Mangere Bridge and Mangere Mountain

I promised to head back out and do a run incorporating Mangere Mountain, and here it is! Mangere Bridge is a lovely little community filled, it seems, with friendly people who love to stop and chat while you're having a breather on the way.





Ambury Park to Mangere Mountain and back
I parked in the main carpark of Ambury Regional Park, and followed the blue-tipped posts across the sheep paddocks. Then you have to turn into a residential area for a wee bit, then head into the Mangere Pony Club. After stopping to ask directions and chat to a friendly rider, she pointed me in the right direction - across a field with big horses and electric fences! But the electric fences are only the one-strip kind (they look like just a single piece of ribbon), which I could crawl under easily. And the horses left me alone. All good!

You come out onto Wallace Rd, and almost immediately turn into Pikitea Rd, at the end of which is access to Mangere Mountain. There at last!

I headed up and took pictures, stopping to talk to various people on the way. I went round twice, on different tracks. The view was amazing and the westerly wind just as strong as the day we were out here last.

Next was a bit of a road run through Mangere Bridge village (I love any town village that has hanging baskets and yubitsia trees) and back to the waterfront. Here it's like a seaside village f yesteryear - no big flash ugly houses and some that still look like baches.

I couldn't resist stopping to talk to a man on a bicycle who had his dog in a little buggy on the back. He explained he has arthritis and can't walk far. So he bikes across the pedestrian bridge from Mangere Bridge to Onehunga (where there is an off-leash dog area) and lets his dog run around over there. Sweet!







Maps
Click on the image to view the mapometer map.






Evaluation

• Distance: 8 or so kilometers
  
• Terrain: Paddocks in the park are quite bumpy and watch out for sheep poo. Mangere Mountain is, like, steep :)
  
• Shade: Not much shade on this run except for a few trees in the town centre and along the waterfront
  
• Track type and condition: In Ambury Park there are no tracks really, so you've got to find your own way. From Mangere Mountain it's easy to follow the road and reserve along the waterfront
  
• Mud: None, although in winter the fields would get muddy
  
• Views: 360 degrees up Mangere Mountain. Spectacular
  
• Novelty: Novel for me as I don't live here
  
• Remoteness: Not really, although in Ambury Park it was just me for a lot of the time
  
• Toilets: Yes – at Ambury Park, Mangere Mountain and a few places along the waterfront. Water fountain at Ambury Park too!
  
• Crowd factor: You don't need to worry as there's plenty of space here! I enjoyed stopping to talk to people
  
• Watch out for: Sunburn
• Extra for experts: Plenty more terrain to run - do some extra loops around the mountain or Ambury Park
  

Verdict
Great run; the only downside for those of us who burn easily is that it's a little sunny. Nice people along the way, good views, a cooling breeze, nice town centre, good variety, decent hills for hill work. Buy a house in Mangere Bridge!

Kepa Bush to....as far as we could go

Shock horror - it's been two weeks since my last post! I still did a run last week, it's just that it was crap and then I went to Wellington for a conference straight afterwards. Here's the write-up (edits to come):

Kepa Bush Reserve is a small suburban forested area with a few running tracks. A similar reserve - St John's Bush - is just up the road. Since it's all green space inbetween we thought perhaps we could run between the two reserves, but we couldn't find a way through - it's blocked by train tracks and pony club land. So this run was a bit shorter than I would have liked.

Kepa Bush
We parked at Eastridge Shopping Centre and walked down to the entrance. We followed the track east along the creek for as far as we could and ended up at Meadowbank Pony Club. Because of the railway tracks you can't follow the creek right along. We weren't sure if we could go across the fields but I will find out and report back! Kepa Bush is nice though!

Map
Here's a Google Map of the Kepa Bush location.

Here's a photo showing tracks within Kepa Bush.


Verdict
This run needs more work before I can blog about it properly! I'll keep editing and updating.

Cascades Part 1: Fence Line and Robinson Ridge tracks

Cascades is well-known for its short walk to the waterfall, but there are plenty of other tracks to explore here for the keen off-road runner. This week we did an approximately 7km loop on the Fence Line and Robinson Ridge tracks. This run is ‘Cascades Part 1’ because we’ll definitely be back to explore further.




Some dedications and reflections
I’d like to dedicate this week’s post to Tatsuru, my running friend who also featured in my Rotorua Redwood forest post, as he has broken his leg and will be out of action for a couple of months. Get well soon Tatsuru!

And I also humbly dedicate this post to the Pike River miners. They and their families and friends are still very much in my thoughts. I was thinking of them during this run on Wednesday evening, as I didn’t yet know about the second blast at 2.30pm that afternoon after which they were all presumed dead. After spending 5 days continually refreshing my computer screen for news updates, I was still hoping like everyone else that they would be alive and rescued. But it wasn’t to be. When I got home and saw the news, I was so sad.

I am now reflecting on the issue of mining – a hot topic in New Zealand at the moment with the possibility that our government will allow mining on Department of Conservation land. I’m full of questions. Talking about coal mines in particular, should we have open cast mines to remove the possibility of explosions due to methane buildup, or should we try to keep our mining underground and still be able to use the land above (for activities like tramping and off-road running)? I’m a dyed-in-the-wool greenie so I’m all for preserving nature, but I abhor the thought of people working in dangerous conditions so deep underground. Yes, there are supposed to be safety measures but this tragedy has shown they’re clearly they’re not infallible. And even though the business of mining coal contributes to the economy, shouldn’t we be trying to curb global warming by finding alternatives to our dependence on fossil fuels? Fellow readers and runners, what do you think?

OK, back to normal business:

Getting to The Cascades
The Cascades are accessible from the end of Falls Rd, off Te Henga Rd. There is enough space for cars to park and wide open grassy spaces - perfect for family picnics. From central Auckland there are a few ways of getting there, but I recommend exiting the motorway at Lincoln Rd and heading out through Swanson. Here’s a Google Map showing Falls Rd.

Cascades: Fence Line and Robinson Ridge track loop
Starting from the carpark first clean your shoes to prevent the spread of Kauri dieback, and follow the Cascades Track until the turnoff to southward-heading Fence Line Track.

