Last of The Summer Wine Trail
For visitors from Britain, the Last of the Summer Wine trail might be a bit of a surprise. There, the popular TV programme of this name was set in a little, Yorkshire town on the edge of the moorlands. This walk is a far cry from that - but it's well worth doing all the same, especially when combined with the longer Paul's Track. As well as a short climb to a lookout across to Mangawhai Heads and the huge sand-dune that shelters the harbour, these offer a winding ramble and scramble through shady tea-tree woodlands.
The start-point is the car park behind the i-centre next to the golf course. From here, we follow a short track past the bowling club, and then take a boardwalk up to the look-out. Half-way there, on the left, there's a sign for the Last of the Summer Wine trail and Paul's Track; alternatively, we can head off counter-clockwise round the loop by turning right just before the steps up to the lookout.
The tracks in the woods actually offer a series of routes, laid out like loops within loops, of different length. The shortest takes about 20 minutes, and can be completed by simply taking the clockwise path and choosing the first branch to the right (Gully Track) and then going right again five minutes later at the junction with Paul's Track. To do the middle route, which takes about 40 minutes, we ignore the first branch to the right, and take the second, unsigned branch. The longest is about an hour in length, and is done by consistently ignoring sidetracks off to the right.
Each of them offers a good and varied walk, up and over the old sand dunes that cover this area of land. In wet weather this is a definite advantage, for when other tracks are boggy, these stay dry. However, the longest route includes a dip down into a marshy swale, which can hold standing water at almost any time, and involves a bit of a dash across a makeshift boardwalk, constructed from old wooden pallets. On the longer routes, some of the sections are also steep, but the hills are all short, and there are steps where they're most needed.
So, no wine, and in this part of the world it's almost always summer, but a good walk anyway.
The start-point is the car park behind the i-centre next to the golf course. From here, we follow a short track past the bowling club, and then take a boardwalk up to the look-out. Half-way there, on the left, there's a sign for the Last of the Summer Wine trail and Paul's Track; alternatively, we can head off counter-clockwise round the loop by turning right just before the steps up to the lookout.
The tracks in the woods actually offer a series of routes, laid out like loops within loops, of different length. The shortest takes about 20 minutes, and can be completed by simply taking the clockwise path and choosing the first branch to the right (Gully Track) and then going right again five minutes later at the junction with Paul's Track. To do the middle route, which takes about 40 minutes, we ignore the first branch to the right, and take the second, unsigned branch. The longest is about an hour in length, and is done by consistently ignoring sidetracks off to the right.
Each of them offers a good and varied walk, up and over the old sand dunes that cover this area of land. In wet weather this is a definite advantage, for when other tracks are boggy, these stay dry. However, the longest route includes a dip down into a marshy swale, which can hold standing water at almost any time, and involves a bit of a dash across a makeshift boardwalk, constructed from old wooden pallets. On the longer routes, some of the sections are also steep, but the hills are all short, and there are steps where they're most needed.
So, no wine, and in this part of the world it's almost always summer, but a good walk anyway.
SummaryLocation: Molesworth Road, Mangawhai (between Mangawhai Village and Mangawhai Heads)
Access: Carpark behind i-centre, next to golf course Length: up to 3.5km Configuration: Set of loops of different length Grade: Undulating, with some short steep sections; informal sandy track Status: off leash (under control) Cafes and restaurants: Sail Rock cafe, Mangawhai Village (500 metres. More information: |
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