A track from there followed the Ngataringa Bay coast through bush to come out on Lake Rd. Further along Lake Rd towards Devonport was the Ngataringa Reserve, a recently landscaped park area. The main feature was a circular maze done in shell with brick for the lines. It became apparent that there was no way out of the maze, the single track in the maze came to a dead end just near the entrance! This made a nice afternoon tea stop before we carried on along the southern Ngataringa coast and circumnavigated Dacre Park to return to and cross Lake Rd. In doing this part we did a portion of one of North Shore’s Kiwi Walks. Our walk along Seabreeze Rd to Narrow Neck beach skirted a duckpond and a stream with the Alison Park golf course on the other side. We stopped at Narrow Neck for a Presidential Ice Cream Stop before heading north along Hamana St/Seacliffe Ave to the Takapuna Grammar School grounds. At Narrow Neck Beach we saw four people swimming in the sea despite the time of year. We cut through the grounds, which border onto the clifftops over the Hauraki Gulf, and into Eversleigh Rd to return to our cars about 5pm. COST: travel ex The Bracken $2