The first section of Fence Line is pretty steep uphill but provides a good warmup even if you walk most of it. From there it’s a very well-maintained gravel track down to the Waitakere Reservoir. Fence Line then takes you southwest along the reservoir before turning northwards. Then it’s up a gradual hill until the Fence Line track meets the Robinson Ridge track.

Now, I thought Robinson Ridge was going to be slightly easier, but turns out it’s quite a challenging track, with some very steep, narrow and overgrown parts. Not quite as challenging as Huia Ridge, but close. After a couple of stream crossings, Robinson Ridge meets Cascades track again, and heads through the Kauris back to the carpark. Watch out for the massive Kauri that fell down (about 4 weeks ago according to another runner we met) and took the track with it. There’s something distressing about seeing such a mighty tree fallen down. I don’t know if it’s due to Kauri dieback or not, but the truck certainly looked healthy enough. In any case, I gave my shoes an extra good scrub upon leaving the track. With all this running I don't want to be spreading Kauri dieback around!

Map



Click on the photo for the best map we found, which is just a photograph of a map taken in the park itself!





Evaluation

• Distance: I estimated the loop was about 7k; Kelvin thought about 10!
• Terrain: Quite rugged but a mixture of nicely formed tracks and more rugged ones
• Shade: Covered except for a small section on the Fence Line track beside the reservoir. We were running this in the evening after work and while on the Robinson Ridge track I got a bit of sunstrike with the low angle of the sun!
• Track type and condition: Cascades track is very wide and well maintained, with wooden tracks in some parts to keep you off the Kauri roots. Fence Line was also good - being part of the Montana Heritage Trail ensures that it is kept in top condition. Robinson Ridge is more of a tramping track but mostly still runnable
• Mud: Some dried muddy bits. In winter this would definitely get muddy, but probably not too badly
• Views: Beautiful views out over the Kauri treetops from upper parts of the track. The reservoir is pretty nice too, apart from the massive concrete spillway structure
• Novelty: Being a popular destination for my family and friends, this park is not really novel but I discover new things every time I come here
• Remoteness: Yes, but having the Cascades carpark at the end of Falls Road ensures easy access to most of these tracks
• Toilets: Yes – of the long drop variety. At the end of Falls Rd
• Crowd factor: on the Fence Line and Robinson Ridge tracks we didn’t see anyone at all. Could be because it was after work on a weekday though. On the Cascades track we bumped into only two other people
• Watch out for: Fallen trees obscuring the track, slippery stones on river crossings (Kelvin fell in and got his feet wet but I managed to balance – normally it’s the other way round!)
• Extra for experts: Plenty of other tracks to explore here – watch this blog and we will review more of them!
  

Verdict
A lovely place to run – enjoy the beautiful location, great tracks, and being up high amongst the Kauris. This run the perfect distance for after work provided you can get out there in time. Highly recommended.

Waiatarua Reserve

Once upon a time, before Kelvin and I moved in together, I lived with my Mum and a cat called Meg (short for Megatron) in a house near Waiatarua Reserve. I wasn't feeling very adventurous this week and this is a nice familiar run, so I stopped by here on my way home from work today.




Waiatarua Reserve loop track

Waiatarua Reserve has wetlands in the middle and is surrounded by a walking track and small pockets of bush.

It's a comfortable run, with no real hills (just gentle slopes). There's the added bonus of an off-leash dog park within the reserve, so there's plenty of entertainment on offer. I couldn't quite capture on camera the black lab which leaps into the pond like a missile, with all 4 legs tucked up close to its body. Must be one hell of a belly-flop!

One circuit of the gravel track encircling the park is about 3k, but more if you explore more of the outer and inner bits of the park aswell.

Maps

I started the run from the northern entrance to the reserve on Grand Drive, St John's park, where it's easy to park on the road and the car is pretty visible all the time. You can also park at the main carpark on the corner of Abbot's Way and Grand Drive.

Click on the map image on the left to open up the mapometer map.

Here is the Waiatarua Reserve page on the Auckland City Council website.

Upcoming events at Waiatarua Reserve

• 'Movember' run supporting the Cancer Society and Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand November 27, 2010
• Run Auckland event at Waiatarua Reserve - the first in the series March 27, 2011
  

Evaluation

• Distance: One loop is about 3k - but one lap doesn't feel like enough, and there's lots of different routes to try on the second time around
• Terrain: Flat and tiny hills
  
• Shade: Only in some parts
  
• Track type and condition: there is a gravel track all the way around, but you can run beside it on the grass if you prefer
  
• Mud: Nope, none at all - not even in the winter
  
• Views: of the wetlands and birds from the interesting viewing points
  
• Novelty: For me, not at all but if you've never been here it's a nice park worth checking out
  
• Remoteness: Not at all
  
• Toilets: Yes - at Abbots Way/Grand Drive carpark
  
• Crowd factor: Can get lots of people and dogs but there's heaps of space
  
• Watch out for: Not much to watch out for, except perhaps don't go here too early in the morning as I did hear of an incident of a woman being confronted. But then again that probably goes for all off-road areas. Oh, and I did get a facefull/mouthful/nosefull of bugs in one of the inner tracks closer to the wetlands
  
• Extra for experts: You can cross Grand Drive and head to the smaller reserve on the other side of the road - would add perhaps another 1km or so
  

Verdict
Nice all round inner city run, or walk, or dog walk, or dog-coveting walk (I really want a dog!)

Huia Ridge Track, Waitakere Ranges

Finally, a trailophile run in the Waitakeres – Auckland’s off-road running Mecca! I’m amazed that it’s taken us this long to get out here, but that’s testament to how many great off-road runs there are closer to the city – and I'm sure we haven’t found them all yet!






Huia Ridge Track

I chose this track solely on the basis that it was the longest one I could find on the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) website. It's a 6km (one way) 'tramping track', to use their terminology, which means that they may "have limited track formation, and steep grades". That description was certainly true - this track is hard going and we ran as much as we could for 45 minutes but still weren't anywhere near the Karamatura Forks, where the track ends. Misguidedly, I had thought that 'ridge' in the track name might denote a less hilly track, but I was completely wrong! There were views, but only in certain places. And there really isn't much to see along the way. I guess we probably ran for 3km before turning back because it was getting late and dusky - and kinda spooky.

