Te Araroa Trail Blog Day 17: Waipu Cove to Mangawhai Heads

The first steps I took this morning were painful. I had developed shin splints from the harsh walking down the beach and on the roads yesterday and they were causing me some issues.

It looked like today would be much shorter and easier than yesterday, so we had a bit of a lie in. When I say that, I mean we probably slept until about 7am instead of the usual 6am. Our aim was to be on the road by 8.30am.

I think it was actually about 8.45 by the time I left Camp Waipu Cove. I ended up leaving a little before John and Julia because they were taking a little too long and I was worried about my fitness. My legs and feet were so sore I thought it might take me a while to get going this morning. 

The first small (off-trail) stretch along the road to Waipu Cove.  

So off I went. It was another kilometre off-trail back up the road we had driven in on yesterday to get back to the TA route, and from there it was a steady climb, first up a sealed road and then eventually a metal road to the summit of the hills under which Waipu Cove sits.

A quick selfie on the way out of Waipu Cove. Looking back down the sealed road walk out of Waipu Cove.  

There were plenty of viewpoints along the way, especially back down to the main sweep of Waipu Cove beach and back towards Bream Head, where we’d been just a couple of days ago.

Looking down to the southerly stretch of Waipu Cove from my viewpoint on the road walk towards Mangawhai Heads. The morning’s view, reminding us of how far we have already come in a few short days.  

I must have been going for nearly an hour and a half before I stopped, having walked 7 kilometres to the junction with the Langsview Track on my own.

The last little section of the road walk out of Waipu Cove.  

When I turned around to look back along the windy road, John and Julia were nowhere to be seen. It was nice to have some time alone, but I was also grateful for the company when they eventually arrived at the trailhead. 

The spot where I opted to take my morning tea break, after the long road walk out of Waipu Cove.  

The DoC sign for the Langsview Track estimated 3 hours to do 6.5km which had us all a bit worried. I wondered what the track must be like for it to have such a long time estimate.

Taking another quick look at the estimated time on the Langsview Track signpost.  

In actual fact it turned out to be a perfectly manageable track. After the first ten minutes or so there was a large hill that was steep, and there were a few more after that. But they weren’t muddy (it had been quite dry) which made them relatively easy to walk. 

John heads off into the bush walk section of the Langsview Track. Never photographing as steep as they are: John half way up a substantial climb on the Langsview Track.  

Troy and Jordyn had briefly passed us while we had been stopped for a short break before we started the track, but we now lapped them at their slower pace. On the other side of the biggest hill we walked down a metal road to get to a sealed road. It was quite steep in places and we passed many private properties. It occurred to me that these properties seemed to be quite remote and secluded from the rest of the world up here, and they appeared very quaint.

Another secluded house on the Langsview Track. Quaint houses along the Langsview Track.  

One in particular made me think of my great grandparents who had owned a nursery in London. My Dad used to tell me and my sister stories of how they would spend their weekends playing with their cousins at the nurseries, using the three large greenhouses as obstacles (much to their grandparents’ dismay). The greenhouses outside this house are of a kind not often seen in New Zealand.

Being reminded of my great grandparents’ nurseries with these greenhouses.[/caption]

There were also many signs about protection of kiwi in this area, and at one point we passed a strange wooden bench in the middle of nowhere with a bus stop sign on it! Julia couldn’t miss the opportunity to take a photo.

Julia taking advantage of a strangely placed ‘bus stop’ bench on the Langsview Track to thumb a lift (unsuccessfully).  

There were some great views along the way. These viewpoints presented great places to take small breaks from the effort of the climbing we’d been doing. John, who would often reach them well before us (or me, anyway) would take the opportunity to elevate his feet.

A rest spot with a view. A view down towards the main stretch of Mangawhai Beach.  

Eventually we came to a very small stream where we decided to stop for a spot of lunch.

The (tiny) stream we opted to take lunch next to.  

It was sunny and hot next to the stream but occasionally the clouds would roll over and take most of the heat off. We stopped for a good hour or so for lunch, and had plenty of time to recuperate some energy.

Today’s lunch selection on Te Araroa. Not particularly exciting. Spirits high after a long morning hiking! A quick lunch selfie.  

After lunch we carried on a few metres to the Cove Road carpark. We tried as best we could to clean our shoes at the boot cleaning station, but it was almost out of cleaning solution.

Leaving the end of the Langsview Track from the main road carpark.  

We walked down Cove Road for a little while and then took a right hand turn onto Bream Tail Road, another metal road.

Following the Whangarei DC well-marked TA markers to Bream Tail Road.  

The road surface was almost entirely white, and the resulting glare made me miss my sunglasses sorely. Whilst hiking down the beach yesterday I had reached into my hip belt pocket to grab them, only to pull them out in two separate pieces. I had a sneaking suspicion that Blair’s rough handling of my pack into the boat on the Marsden Point crossing yesterday had resulted in them being smashed apart.  

Hiking through farmland and a group of cows on the Bream Tail road walk.  

It was a hard climb to the top of the road in the heat of the sun and it took me a long while, but we had ample company along the way.

