Tracks & Trails Guide
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YOUR COROMANDEL Tracks & Trails Guide Welcome to Your Coromandel Local Tracks and Trails Guide Unlike the back-country tracks in the mountainous terrain managed by the Department of Conservation, the walks outlined in this book are mostly shorter and easier excursions near our town centres, and on a variety of TCDC and public Keep Kauri conservation land. There are plenty of treasures to discover among these walks, taking you from harbour Standing and river margins, heritage town centres, playgrounds, busy working wharves and, of What is Kauri Dieback? course, the sandy beaches the Coromandel is Kauri dieback is a disease caused by the microscopic pathogen famous for. We’ve got walks for people of all Phytophthora agathidicida (PA). There is currently no known cure for PA, fitness levels, and we’ve included cycle paths which kills most if not all of the kauri it infects. It can be spread by just and mountain biking trails as well. a pinhead of soil, and is most commonly transferred by people on their Developing walking and biking paths on footwear and equipment. our Council’s own reserves, and helping But everyone can play their part to stop the disease from spreading by community groups and businesspeople develop tracks of their own, is a major strand practising good hygiene when entering or leaving kauri forests, and of our economic development programme. sticking to marked tracks. We welcome feedback on the paths included in this book and we’d like to hear from you What can I do to stop it spreading? if you’ve got plans to develop a walking or 1. SCRUB cycling track in your area of the district. When you are around kauri: • Make sure foot wear and equipment are scrubbed As with any path that is shared among multiple users, be considerate of others, use a clean to remove all visible soil and plant material bell or your voice to warn people you’re about before AND after visiting a kauri forest. to pass on a bike, clean up after yourself, and 2. SPRAY • Please use cleaning stations where provided, most of all, get out there and enjoy yourself. and follow the hygiene steps. This includes first WELCOME FRONT COVER Main photo: location Lonely Bay scrubbing off all visible soil and then spraying DIEBACK KAURI Inset photos L-R: Rings Loop Walk, Whitianga with disinfectant. 2 Bike Park, Lonely Bay, Matarangi 3 Felicity Jean Photography • Stay on the track and off kauri roots. 3. STAY This page: Rings Loop Walk, p20 • Keep your dog on a leash at all times. Felicity Jean Photography Email: [email protected] By following these steps we can all help protect X kauri and ensure they remain standing into X the future. Follow us on: @ThamesCoromandelDistrictCouncil @OurCoromandel www.kauridieback.co.nz coromandel_tcdc YOUR COROMANDEL TRACKS & TRAILS TRACKS COROMANDEL YOUR & TRAILS TRACKS COROMANDEL YOUR Contents THE COROMANDEL Northern Coromandel 20 John William Hall Arboretum............. 34 PENINSULA 1 Waikawau Bay..................................... 10 21 Miners’ Cottages and Shortland Cemetery .................... 35 2 Tuateawa Nikau Grove Walk .............. 11 Thames Coastal Pathway .............. 36-37 3 New Chum Beach ............................... 12 22 Hauraki Rail Trail ................................ 38 1 4 Whangapoua Beach to Opera Point .. 13 23 Kauaeranga Valley .............................. 39 5 Long Bay to Tucks Bay ........................ 14 24 6 Kauri Block .......................................... 15 South Eastern Coromandel 2 7 Wyuna Bay .......................................... 16 25 Te Karo Bay to Otara Bay .................... 42 8 Waiau Falls and Kauri Grove 26 Pumpkin Hill Summit ......................... 43 Lookout Walk ...................................... 17 27 Tairua History Trail ............................. 44 3 Eastern Coromandel Walks 28 Paku Hill Summit ................................ 45 4 10 9 Rings Loop and Bluff Rd 29 Pepe Loop Track ................................. 46 5 9 to Matarangi ........................................ 20 6 30 Red Bridge Track ................................. 46 7 10 Opito Bay to Crayfish Bay................... 21 31 Pauanui-Tairua Trail ........................... 47 11 Whitianga Waterfront 32 Mt Pauanui Summit ............................ 48 and Town Heritage ............................. 22 33 Broken Hills Recreation Area ............. 49 12 Whitianga Bike Park ........................... 23 34 Wentworth Valley Falls ....................... 50 12 13 Maramaratotara/Ferry Landing ......... 24 8 35 Te Ara O Te Wairoa 11 13 14 14 Shakespeare Cliff to Lonely Bay ........ 