Maps and how to get there

OK, so mapometer.com is useless in the Waitakeres, as it only shows roads. Some Google maps do show the track, but you can't draw on them like you can in mapometer. So the map on the left is my attempt to create something useful and specific for this particular run with the mapping tool from the Huia Ridge Track page on the ARC website. The ARC mapping tool is not that intuitive, but you can figure it out with a little experimentation!

The binoculars denote the Huia Ridge Track, which starts at Piha Rd and ends at Karamatura Forks. There is no parking on Piha Rd, so turn down Lone Kauri Rd. About 500m or so down the track entrance is on the left, with parking space for 2 cars.

Evaluation

• Distance: total track from Piha Rd to Karamatura Forks is 6km, so there and back would be 12km
  
• Terrain: Up and down like a rollercoaster!
  
• Shade: Yes
  
• Track type and condition: a 'tramping track' (see above). Probably about 1/3 runnable; the rest you simply have to walk due to fallen trees, steep slopes etc. The top layer of the track is very 'loose' and slippery with fallen leaves, twigs etc. I don't think very many people use this track
  
• Mud: Oh yes. After about 3 weeks of straight sunshine in Auckland the mud was solidifying in most places, but still wet enough to have to avoid
  
• Views: in some parts you can see across the valley until the West Coast, but the track is mostly tree-covered. On the plus side, there are beautiful Kauri trees, and we saw a couple of kereru (which gave us a massive fright when we disturbed them, as their flapping wings are really loud!)
  
• Novelty: Novel, but quickly became tiring as not much variety of scenery
  
• Remoteness: As soon as you are away from Piha Rd, you feel like it's the middle of nowhere. And this became quite spooky when the sun began to set
  
• Toilets: Nope
  
• Crowd factor: Completely deserted
  
• Watch out for: Barbed wire fences - some fallen down onto the track - near the Lone Kauri Rd entrance. And I have to mention...I wasn't completely comfortable leaving the car there for anyone to break in to - we took all our credit cards in our camelback 'cause you just can't be too careful!
  
• Extra for experts: Um, do more of the track than we did! And if that's still not enough, then there are plenty of other tracks that branch off or continue on from this one
  

Verdict

Good training for one of those hardcore off-road events like the Totalsport West Coaster, but for a weeknight after-work amble it was a bit too difficult! I would allow at least 3 hours in the middle of the day to fully explore and enjoy this track.

One Tree Hill and Cornwall Park

And now for one of my favourite, most accessible off-road runs in Auckland. I’ve been saving this run up for a hectic week because it’s so central – and so good for the soul. Running here yesterday made me remember why I love Auckland (even on a week where we are fighting to keep an off-license liquor store – to be open 9am-11pm 7 days a week – from opening up on our residential street).

One Tree Hill and Cornwall Park

Together these two parks make up the largest parkland in central Auckland. It’s like being in a stately home in England (or what I imagine one would look like, having never been there). I can imagine ladies from Jane Austen novels walking in their voluminous dresses and holding parasols, walking beside the hedgerows or under the massive oak trees. And I love features like the rock staircases and walls made with volcanic scoria from One Tree Hill. There’s plenty of livestock - sheep and cattle – too. And plenty of space for off-road running!

Dick Quax's 4.5 mile loop

I was introduced to this run by my running friend Stephen Duxfield, who lives nearby and has run this route many times. It’s well known by local athletics clubs who do the route for cross-country training. According to the Athletics New Zealand newsletter, Dick Quax (a former Olympian and who has just missed out on being Councillor for Howick on the new Auckland Council) made this run popular and used to do it two or three times on his training runs. But one lap at 7.2km is usually enough for me!

The run covers the park in a sort of star shape, heading out to Greenlane West (twice), Manukau and Campbell Roads before heading back inwards, towards the mountain. It doesn’t actually go up to the summit.

Maps

Athletics New Zealand featured this run in their September 2010 newsletter – ‘Athletics in Action’ as part of their ‘Great Training Runs in NZ’ series.

Here is a mapometer.com version of the above run – approximately as Stephen and I run it. You can add bits on as you choose – there’s plenty extra to explore in this park that this run doesn’t cover.

Evaluation:

• Distance: approx 7km
• Terrain: A bit hilly
• Shade: The great thing about this run, in the afternoon at least, is that a large part of it is under shade. In summer that's such a relief for someone like me who burns in 2 seconds
  
• Track type and condition: grass
  
• Mud: Winter: yes. Summer, no.
  
• Views: nearly 360 degree views all around Auckland, even from this run which doesn't go up to the summit
  
• Novelty: Not novel for me and this track is reasonably well known, but I love it every time
  
• Remoteness: Even though it's in the middle of the city, this park is so spacious that some areas feel like they are out of the city
  
• Toilets: There are 3 opportunities for toilet stops on this run. And a couple of water fountains too
  
• Crowd factor: You'll usually see a few other people on this route, but it's never crowded. The roads around One Tree Hill are more crowded so this is a nice alternative
  
• Watch out for: Weird guys cycling past and trying to hand you things (drugs? love letters?) concealed in an envelope - this seriously happened to me earlier this year. It was getting near dusk and I was running through the Twin Oak Drive area. Best not to run here at night.
  
• Extra for experts: Cross Greenlane West and head through the park alongside Puriri Drive until Market Rd. It's nearly an exact 1k between the two roads, so you can use it as a time trial.
  

Verdict

This run is just as great as ever. And always will be. Thanks Sir Logan Campbell for gifting this park to Auckland those many years ago, and thanks Dick Quax for the great track.

Ambury Park to Mangere Lagoon

This run was an unusual one - passing by bird sanctuaries, working farmland, buried landfill and a wastewater treatment plant on the Manukau Harbour. But don’t be put off by the landfill or wastewater plant – the run is better than it sounds.




An accidental discovery

On Monday (Labour Day – a public holiday), we dropped off our dear friend Bridget at the airport after a weekend together. Since the motorway exit to the suburb of Mangere Bridge is on the way back to our house from the airport, we decided to do this week’s run there. It's a pleasant little community which has lots of nice outdoor recreation spaces including a nice waterfront, Ambury Regional Park and Mangere Mountain.

