The Waitakere Ranges is always a popular place for tramping, as shown by a turnout of 27 people on a tramp the Club had largely done less than a year before. We left The Bracken about 8am, and rendezvoused with people from North Shore and West Auckland at the carpark just before the bridge past the Huia store before proceeding to the start of the road up Mt Donald McLean. While the drivers took their cars on to the roadend at Whatipu, the finish point, and be taken back to the starting point, the rest of us started the ten-minute steep roadbash up to the Mt Donald McLean carpark. From there a five-minute track spiralled around to the summit, from where we had a wonderful view of the Waitakere Ranges and Manukau Heads with Auckland, Sky Tower, Rangitoto and Moehau in the distance, even though the sky was grey. We saw two ships steam out the Manukau Heads though the channel between Whatipu and the Manukau Bar. From the Mt Donald McLean carpark we set out along the Puriri Ridge Track, just two minutes in along Donald McLean Track. This was a little rough compared to Donald McLean Track but still well defined and easy to follow along a ridge which gradually descended and eventually came out to Whatipu Rd. Our elevenses stop was directly opposite, at the start of the Omanawanui Track. This track entered the bush to strike the road again after about ten minutes, then carry on up and down, with spectacular views of the Manukau Harbour below in places, before the climb to the Omanawanui Trig. This proved to be a great lunch spot with views out across to Manukau Heads and back towards South Auckland, the same spot we had lunch at back in August 1999 when we tramped up Kura Track from Whatipu then back via the Omanawanui Track. As we had lunch, just after midday, the sun began to come out.

Afterwards the track dropped down and climbed a smaller peak giving a good view of Whatipu and the Paratutae Rock marking the entrance to Manukau Harbour. After a short stop there we carried on downwards, and took a side trip along Signal House Track to the clifftops overlooking Paratutae, where in the old days kauri logs that had been railed down from Piha and Anawhata would be put onto ships to be taken to Onehunga. We were out at Whatipu shortly after 2pm, and we were hosted by our leader Laurie to afternoon tea of scones and biscuits at his family bach at Little Huia. COST: $5