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Keen walker David Mallowes offers suggestions about fun and interesting routes people can take to get some exercise and enjoy the area in his latest column.
Clevedon Scenic Reserve – Te Nikau Pa – Camp Sladdin – Stairway to Heaven.
Tucked away, only a 10-minute, 600-metre walk from Clevedon township, is an 80-minute walk well worth exploring.
Plenty of shade, lots of birdlife and song and some beautiful old kauri, rimu and totara.
Adjacent to the carpark is fitness equipment and a large, grassed play area and toilets.
The superbly maintained 3km loop track leads you to 360-degree views of the Hunua Ranges and the Hauraki Gulf. Just under 1000 stairs (yes, we counted!) to the top.
From the walkway is a short extension to a pretty waterfall. You may meet runners circling two or often three loops.
For the more adventurous, the walk extends 2.3km from the lookout along Kimptons Track to Kimptons Road.
Experienced trampers can find their way along a number of tracks right through to Maraetai.
Location – 75R Thorps Quarry Rd. Carpark, street parking, 100 hectares of native bush.
Opening times – summer 7am-9pm, winter 7am-7pm.
Dogs – now allowed off-leash, suggest on-leash when it can be very busy on weekends.
Picnic tables are scattered throughout the reserve.
Fitness equipment – monkey bars, balance beams, swing rope, and rope bridges.
History – Ngai Tai ki Tamaki are the original inhabitants, their last known chief at the pa was Tara Te Irirangi.
Clevedon – 30 minutes maximum from the Auckland CBD, the drive from Howick or Whitford through scenic rural farmland is a great way to forget about the stress of the city.
Nearby Clevedon Village markets and the Farmers Market on Sunday mornings, great cafes, art shops, gift shops, Hallertau, strawberry farm, nearby Hunua Falls, Ardmore Airport and NZ Warbirds, Ayrlies Garden and Wetlands, Riverhaven – so much to see.