We had intended to do a loop starting from Ambury Park, taking in Mangere Mountain before heading back via the town centre and the north-facing waterfront reserve.

But with no map and with signage which can only be described as crap, we ended up on the ‘Watercare Coastal Walkway’. This area was clearly once industrial, undervalued land which was used for landfill and oxidation ponds and the like. There's been huge projects, I read, to clean this place up and it's now a combination of being lovely and horrible at the same time. Lovely because it’s alongside the sea and has many bird-only islands, and horrible because of occasional wafts of pongy air out of vents from the old landfill now buried underground, not to mention the ugly view of the Watercare plant.

From this walkway we couldn’t seem to find a way back to our planned route, so we just carried on. You have to be a bit flexible when discovering new off-road runs!

After looping the Mangere Lagoon, we decided to turn back. With no tree cover our pasty white winter skin was getting burned (despite the sunscreen) and we were tired from a full-on weekend.

We took a shortcut through Ambury Farm on the way back instead of following the coast. I must say I was relieved to get back to the car and immediately directed Kelvin towards the nearest dairy for an icecream. This is becoming a habit!

We promised to return to do the run in our original plan, so look out for this in future posts, and let me know if you want to join us.

Maps

Here is a mapometer map of this run – nearly 9k. Not really so far considering there were no hills, but it was a hot day and it was very exposed in the heat of the afternoon sun.

See the Watercare Coastal Walkway page on the Watercare website. I was impressed that such a lot of work has been done here to clean up the area and make it bird and human-friendly.

This walkway is also part of the ‘Kiwi esplanade walkway’ – you can learn more about this on the Manukau City Council website. You’ll see it extends even further down the coast than Mangere Lagoon.

See the Ambury Regional Park page on the Auckland Regional Council website for more information on Ambury Park.

Note: I just saw that Auckland Council has put a note on all the websites which means they may be changing to the Auckland Council website soon. I'll fix these links if the information no longer appears on the page.

Evaluation

• Distance: approx 9km
• Terrain: Completely flat
• Track type and condition: Ambury Park has no tracks, just grass. Watercare track is gravel and wide enough for vehicles. Around Mangere Lagoon is another, thinner, gravel track
• Mud: In winter the grass tracks may turn a bit muddy but we are well into spring in Auckland now so there was none
• Views: Amazing views across the Manukau Harbour to Onehunga and Hillsborough, Puketutu Island and you can even see west as far as Whatipu and the harbour mouth
• Novelty: Very novel for us – it was my first time ever to Mangere Bridge, and I am surprised Ambury Park wasn’t one of our family picnic destinations when we were kids as it’s very pretty. Perhaps it was overwhelmed by wastewater ponds and smells back then
• Remoteness: Not remote at all as the suburbs of Mangere Bridge are nearby. But when we were on the Mangere Lagoon track it felt very empty and rural.
• Toilets: At Ambury Park
• Crowd factor: Ambury Park was quite busy with picnickers and walkers, but as we headed south along the coast we saw less and less people. At Mangere Lagoon it was just us. On the way back we saw a family on bikes – this area would be great to take the family for a biking day out
• Watch out for: Sunburn and dehydration as there’s no shade. Smells from the waste water (but it’s not really that bad). No dogs are allowed in Ambury Park, and neither birds nor people are allowed on the bird islands. Oh and it was really windy on the coast – even though it wasn’t a windy day at all anywhere else. I’d be careful out here if it was actually a properly windy day!
• Extra for experts: Keep heading south along the track before heading back – it takes in the Otuataua Stonefields Historic reserve. Or you could head for Mangere Mountain if you’re looking for a really long, challenging run.
  

Verdict

Not too bad for an unexpected discovery but some parts felt a bit empty and wasteland-like. I’m definitely looking forward to doing the run we originally planned.

Okura Bush: Haighs Access Rd to Dacre Cottage

Okura Bush: Haighs Access Road to Dacre Cottage

Last weekend we went for a run in Okura Bush just north of Long Bay. From Haighs Access Rd there's a pretty track along the coastline through mature native forest. After long slow incline up a headland and a steep descent with many stairs, the track reaches up at Karapiro Bay - a nice north-facing beach.

Okura Bush Walkway

The total Okura Bush Walkway track runs from Haigh's Access Rd in the south to Duck Creek Rd in Stillwater in the north. You can do this track one of the two entry points: from the Haigh's Access Rd end, or the Stillwater end. Total length of the track is about 8km.

My failed run

We intended to an out and back from Haigh's Access Road to Dacre Cottage (an historic homestead on Karepiro Bay). This is a track which we have done several times before - both by ourselves and at events such as the Totalsport Trailfest in February 2010 (unfortunately the Trailfest webpage now shows info for the 2011 Trailfest in Riverhead). The total distance out and back is about 10k.

But unfortunately, I must confess that I did not finish today's run - in fact I gave up after about 10 minutes! I don’t have any excuse except from being absolutely shattered from a 7km run the day before followed by a 12-hour gardening marathon. If there’s one thing that 10+ years of running and overcoming a calf injury has taught me, it’s listen to your body. I just needed some food and a rest. Better sacrifice one run than get injured.

So, sorry, I didn’t run this one. And took hardly any pictures :(

After my failed attempt, we went for Mexican food at Hola! Mexican restaurant in Orewa. I thought it was gonna be great, but the fajita (vege option) was a bit bland. It was also absolutely smothered in cheese so that cheese overwhelmed every mouthful (yes, and probably not vegetarian cheese either!) Kelvin enjoyed his quesadillas though.

To make up for my failed meal after my failed run, I even got an icecream on the way home. I felt like a kid wagging school, missing out on my first trailophile run in seven weeks! The ice cream was also a disappointment. It was a Kapiti boysenberry chocolate thing. I just think I'm not that big a fan of ice cream. Give me chocolate by itself any day.

But I can reassure you, Okura is one of the best off-road running tracks you will find. It’s accessible, pretty, has good quality tracks, ends up somewhere scenic, and you can drive there in about 20 mins from central Auckland.

The only downside is that other people love Okura too, and it is often busy. I always feel a tiny bit naughty running where I know a lot of people are going on day walks with families – there’s nothing worse than going round a corner and nearly tripping over little kids! But there is quite a lot of room here and people always look intrigued to see runners and not at all annoyed by them. Walkers are generally very tolerant of runners on a track, I've found. What do you think?

