A hot sunny day during a long weekend brought out 23 people, including a number of children, to enjoy
a walk through one of west Auckland’s bush suburbs, Laingholm on the shores of the Manukau Harbour.
We left The Bracken soon after 1:30pm and met up with more people on the beach opposite the store at
Laingholm Bay.
|
|
|
|
It was about 2:30pm when we set out, starting with a bush walk through Warner Park at the north end
of the beach. This track climbed over the headland to a little beach on the other side.
|
|
|
|
|
Another track brought us to Laingholm Drive which we followed to Warner Park Ave. We dropped down
to Western Road along another bush track - Laingholm is essentially a bush suburb similar to Titirangi,
where the hice (houses) are mostly surrounded by bush instead of large open lawns and gardens. “Right-of-way”
tracks (short walkways connecting streets in suburbs) in Laingholm are actually short bush tracks.
|
|
|
|
|
Another of these bush tracks brought us up to Victory Rd near the junction with Kauri Point Rd. We
walked along Kauri Bush Rd for about five minutes, passing a cable-car lift that a local resident uses
to access his house at the top of a steep section.
|
|
|
|
|
We entered the bush along a well-formed but unmarked track starting from Kauri Bush Rd. This area
of bush is part of the Waitakere Ranges regional park land, but this track is not marked on the official
ARC park maps. A small grassy clearing just one minute in from the road marks an unsignposted junction
with a track that goes on to the Huia Road near Lower Nihotupu Dam; we carried on down the gully, a pleasant
bush walk that came out at the tiny Bokel Bay. The tide was now right in, and unfortunately a strong
onshore wind prevented us from enjoying this spot for our afternoon tea break.
|
|
|
|
|
Instead we carried on for two minutes to come to a sheltered grass area at the end of Ewing Rd.
|
|
|
|
|
Afterwards we had a pleasant half-hour walk back along Kauri Point Road, with its charm of hice in
a bush setting on either side, and down Victory Rd to finish at the store about 4:30pm, just in time
to relieve the store owner of some ice creams. The high tide in the sheltered Laingholm Bay was inviting,
but a sign warned us that the water was temporarily unfit for swimming due to risk of disease. We had
to be content with feeding the birds and playing on the beach before heading home.
|
|
|
