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more new zealand holiday ideas
..walking the milford track
Around 100 years ago, in an article that appeared in the London Spectator, the poet Blanche Baughan declared the Milford Track to be ‘the finest walk in the world’. Here is a little of what she said:
"This is truly the "region of the perpendicular" - the mountains are split right straight down from their summits to within a few hundred feet of sea level. The other valley-side, perhaps half-a-mile from its fellow, is equally steep and just as precipitous; and presently, as the track ascends, as the trees lessen both in size and number, and the frowning white-tipped walls begin to draw together above the canyon, you realise that you are walking at the bottom of a gigantic furrow of the earth."
Milford Track is arguably New Zealand’s most famous walk. The 53 kilometre journey begins at the head of Lake Te Anau, and leads you across suspension bridges, board walks and a mountain pass. The Milford Track will show you pristine lakes, sky-scraping mountain peaks and enormous valley views; and it will take you to feel the misty breath of Sutherland Falls, the tallest waterfall in New Zealand.
On a sunny day it is postcard perfect but some walkers say that only when it rains, and torrents of water cascade down the steep mountainsides, have you truly experienced the magic of the Milford Track.
Guided walkers take five days and four nights to complete the 53 kilometre track; independent walkers usually take a day and night less. The track is always walked from south to north, to minimise impact on the environment. There are three public accommodation huts and three private lodges on the track; camping is not permitted.
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Well-known for its wineries, gannets, black sands and dramatic scenery, the West
Coast of Auckland offers visitors the opportunity to see another side of the City
of Sails. The Waitakere Ranges dominate this region and were formed by a series
of volcanic eruptions. Today the ranges are covered in dense rainforest, which receives
around forty percent more rain than Auckland City. Many of its rivers are dammed
to form large reservoirs that hold the water consumed by the city below. Its wild,
rugged coastline has a raw natural beauty, which tends to attract artistic types
and those who endorse strong environmental principles, while its scenery has provided
a backdrop for many award-winning movies -including The Piano -and popular TV series.
We head west to soak up the atmosphere, surf its breakers, ride horses on the beach,
taste wine, admire gannets and meet the locals.
day one: auckland to piha with a side trip to whatipu
Key
- Destinations
- Apex Locations
High in the foothills of the Waitakere Ranges the elevated township of Titirangi
is reached via the North Western Motorway. We arrive ready to breakfast and follow
our noses to the German café, Boss Konditorei, where fresh organic and wholegrain
breads are baked daily. Its street appeal isn’t up to much and Bob screws up his
nose, but once inside the views of the Manukau Harbour and selection of specialty
cakes and breads win him over and he winds up telling its friendly owner, Ewald
Boss, that he intends to return for lunch.
Instead we purchase a selection of thick-cut sandwiches and pastries so we can picnic
at our leisure, then visit the art gallery at Lopdell House where locals exhibit
their work. As we leave Bob strikes up a conversation with a student-type with gorgeous
long red locks. Her T-shirt states “Titirangi - it’s the west but with a special
flavour all its own. Titirangi is more than a village; it’s a way of living; it’s
a feeling - it’s a state of mind.” She tells Bob to get out to Whatipu, “You
won’t believe you’re in Auckland,” and departs to the local hairdressing salon,
where all the products used are organic. And so we take the road to Whatipu, past
popular Cornwallis Beach with its icecream and coffee caravan, the bottle-green
horseshoe of Huia Bay and over the hills to Whatipu, nestled amongst the dunes.
The boom of the ocean can be heard from the carpark and it becomes thunderous as
we walk along a sandy pathway lined with colourful. owering grasses to the beach.
Here surf pounds relentlessly against Paratutae Island which marks the northern
head of the Manukau Harbour. It was the site of one of NZ’s most disastrous shipwrecks
in 1863, when the HMS Orpheus ran aground at the cost of 189 lives.
I lead Bob along a rough unmarked route to the sea caves that were used in early
days as shelter by local Maori, and later -in the 1920s -as a ballroom for timber
workers. We pass Whatipu Lodge, built for the mill manager in 1867, and Liebergreen
Cottage, a former mill workers cottage, thought to date from the 1860s.
We picnic amongst the dunes in swaying grasses watching the surf pound in. Bob reminisces
about a surfing holiday he once had in Hawaii and how he was a dab hand on a Malibu
board. As I watch him gobble pastries it’s pretty hard to imagine but I simply suggest
that he hires a board and gives it a go...
please click the link to download the full
Auckland's West Coast Beaches scenic drive, courtesy of apex car rentals
new zealand... the kiwi way
to read more extracts from our driving holiday's guidebook please click on any of
the following links:
north island scenic drives
south island scenic drives
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please click here (RRP $24.95 plus postage)
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