Anyway, despite the failed attempt last Sunday, I feel I am qualified enough from previous experience to give you an evaluation for this trail anyway, see below. But first, the map:

Map
This track is managed by the Department of Conservation. See the Okura Bush Walkway page on the DOC website for details about the track and a PDF map.

Evaluation

• Distance: approx 10 km
  
• Terrain: Medium-sized hills. A nice balance: they are doable hills- none are horrendously steep - but still enough for a challenge.
  
• Track type and condition: Well maintained NZ native bush track. When you get to Karapiro beach you'll run on sand for a while.
  
• Mud: I suspect we turned around before we hit the muddy bits. This track can be a bit muddy but not so that your shoes get completely covered.
  
• Views: Up on the headland before you reach the beach there are some nice views out to the east through the trees.
  
• Novelty: For us, not very novel as we had been here before many times, but for first timers it's a great find.
  
• Remoteness: This track is quite close to Auckland, and suburbia is moving ever closer. You can see flash houses on lifestyle blocks from the start of the track. But the beaches are only accessible from private land and this track which makes them very remote which is nice!
  
• Toilets: None on this part of the track. There are toilets at the Stillwater end only.
  
• Crowd factor: You're bound to see someone on this track if you keep normal hours - it's very popular with walkers and runners alike.
• Watch out for: Sunburn along the Karepiro Bay part - there's not much shade after being in the nice cool forest.
  
• Extra for experts: Do the whole track - to Stillwater and back! Or start at Stillwater and run the whole thing. I'm keen to do the Stillwater end of the track again sometime soon and you'll definitely hear about it in this blog when I do!
  

Verdict
As close to a perfect trail run that you can get: close to town, native bush, good tracks, nice scenery, challenging enough terrain... No wonder it's a favourite among walkers and off-road runners alike!

Tokorangi Pa Track, Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest, Rotorua

Last weekend we were in Rotorua for the Ekiden relay race on Saturday, and on Sunday we headed to the Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest to check out their off-road running tracks.

Rotorua Ekiden

First of all I’d like to do a little plug for the Rotorua Ekiden – a 6-leg road relay race around Lake Rotorua. The course is virtually the same as the Rotorua Marathon: a total of 42km. Ekiden races originated in Japan and are now run all over the world. I spent three years in Japan and I always attend this event with the New Zealand Japan Society of Auckland (NZJS) and Japan Exchange Teaching Alumni Association of Auckland which have at least three teams per year between them. It’s a fun event with about 250 teams from workplaces, schools, clubs, and of course you can also form a team with your mates. Everyone really gets into the team spirit and supports their runners over the length of the course. Best of all, there is a prize for the team with the best costume, so there are always plenty of outrageously dressed people to look at. Check out their website: http://www.rotoruaekiden.com/. If you’re keen to join our team next year, please let me know!

Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest

At the Ekiden we met up with Tatsuru, a fellow member of NZJS. Since I met Tatsuru about 3 years ago he has started running marathons and also enjoys long distance off-road running. Like me, he’s spent the winter with cold after cold and is keen to get back into some serious training. On Sunday, Tatsuru, Kelvin and I decided to check out the Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest, which is most famous for mountain biking but also has some excellent walking and running tracks.

Tokorangi Pa Track: 11.5km

Starting from the excellent Information Centre at the Redwoods, this track heads north and follows a wide circle through a mix of pine forest, native forest and forestry roads back to the start. It’s easy to follow and well signposted – you just have to follow the purple arrows. We had a map too, which was handy to judge distances and figure out where we were. You can read the track description on the Redwoods website (under ‘Long Walks’). Here’s my version:

Once out of the first flat section through the magnificent redwood forest, there is a very steep climb through native bush. At this point I thought we might have chosen a route that was too hard to run, but we walked up the really steep bits until the track levelled off somewhat at the top and turned into an undulating old forestry road. By the looks of things this road has not been used for some time as many parts are covered in grass. Up here, through the trees you can glimpse awesome views over Rotorua and the lake. We somehow accidentally bypassed the part of the track that goes to the lookout point and ended up on the “Tokorangi skid” - a very steep track/dry river bed down to the Water Tank and roadside – the northernmost point of the track, and about the halfway point. We were disappointed to miss the lookout point, but instead of climbing back up we decided to conserve our energy to run the second half of this track.

The track then follows a forestry road beside a logged hillside which admittedly isn’t very attractive, but then makes a turn into a very pretty native forest patch complete with crystal clear stream of water. Nice!

On the way back to the Information Centre the track continues to alternate between forestry roads and native bush, until you suddenly emerge into a big open space with a big incongruous building and grassy hill with water treatment ponds at the top. This is a waste water treatment facility, according to the sign. From here, it’s all downhill back to the start and you’ll see lots of mountain plenty of mountain bikers heading up to use the mountain biking tracks.

Maps

You'll see from this Redwoods Walking Trail Map that for all of our effort we only covered a tiny part of the whole park! But we thought that was a good chance to explore further, and promised to return to do the Pohaturoa Track (7.5km) and maybe even a track that encircles the whole park. Lucky Rotoruarians, we thought, having all of this just a few minutes drive away from the city centre!

Evaluation

• Distance: 11.5km
  
• Terrain: Difficult and steep at the start but gets easier. I'm glad we walked those initial hills as we were then nicely warmed up and still had the stamina to run most of the rest.
  
• Track type and condition: Lovely, soft pine forest/native forest floor.
• Mud: None to speak of.
• Views: We missed the lookout point which was disappointing. If you do this run let me know if you find it. We did get a nice view over Rotorua and the lake from the tracks at the top though.
• Novelty: For us Aucklanders, very novel!
• Remoteness: Feels like you are in the middle of nowhere. At the water tower end there is a road nearby but apart from that it's just you and nature. Oh, and mountainbikers, although they mostly use different tracks so you don't need to worry about them crashing into you.
  
• Toilets: At the Redwoods Visitor's centre. There's a water fountain there too which is a nice touch.
  
• Crowd factor: We saw quite a few mountain bikers on the way back but there's more than enough space here for everyone.
  