A cluster of freshly shorn sheep on Bream Tail Road.  

When we finally reached the top we had to walk through some farm pasture lands before eventually descending into a small valley between two hills… 

Relentless hiking through hilly and uneven paddocks on the section between Waipu Cove and Mangawhai.  

… only to climb back up and out onto the next hill straight away!

We’d just finished descending a steep hill in this particular paddock, only to realise we now needed to go up this one too!  

I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the route this trail seemed to take. You could be sure that if there was any kind of hill around, the trail would go up it. I was tired, and hot, and this was difficult! 

By this time John and Julia had steamed off ahead of me, and I was under my own form of steam. I was angry. The section of track I was now walking was under construction (although it seemed like no construction crew had been this way for a long while), and scattered with half-completed stairs and plastic grids that are designed to be filled with gravel to prevent erosion.

Playing a hazardous game of hopscotch with this particular section of unfinished trail.  

It was impossible to walk down the middle of these grids, so instead I balanced precariously on the edge of the track for a couple of kilometres as I tried to avoid them. 

At the end of the track we reached a junction with the Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway. This was a perfectly beautiful track, really second to none in its beauty and splendour. Well manicured and graded, with spectacular views, it should rightly have been one of my trail highlights to date.

Glad to be out of the paddocks and onto a manicured section of track! The best condition track we’ve seen for a while! Shooting through the bush towards the azure ocean below.  

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t enjoy it. I was in so much pain. Every single joint, muscle and bone in my body hurt so much and I was desperate to get to camp so I could set up my tent.

I tried my best to appreciate the views and the scenery by taking copious amounts of photos.

A beautiful Nīkau Palm on the Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway. The stunningly beautiful coastline along the Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway. One of the more scenic shots of the Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway.  

The track was well formed and wide enough, but it still climbed in places. At the end there was a steep descent to a small beach we had to walk along before we got to Mangawhai Heads. I hadn’t been expecting this, and the sand was soft, with the wind blowing straight at us which made for difficult walking. The end of the beach couldn’t come soon enough.

Heading down onto the beach section of the Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway, heading towards Sentinel Rock in the distance. Nearing the end of the beach walk towards Sentinel Rock, and the small holiday town of Mangawhai Heads.  

Finally, we reached the surf club and toilets at the end of the beach. Julia and I had left John behind at the start of the beach so he could (once again) go for a swim. Whilst Julia went to the bathroom I took the opportunity to start looking for some accommodation.

We narrowed it down to two options: the nearby Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park or a backpackers a couple of kilometres away. John had caught us by now so we let him decide. Not one to make a final decision, in the end we decided to stop in at the holiday park on the way to the backpackers to see both of our options. 

Catching a hitch-hiker at the Mangawhai Heads toilets.  

The Mangawhai Heads Holiday Park was located right on the beachfront and sheltered by a sandbank. The only downside was that it was a little way to the local Four Square, post office, and small shopping area. John had to use an intercom attached to the reception building to speak to one of the owners and find out the price to cam, which seemed a little strange (and lazy on the part of the owners). We were quoted a rather extortionate (by comparison to what we were used to) $20 for a tent site and no availability in any cabins. 

We decided that this was too expensive, and we didn’t get a good feeling about the service we’d been presented with. So we made our way to the The Coastal Cow Backpackers about 2 kilometres away.

We enjoyed a nice walk along the beachfront. When we arrived at The Coastal Cow, there was no reception area. I took pains to take off my shoes before entering, and walked in to nothing more than the living room of a house with three other guests sitting in one of the many sofas that had been crammed inside. No one seemed to know how to get in touch with the lady who ran the place so I started ringing phone numbers. None of them worked. So I sent a Facebook message. It was starting to get late by this point, nearly 4.45pm. I was conscious that we were losing time to go to the shops and get ourselves sorted, so I made the call and everyone agreed: we’d go back to the holiday park. 

It actually turned out to be a brilliant and really lovely spot to camp. When we arrived back there someone eventually came down to reception and was helpful enough. Once we’d chosen our sites and set up our tents we had a visit from a lovely welcoming party – a family of ducks!

Being welcomed by a group of ducklings and their mother at the Mangawhai Heads Campground. Two of the duckling group brave getting a little closer.  

After our tents were set up we took a walk to the shopping area. I picked up supplies for lunches for the next 3-4 days, and some veggies and fresh food for dinner that night. 

Back at camp we cooked up a real feast. With tortilla chips and salsa dip for appetisers, Troy and Jordyn shared a bag of coleslaw with us and we shared our broccoli. It was a really lovely evening, just a bunch of long distance hikers hanging out together after a couple of hard days hiking. The toilets and shower facilities were amazing (newly renovated), and once again I enjoyed the fact that there was music playing inside again. 

Eventually the sun went down and it was time for bed.  I bedded down for the night for the first time without my down jacket on, because I knew the warm sea breeze would allow me to sleep relatively warmly. 

During the night I had some shooting pains through my legs and feet. Eventually they subsided and I otherwise slept well. 

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