We five walked from Little Shoal Bay across Dudding Park and up Wilding St. A lane off Faulkner brought us to the Onewa war memorial shelter.  

Elizabeth led us behind Northcote Tennis Club to bush which brought us out on the Puawai entrance to Onepoto Domain. (Happily, EM had discovered a number of such routes to link green belts.)  Bush walking led us to a secret lane off  Exmouth onto Tuff Crater. We exited the crater onto Warehouse Way and walked to Smith Bush via a detour involving a washed out bridge and clamber over culvert tunnel top.  Adventurous urban! 

From Akoranga Road, we entered atmospheric Smiths Bush. Wet by now, we ate standing like men at the sink, under a very old Puriri.  Our return route took us back to Tuff Crater and out at Arahia to  pretty Dudding Reserve.  A track from Lake Rd led to the Woodside entrance of Kauri Glen Bush. From here the track just skirted the Glen itself and included a purpose built viewing platform where one could look down (and weep inwardly) to see the magnificent, now inaccessible Kauri Glen forest. 

Sodden but cheerful, we negotiated Le Roys and the waterfall track, making plans to avoid the temporary track closure from Valley Rd track through to Little Shoal Bay. 

Thanks, Elizabeth! 

Sue M

Click here to view the photos from Elizabeth