• Watch out for: Steep downward hills, but these are pretty much par for the course on off-road runs, right?
  
• Extra for experts: There are so many trails to choose from - if you've still got energy you could do lots more!

Verdict

The hills make for a challenging middle distance off-road run, but the variety of scenery keeps you interested right until the end.

Western Springs to Meola Reef

This week we did a mostly off-road run in the central city which takes in three parks and passes by the Auckland Zoo, MOTAT and off-leash dog exercise area on Meola Reef.

Western Springs

We parked at the top of the aptly named Bullock Track (very steep) on Old Mill Road. You can also park in Western Springs, by the playing fields, but we wanted to cover as much terrain as possible.

From the corner of Old Mill Road and Bullock track, there is a forested track going down the hill, which then goes across the playing fields. Then you can run around the Western Springs lake - there is a path but we ran on the grass. We exited the park and ran along Motions Rd (the only ‘on-road’ part of the run). Along here, watch out here for the old tram which takes passengers between the zoo and MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology)!

Seddon Fields/Jaggers Bush
From the end of Motions Rd you can get to Meola Reef one of three ways: across Seddon Fields sports ground, through Jaggers Bush, or along the tramway to Motat II. I recommend the lovely forested track through Jaggers Bush – the track and stairways have recently been upgraded and the area has a river and mature trees. The track comes out onto on Meola Rd.

Meola Reef
Across Meola Road, you can access Meola Reef – a small peninsula between Point Chevalier and Westmere. It was created by a lava flow and you can see how it trails off into the sea. These days it’s covered in grass and you can run around the edge, starting on tracks near the mangroves. At the tip there are picnic tables and views across the harbour to Birkenhead and Chelsea – last week’s run!

On the western side, there’s an off-leash dog park – a favourite hangout of Kelvin and mine before we lived together. All the owners stand near a bench at the top and the dogs all run around and play together – big ones with little ones, yappy ones with scary ones, fluffy ones with shorthair ones....and all have a great time. There’s even a swimming hole for dogs and a platform where they can enter and exit the water! The owners all socialise and discuss their dogs, and we would always feel like like a childless couple whenever we were there, spying on other people’s dogs! It's usually all very entertaining. But today, there were only two dogs....we felt a bit cheated.

Back to Western Springs via Motat II
We returned via Motat II with its aircraft museum, and went back around Western Springs lake on the zoo side this time. It was just about sunset, and being spring there are lots of signets and goslings. Western Springs is such a nice place – if you’ve only ever seen it in the craziness that is the Pasifika Festival you must go and experience on another day – it has a tranquillity that you don’t often find in the central city.

Maps
Mapometer map of this run
Auckland City Council pages: Western Springs, Jaggers Bush, and Meola Reef

Evaluation

• Distance: about 6-7km
  
• Terrain: easy peasy. So good for beginners.
  
• Track type and condition: mostly grass or gravel track. A tiny bit of road.
  
• Mud: Virtually no mud! We've had a few days of sun now though
  
• Views: from Meola Reef there are some nice water views. But I also like the fact that there is such nice parkland in a relatively central part of the city
  
• Novelty: Not really novel but nice to visit some areas we hadn't been to for a long time
  
• Remoteness: Not at all
  
• Toilets: Many in Western Springs, and another at Meola Reef
  
• Crowd factor: There's enough space here for everyone
  
• Watch out for: Trams! And geese. And whatever it was making that sound we could hear over the zoo walls
  
• Extra for experts: You could head (via 1-2kms of suburbia) to Coyle Park and run the western side of Pt Chevalier before returning via Meola Rd.

Verdict
An easy, fun, feel-good run with lots to see. Running this on a sunny spring evening on daylight savings time will make you feel like nothing is wrong with the world. Thumbs up!

Kauri Point to Chelsea Estate, Birkenhead

This run on the southern coast of Birkenhead – just over the bridge from Auckland City – is in a coastal cliff forest with pretty harbour views. But beware of steep slippery clay steps, mud, military land and maybe even some random drunk people.

Kauri Point Centennial Park
We did this run on the first Tuesday after daylight saving - a beautiful sunny day. We began the run off Onetaunga Rd in Birkenhead, where there are three entrances to Kauri Point Centennial Park. Various steep tracks go down towards Kendall Bay, and a couple go westward but end abruptly with a 3m high barbed wire-topped fence or 'Beware, explosives' sign announcing the boundary to NZ Defence Force land next to the park. This whole area is like a naughty teenager - it's got potential but is a bit unruly so has been proffered to the military. I guess it's a bit steep to do too much else with.

So we turned back and headed down towards Kendall Bay. This is a nice beach, accessible only by the track we had just run, and has great views over towards West Auckland.

From Kendall Bay there is a great track eastward towards the Chelsea Sugar Refinery Estate. The nicely maintained track gives way to mud and clay again, and here we heard hooting, yelling and flying pine cones, only to encounter two very drunk men absolutely reeking of alcohol, laughing and throwing pine cones at each other and just generally playing silly buggers. What on earth were they doing here? Strange place to be - they must have walked down from the Birkenhead shops, about 3km away. They didn't seem aggressive, but were very intoxicated so 'Mr and Mrs Runner', as they called us, laughed with them nervously then ran away very fast until we couldn't hear them any more.

Chelsea Sugar Heritage Estate
Now, "off-road run" and "sugar refinery" are words you probably don't hear in the same sentence every day, but here in Birkenhead they go together quite nicely. The Estate is open to the public during the day, and visitors can wander around the grounds which include lakes, regenerating forest and beautiful views towards Auckland City.

Getting here from Kendall Bay is easy - just follow the track east. But it's not an easy track to run on: the parts that aren't completely criss-crossed in tree roots (which are surprisingly difficult to run on) are a swampy mud-puddle mess.

You emerge from the bush on a road within the Chelsea Estate - follow this down the hill to view the lakes and rest of the estate. From the looks of the map, within the estate there are some other bush tracks which we didn't explore - we were too tired from the initial hills. Plus, it was starting to get late and we didn't want to encounter our drunk friends again in the dark, so we headed back to Onetaunga Rd.

Maps
Here's the best map of Kauri Point Centennial Park that I could find, published by the Birkenhead Northcote Glenfield Community Facilities Trust.

