[Photo Blog] Wairaka Walkway

The Wairaka Walkway is a 16.5 kilometer (10 mile) coastal track that took me from sea-level to the top of the hills that surround Plimmerton, New Zealand. It was my first trek on a trail of its kind here. It was a picture perfect day and I took many to share with you.

My personal means of familiarizing myself with a new place is to lace up my sneakers and to get walking. It is the closest that I come to meditating without any effort. I feel the most fortunate and in the moment when I find myself away from the many cars on highways and the hustle of commerce. I find it easier to focus on enjoying my surroundings. Sounds seem to pop. I notice when the breeze makes the hairs tingle on my arms and legs. My breathing feels like it synchronizes with the surrounding waves from the ocean or rustling leaves in the trees. Going for hikes in new places helps introduce me to my surroundings and re-introduce me to myself. It’s as refreshing as spring water on a scorching hot day.

I’ve found three small trails around Pukerua Bay, but nothing that made me break a sweat and get my hands dirty. The Wairaka Walkway comprises several trails and my trek begins just outside of the home that I am house-sitting. The trail extends far along the coast until it reaches neighboring Plimmerton. Circling back toward Pukerua the trail gave me two unexpected surprises. The first was a chance to explore the peaks of the sexy green hills around here that I’ve wanted to climb. The second is the last photo of this photo blog.

The Wairaka Walkway begins at a trail called the Goat Track that hugs the side of a steep hill.
At the bottom there were lots of crustaceans on these rocks. The tide was out and the sun had just come over the horizon. The weather was cool and a little chilly and I knew it would be perfect later when the sun was above. Off in the distance is Kapiti Island special to New Zealand as a nature reserve for its abundant bird life.
At first there were some joggers along the coast. The trail was narrow and I moved for them to pass. I thought that I might see more people along the trail. They would be the last people I saw for hours. Just after they passed I came to this intimidating gate to keep animals out. It was symbolic to me as it was the beginning of hours of solitude.
I came across this, a fire pit, and a small cave with another pit. I wondered what this was and who made it. Was it local Maori? My guess was that it is to give shelter against strong winds
These stones are very large and heavy. They are all rounded from being thrown around in the sea. The coast changed so much along the way. In some places there were large broken trees that had been washed onto the shore.
I wondered what happened to this boat. I bet it has an interesting story.
The coast looks smooth here and easy to navigate. In fact, the sand is soft and sinks easily requiring extra effort. Some times I balanced on broken trees to walk faster.
The coast had many features. I was surprised at how much it changed as I walked. Here there are a lot of bushes. In the distance you can see trees splintered.
These shattered rocks put strain on my ankles. Sometimes my shoe would slip to the left or right. I started balancing on one to the next to keep from injury.

It’s fun to compare the contrast of the coast in the last three photos.

In New Zealand this is known as a Blue Bottle jellyfish, or Portuguese man o’ war. It is very painful if it stings you.
These seagulls flew above me for several minutes. Their calling to one another echoed off of hill side and it made me pause and stare as I listened to their sounds.
This shelter was next to a big cargo container. There was an old kitchen and worn mattresses. I didn’t expect to see this out here. Another story left to the imagination.
Here are a couple of Maori’s trying to free a truck. I wasn’t sure if the tide was coming in, but I’ve heard warnings about losing your vehicle to the seas.
After two hours of walking along the coast I reached Plimmerton.
The sign to continue the Wairaka Walkway is small. If I had missed it I would have gone long out of my way.
Time to go up!

These stairs went on for some time. I began to hear my breath as I reached the top. I knew that I had gone very high very quickly.

I was right! This is the view on the way up to the top of the hills on the track. After a couple hours of walking I nearly kept going after taking this photo. Sometimes we perform like we are programmed machines. I’m glad that I forced myself to pause after the photo and enjoy it.
So many greens. The hills flow into one another here. It was like a painting that you get more out of the longer you stare at it.
These guys made me laugh. They were curious about me. It reminded me of when I was in a field of cows in Australia. They had stared at me then as well. I am a fan of the cow stare.
This is what it is all about. I’m not wealthy, but I feel rich.
I was surprised when the trail took me down these long drives of farmland.
The sun was out and it had gotten warmer, but it was cooler on the hill tops.
My first encounter with New Zealand sheep. New Zealand has a big cotton industry.
At the top of the trail. Those are two horses grazing on the hill below.
The bottom of the hill took me to a long paved walk way for cyclists and joggers. It was the last quarter of the trail. I crossed over train tracks and knew that I was near the Pukerua Bay train station. Four hours had gone by at this point. It was a good time to stop for a quick bite to eat. I had brought a small lunch with me. Afterwards I walked up and around a bend on the paved way and I came to a treasure I had been looking for.
An unfurling fern. I had been wanting to see one. In Maori an unfurling silver fern stands for new life, growth, strength, and peace. It is called koru. The silver fern is a national symbol of New Zealand and when I had learned the meaning I began looking for them. Just like a four leaf clover it had done a good job of hiding from me. This one doesn’t look like a silver fern, but it is a fern and it is unfurling and I was happy to find it at the end of the day.