A glorious last Sunday of daylight saving brought out 13 people and one dog to walk the clifftops from
Browns Bay to Mairangi Bay, then return to the start. Two car loads left The Bracken at 1:30pm and met
up with the others at the start of the clifftop track at the south end of Browns Bay beach.
We
climbed up sole flights of steps to the end of Beechwood Rd. From there the track carried on to drop
down to Rothesay Bay.
|
|
|
|
The track climbed up to follow the clifftops to Murrays Bay. A house we passed had a “new” window
added using paint or pavement chalk.
|
|
|
|
|
The dog said hello to a friend on the way; a ginger cat was watching us further along.
|
|
|
|
|
As we dropped down into Murrays Bay one could well think they were in Rotorua, there was a strong
sulphurous smell coming from the stream outlet.
|
|
|
|
|
We carried on over the clifftop path (Crows Nest Rise) to a little reserve just before Mairangi Bay
where we had our afternoon tea break. Linda shared in just one minute how we can appreciate the beauty
of God’s creation around us, and that we are made in God’s image He could be thankful as well, and also
thankful that we can respond to this. John then told us how our walk was part of the Te Araroa Trail
that would eventually extend from Cape Reinga to Bluff. He mentioned the parts that were already completed,
including the Kerikeri forest track, Auckland’s Coast To Coast walkway, the Tongariro section and the
Shania Twain track between Wanaka and Arrowtown.
|
|
 |
Once at Mairangi Bay we began our return journey along the foreshore. The stretch from Mairangi Bay
to Murrays Bay was along a pipeline that had been made into a well-formed track above the rocks.
|
|
|
|
|
A woman was seen to use a rake to try and clean the source of the putrid smell from the stream outlet.
|
|
 |
After looking at the Murrays Bay wharf we returned to the clifftop path as the rocky surface could
have been a bit too rough underfoot. At a reserve halfway between Murrays Bay and Rothesay Bay we dropped
down to follow the coastline once more. The rest of the trip back to Browns Bay was straightforward on
a broad platform; the tide was right out.
|
|
|