For Chelsea, the only maps of the tracks are on the picture boards onsite (you can see a picture in the Trailophile Picasa gallery). See the Chelsea Sugar and Auckland Regional Council websites for more information about the Chelsea Estate.

I attempted to map this run on mapometer....didn't really succeed though! Our good old Wises Map in the car had a better view of the off-road tracks.

Evaluation

• Distance: probably about 5kms....but feels like more
  
• Terrain: some really steep tracks at Kauri Point - great for those looking to do hill work
  
• Track type and condition: mostly clay in Kauri Point, with a mixture of crude steps just cut away into the clay and proper wooden steps. Bit of a mixed bag: some maintained well; some not.
  
• Mud: The Kauri Point park just had dry clay. On the Kauri Point to Chelsea part: a lot. And this is at the end of a sunny day
  
• Views: nice views looking over towards Auckland city
  
• Novelty: Very novel, especially the Chelsea Estate part
  
• Remoteness: The slice of forest is quite thin and steep, so this run is not remote at all - houses are very close by all the time, but unseen because of the bush
  
• Toilets: None! You'll need to plan well and go before you leave. There are public toilets in the Birkenhead shops
  
• Crowd factor: There were only a couple of people using these tracks and I imagine they would stay relatively uncrowded even in summer
  
• Watch out for: tripping over tree roots, falling down cliffs, no toilets
  
• Extra for experts: I think you'll be tired enough if you've run up all those hills!

Verdict
Very challenging tracks. Good practice for those really difficult off-road runs with lots of hills, but not so enjoyable if you're just starting out! Chelsea Estate on its own is also worth a visit if you haven't been there before.

Totara Park

Trailophile Run #3: Totara Park

Even a storm the size of Australia couldn't deter us from completing this week's run at Totara Park in Manukau. Luckily, this run provides shelter in pockets of native forest, although it was mighty unpleasant in higher places which were exposed to the rain and south westerly gales.

I remember our grandparents used to bring us here as kids to swim in the free pools - it was one of the destinations to which Harriet the 1976 Honda would "decide" to drive us. Then it was in a totally rural area, but today new suburbs are encroaching on the park borders. Apart from the Auckland Botanic Gardens on the southwest side, I imagine it will soon be completely surrounded by houses. But that's progress, and at least all 216 hectares of the park itself is beautifully maintained.

It's an excellent place for all manner of outdoor activities: tennis, swimming, picnicking, walking, horse-riding, mountain-biking, walking the dog, and of course a spot of off-road running.

Getting to Totara Park

Amazingly, you can get to Totara Park in only 20 minutes by car from Auckland CBD (provided it's not rush hour). We exited the motorway at Redoubt Rd which has the northern entrance to the park. The main entrance is off Wairere Rd at the south end of the park, which you can get to from the Manurewa motorway exit.

Totara Park run starting from Redoubt Rd

From the carpark head down the wide gravel 'Bridal Track' (I think this is perhaps a spelling error and is meant to be 'Bridle Track'!) and follow this down the hill. It forks but keep to the right if you want a longer option. You can see various mountain biking routes that lead off this path and over to the other side of the valley. At the bottom of the hill you enter some bush, and further along the road you can enter the 'Puhinui Stream Track" on the left and on the right. If you continue along this road you'll reach the pools and main carpark. I think at this point that I will stop giving instructions and refer you to the map - there is definitely at least 15k worth of tracks to explore in this park if you're keen to do them all, not to mention the grassy bits, and plenty of shortcuts here and there to get back on the way to Redoubt Rd if you get tired.

Maps

The Totara Park page on the Manukau City Council website has excellent information and maps of the park. Also, here's the mapometer map of our run. We didn't fully explore the western side of the Puhinui Stream Forest Trail, but hey, I guess we can do that next time!

Evaluation

• Distance: we did about 7 and a half km's but there are definitely more tracks in this park to explore
  
• Terrain: some big hills on the way back to Redoubt Rd on the Bridle Track... I can't even pretend we ran these!
  
• Track type and condition: range from big gravel tracks suitable for park maintenance vehicles to nicely maintained bush tracks. All in very good condition
  
• Mud: just a tiny bit. If you venture onto the grassy bits, prepare to get ankle-deep in it
  
• Views: on the higher bits there are views (according to the Manukau city website) but today there was nothing to see but imminent rainclouds...
  
• Novelty: Pretty good - especially for a park in the middle of the 'burbs
  
• Remoteness: Not really remote at all (and pity about the power pylons overhead in some bits), although some parts feel like you are in the middle of nowhere
  
• Toilets: At the Wairere Rd end
  
• Crowd factor: Not crowded and plenty of room for all I imagine, summer or winter
  
• Watch out for: some menacing-looking bulls in the grassy area we crossed to get back to the bridle track
  
• Extra for experts: If you're feeling really masochistic, on the way back to Redoubt Rd, do the Bridle Track loop, thereby doing two pretty massive hills
  

Verdict

A wonderful park, big enough to keep running and not get bored, but small enough so you won't get lost. Bring the family and a picnic (and togs if it's summer), and have a run while you're there!

Te Atatu Peninsula

Trailophile blog off-road run #2: Te Atatu Peninsula
On Sunday we went to lunch at a friends' house on Te Atatu peninsula. We ate lots and enjoyed the great company, and then it got late...so we gave up on our good intentions to go to the Waitakeres for this week's run. We eventually ended up taking their very big, very energetic dog and very genki (lively) 11 year-old for a walk around the Peninsula, which turned out to have an excellent, mostly off-road track on the eastern side looking back over the Waitemata Harbour to Auckland city.

Te Atatu Peninsula eastern side out and back
We diligently returned on Tuesday evening to actually run this track (no slacking off here!). Te Atatu Road ends at the northernmost tip of the peninsula. Here you'll find a carpark and entrance to Chapman Strand, which is where we began our run. According to the Waitakere City Council website (incidentally, I'm guessing I'll have to update all these links when the councils merge into the super city) there will eventually be a run that goes all of the way around the peninsula. For now we kept to the eastern coast - in this direction there is a decent buffer between the houses and the sea, and you can run pretty much all the way to the North Western Motorway!

