Limeburners' Creek
This walk might not seem to have much going for it at first sight. It's in a fairly tatty urban area, next to a busy road and is around what look like (and in fact are) ponds for the town sewerage system. Not far away is a recycling plant - and it's only a bit over a kilometre long. Dissuaded? Well don't be: at least, not entirely. Our dogs love it. Partly perhaps because it's often been the place of last resort after a day in town. But also because it's directly opposite the SPCC dog pound, and is clearly used by them as the regular walking spot for all the dogs in their care. As a result, it's obviously full of interesting doggy smells.
It's not too uninteresting for we humans, either. The ponds have been cut in an area of wetlands, and there's an information board at the entrance that tell us about them - wetlands in general, that is, rather than these in particular. There's also a winding raised boardwalk through an area of mangroves, while the ponds themselves are home to a range of freshwater plants, bugs and tiny fish, as well as ducks and pukeko. So we find plenty to look at as we take a figure-of-eight route along the gravel paths, then dally for a while at the look-out platform to gaze back at where we've been. Pretty? Well - no. But it does have a certain ugly attraction. And as the dogs would tell you, it's beats sitting in the back of the car any day...
It's not too uninteresting for we humans, either. The ponds have been cut in an area of wetlands, and there's an information board at the entrance that tell us about them - wetlands in general, that is, rather than these in particular. There's also a winding raised boardwalk through an area of mangroves, while the ponds themselves are home to a range of freshwater plants, bugs and tiny fish, as well as ducks and pukeko. So we find plenty to look at as we take a figure-of-eight route along the gravel paths, then dally for a while at the look-out platform to gaze back at where we've been. Pretty? Well - no. But it does have a certain ugly attraction. And as the dogs would tell you, it's beats sitting in the back of the car any day...
Summary
Location: Okara Drive, Whangarei
Access: Small parking area outside the entrance
Length: 1.3km
Configuration: Figure-of-eight loop
Grade: Flat, gravelled path
Status: on-leash
Cafes and restaurants: many in central Whangarei
More information:
Access: Small parking area outside the entrance
Length: 1.3km
Configuration: Figure-of-eight loop
Grade: Flat, gravelled path
Status: on-leash
Cafes and restaurants: many in central Whangarei
More information: