|
Auckland Baptist Tramping Club BRYNDERWYN BOTHER Brynderwyn Walkway Sat 24 July |
 |
 |
| For a fullsize picture click on the thumbnail |
|
The Club had been to the Brynderwyn Walkway on several previous occasions, but it had always been the
western end, going in from the top of the Brynderwyn Hills section of SH1. Now it was time to explore
the eastern (Bream Tail) end of the walkway. A drizzly morning did not stop seven people from going on
and enjoying the tramp. The party was split into two groups, starting at both ends and tramping in opposite
directions, swapping car keys when they crossed each other. After rendezvousing at The Well (the large petrol station/foodcourt complex in Wellsford that includes McDonalds and a Caltex garage), where David joined us, the two groups went their separate ways - Philip led a group of four going in from the end of Massey Road about halfway along the Brynderwyn Walkway, whilst Nelson took a group of three in from the Mangawhai-Waipu road. From the Massey Road end the track was a road closed to vehicle access going through mainly pine forest with some patches of bush, grass and scrub. We were in cloud for just about the whole time we were on the Brynderwyn Walkway. Once Philip’s group reached the first (westernmost) of the two trigs on the tramp, Nelson’s group had just arrived, and we swapped car keys. Apparently they had a head start with a shorter distance to drive, and Philip’s group held up at Te Hana with a petrol stop. Philip’s group had had lunch about ten minutes earlier, at the top of a grunt stretch of road. Nelson pointed out what we could (not) see from the trig - a couple of weeks before he and Philip did a reccie of the track and the weather happened to be fine! Between the two trigs (going west-east), the track was a private road about half way, with a bush track going off from where the road came to a couple of houses. The intermittent light rain made the track very slippery and muddy. Just before the second trig Philip’s group stopped for an afternoon tea break in a spot sheltered from the wind. After the second trig the track was a farm road descending steadily to come to a cellphone tower and a house. We apparently did not see a stile and orange markers to our left here and carried on the private road beyond the house which continued to drop steadily and eventually come out to the Mangawhai-Waipu road, finishing at a well-padlocked gate and no car waiting. Philip’s group ended up roadbashing for perhaps up to an hour and eventually found our car, at the top of the main hill between Mangawhai and Waipu. It was 5pm by the time we left and about 6pm when we met up with Nelson’s group at The Well for dinner. On our way home afterwards, we were treated to some displays in the distant sky by Lite Ning, whose antics were part of the spectacular bedtime sound and light show on last year’s Miranda trip. It was after 8pm when we got back to The Bracken. COST: $13 |