This is a great run and well worth the trip if you've never been here before. Starting out, there are views across the mangroves to West Harbour Marina. Living out east as we do, you get a new perspective of the city and harbour. In the squally Auckland spring weather, the harbour bridge appeared cloaked in a rainbow for much of the time, which was truly stunning (and utterly impossible to photograph on our crappy phone cameras). Further around, there are ponds with goldfish and very kiwiana panoramas of native cabbage trees and flax. Heading south from the easternmost suburb of Harbour View, the track is mostly paved and carries on all the way to the motorway. (By the way, I think a little bit of paved track is ok in this blog - let's say anything goes that is not roadside suburban running.) I turned around when the paved track ended, but there were some people ahead so I think you can keep walking alongside the motorway for a while at least (but would you want to?). In any case, it was starting to get rainy and dark, so it was time to head back.

Maps
Here's a map of this run using Mapometer.com. This run is very straightforward - all you have to do is keep following the coast and you'll be fine!

Evaluation

• Distance: nearly 10k.
  
• Terrain: easy! Hills practically non-existent
  
• Track type and condition: a mixture of gravel, beachfront, grass, and concrete. You can run on the grass beside the concrete if you prefer - it's not too muddy
  
• Mud: not really muddy at all, especially for this time of year.
  
• Views: spectacular views across the Waitemata Harbour towards the city
  
• Novelty: for us, incredible novel, and I think even our peninsula-dwelling friends were also keen to make more use of this track from now on
• Remoteness: not really remote at all - houses and roads pretty much always visible on the non-coast side (although I find the beachfront houses interesting to look at also!)
• Toilets: at Chapman Strand and the carpark at the end of Harbour View Road.
  
• Crowd factor: not crowded at all, even at peak time after work on a weekday
  
• Watch out for: ...I can't think of anything! It's just a really easy, nice run.
  
• Extra for experts: continuing the run at either end....watch this space and I'll see if I can try this out

Verdict
An excellent surprise discovery, with the added bonus of being close to (our friends') home!

Tahuna Torea and Pt England

Here's the first entry of my new off-road running blog, Trailophile, where I aim to find and share the locations of awesome trail runs in Auckland and beyond.My goal is to do one new off-road run (ideally between 7-15kms) a week and post an entry in this blog about it – let’s see if I can meet my own challenge!

For the first week I’m starting with a track very close to home. My fiance Kelvin and I live on the Glen Innes/Glendowie border, and at the end of our road you can access the Tahuna Torea nature reserve to the north and also a track that goes south to Pt England reserve. Both tracks form part of the Point to point walkway maintained by Auckland City Council, and have fantastic views across the Tamaki estuary towards Bucklands Beach and Half Moon Bay. Yesterday, Kelvin and I decided to check out these trails from a runner’s perspective.

We started our run from the carpark at the end of West Tamaki Rd (which is also the main entrance to Tahuna Torea nature reserve). This means that we essentially did two out-and-back runs.

Tahuna Torea out and back:First we headed through Tahuna Torea via the Upper Bush Track (there are a few different tracks through here) which heads towards Roberta Reserve at the bottom of Riddell Rd. There are fantastic views through regenerating bush out to Brown’s Island in the Hauraki Gulf. We ran around Roberta Reserve and then back to Tahuna Torea and along the beach towards the spit. At low tide you can walk from the end of the spit directly back to the West Tamaki Rd carpark, but be prepared for wet and muddy shoes! I also don’t like to disturb this area as there are living mangrove forests. So instead of this option, head back along the spit and rejoin the Lower Bush track to head back to the carpark. In total this was about 4k although you could make it longer with more loops of the tracks. Mention and thanks should be made of the huge amount of work done here by Forest and Bird.

Out and back to Pt England reserve: After emerging from a bit of bush, the track disappears and you run for a while on a grass reserve between residential houses and the water’s edge. There is nice shade from some big macrocarpas and a beautiful view down to the water and across to Half Moon Bay marina. You then cross a bridge to the Pt England reserve, which has a nice sand/shell track on the sea side and a field on the right where cows are grazing. The track meanders along with its stunning views and lovely picnic tables and it was all but empty – we saw only two other groups out and about! Watch out for water and mud on some parts of the track. When we reached Pt England Rd we turned and ran back, although you could turn inland and do a circuit of Pt England reserve if you wanted. We were enjoying the view too much to stray from the water’s edge, so it was back to the carpark along the same track, stopping for a muesli bar at one of the picnic tables along the way.

Maps

Here's a very crude map of this run using mapometer.com (it’s a little difficult to see the exact track locations so I promise to look for ways to improve the quality of these maps to make them more useful! Perhaps I'll have to get an iphone with GPS, hehe). And here is a link to a map of the entire Point to point walkway on the Auckland City Council website, including the tracks we used in this run.

Evaluation

• Distance: about 7-8k depending on how many different tracks you’re keen to explore
• Hills: very mild hills – this is a good run to do if you are just starting out with off-road running and you should be able to manage the hills without getting too tired.
• Track type and condition: Tahuna Torea has a combination of nicely kept gravel tracks and wooden tracks that protect the wetlands. There is no track along the spit so it’s sandy and shelly. To Pt England it’s a mixture of mud tracks (some badly maintained), grass, and a nicely formed track laid with shells.
• Mud: It’s winter so we expected mud, but all in all it was pretty good – our shoes got a bit wet and muddy but never completely immersed!
• Views: nice harbour and estuary views and, on the Pt England side, a voyeuristic glimpse into the backyards of houses bordering the reserve
• Novelty: Pt England reserve is definitely a novelty and would be for most people who haven’t been to that area (and even for those that live there by the looks of the empty tracks!)
• Remoteness: not really remote at all, although I was surprised at how quiet it was!
• Crowd factor: at this time of year the tracks are not busy at all, but you'll definitely need to stay aware of others using the tracks
• Watch out for: Remember that dogs are not allowed in Tahuna Torea.
  
• Extra for experts: you could do the whole Point to point walkway (about 15km there and back) - it’s not totally off-road but this will be a good challenge for a later blog post perhaps! Watch this space.

Verdict

A stunning local track, especially the under-utilised Pt England component. Kelvin and I are definitely feeling lucky to have such a great running route on our doorstep!