Eighteen people had a rather strenuous but very interesting day climbing the Hunua Ranges from Waharau Regional Park up as far as Adams Lookout, and some of them chose to soak their tired bodies in the Miranda Hot Springs. We left The Bracken soon after 8am, and stopped at Clevedon to pick up several trampers who had arranged to meet there. Then on through Kawakawa Bay and Orere to Waharau Regional Park. We made a false start by mistakenly going along the easy 3a Bush Loop, but we soon realised and began climbing the Waharau Ridge Track Loop - it was now about 9:45am. And what a grunt that was!  Not far from the top we stopped at a lookout where we could see the coast to the north, and the Coromandel Ranges in the hazy distance.

We had lunch once all this grunt was over, at the junction with the Hunua Ranges Fringe Track, in the Hunua Ranges parkland, where there was a grassed clearing. The track, a well-formed track which appears to have been used by quad bikes perhaps by the rangers as bikes of any sort are normally taboo on this track, more undulating as it continued through native bush. We could recognise the area known as the Thousand Acre Clearing, which was once a very large clearing but is now being taken over again by bush and scrub. After about an hour we passed a campsite, then climbed on up to Adams Lookout. This was a raised wooden platform giving views southward along the Miranda coast, and across the Firth of Thames to what we could see of the Coromandel Ranges in the haze. We could also see Kohokohunui, the highest point the the Hunua Ranges, to the west below some ominous rain clouds. Time did not allow us to go to Kohukohunui, and the track as it went on from Adams Lookout appeared to be not as well formed. As we came off Adams Lookout to retrace our steps to our lunch spot, our raincoats came out. But we were soon able to pack them away again, and after grouping up at our lunch spot we carried on along the Waharau Ridge Track, now a wide vehicle track. Just before the junction with the southern section of Waharau Ridge Track Loop there was a viewpoint giving a very good lookout over the coastline below and the Coromandel Ranges beyond. The southern section of the Waharau Ridge Track Loop was a very welcome anti-grunt along a metalled farm road through native bush and manuka. In one place we stopped to photograph a native clematis in full bloom. Eventually the track crossed a stream, climbed a little and continued through bush and farm land to come out back at the carpark. We were out about 4pm. Two carloads went on to Miranda; the rest wanted to get back home to other arrangements in the evening. Those who went on to the hot pools enjoyed soaking their day’s workout away, and satisfied their worked-up appetites at the fish and chips place at Kaiaua. COST: $10 ($13 for those going to Miranda afterwards)