25 (Moana Anu Anu Harbour) ................. 51 15 15 Cathedral Cove and Hahei Beach ..... 26 36 Opoutere Forest to Beach .................. 52 Thames & Thames Coast 37 Peninsula Lookout .............................. 53 16 Waiomu Kauri Grove .......................... 30 38 Pokohino Bay ...................................... 53 17 Rockys Walk to Tinkers Gully ............ 31 39 Whangamata Ridges Mountain Bike Park ............................ 54 18 Moanataiari Mountain Bike Trails ...... 32 19 Karaka-Waiotahi Circuit ..................... 33 25 26 29 27 28 30 CONTENTS 16 PENINSULA MAP THE COROMANDEL 31 32 4 5 24 33 17 36 22 18 19 21 38 20 23 39 37 35 34 YOUR COROMANDEL TRACKS & TRAILS TRACKS COROMANDEL YOUR & TRAILS TRACKS COROMANDEL YOUR TIAKI PROMISE WHILE TRAVELLING IN NEW ZEALAND I WILL YOUR DOG Tiaki means to care for people and place. The Tiaki CARE FOR LAND, SEA AND NATURE, Promise is a commitment TREADING LIGHTLY AND LEAVING NO TRACE We are lucky to be able to take our best Dogs on DOC land to care for New Zealand, canine buddies almost anywhere, whether for now and for future Public conservation lands managed by DOC generations. it’s down to the beach or for a stroll into are places where our unique plants, animals New Zealand is precious, town for a bite to eat. However, to make it a and heritage are protected. Help look after and everyone who lives place for everyone to enjoy, we have a few our native wildlife by taking your dog only and travels here has a simple rules for dogs and handlers when responsibility to look TRAVEL SAFELY, SHOWING CARE to approved dog areas if you’re on public sharing our beaches, reserves and public after it. AND CONSIDERATION FOR ALL conservation land. By following the Tiaki spaces including tracks and walkways. Check the DOC website for Promise, you are making doc.govt.nz a commitment to Dogs must be on a lead in most areas tracks where you can take your dog or visit New Zealand. To act as unless specified. Remember, dogs are not DOC’s Kauaeranga Visitor Centre. a guardian, protecting allowed in cemeteries, sports fields and and preserving our home. within five metres of playgrounds. Dogs Nau Mai, Haere Mai Ki RESPECT CULTURE, TRAVELLING are prohibited from protected bird habitats Aotearoa, Welcome to WITH AN OPEN HEART AND MIND New Zealand. from Labour Weekend to 1 March, which is What to do if you come dotterel breeding season. And from across wildlife TIAKINEWZEALAND.COM 20 December to 31 January and on If you come across wildlife on a #TIAKIPROMISE public holiday weekends, most beaches track or reserve, don’t put yourself WELCOME DOG YOUR have time restrictions for when dogs are in harm’s way. Leave wildlife where 6 HOW TO CARE FOR NEW ZEALAND allowed on the beach, if at all. you find it. Give it space and don’t 7 touch it. If you’re in doubt about when and where you can walk your dog, keep an eye out for If wildlife is posing a threat to signs and maps, pop into one of our Council people, call DOC. offices or head to our website If you witness people harassing tcdc.govt.nz/dogrules wildlife, call Police. For any matters involving dogs, call TCDC on 07 868 0200. YOUR COROMANDEL TRACKS & TRAILS TRACKS COROMANDEL YOUR & TRAILS TRACKS COROMANDEL YOUR Northern Coromandel 1 Waikawau Bay 2 Tuateawa Nikau Grove Walk 3 New Chum Beach Walk 4 Whangapoua Beach Walk to Opera Point SAFETY INFORMATION 5 Long Bay to Tucks Bay Walk 6 Kauri Block Walk 7 Wyuna Bay Walk Plan your trip Know your limits 8 Waiau Falls and Kauri Grove Seek local knowledge, plan the route Challenge yourself within your physical Lookout Walk you’ll take and the amount of time you can limits and experience. reasonably expect it to take. Do not follow pink markers that lead to pest bait stations – Take sufficient supplies they do not mark formed tracks. Pack enough food, equipment, appropriate 1 communication and emergency rations for Tell someone the worst-case scenario. Be aware that some Tell someone your plans and leave a date parts of the Coromandel have limited cell for when to raise the alarm if you haven’t phone coverage. 2 returned. If someone is missing, dial 111. Be aware of the weather The Coromandel’s weather can be Local Knowledge unpredictable and is particularly Contacts 3 susceptible to heavy rain and floods. TCDC Area Offices Check the forecast at metservice.com 4 Thames, Whitianga, Whangamata, SAFETY INFORMATION SAFETY and expect weather changes. MAP COROMANDEL NORTHERN Coromandel Town 8 +64 7 868 0200 5 9 Bay 6 [email protected] 7 Search & Rescue tcdc.govt.nz There are numerous voluntary Visitor Information Centres Search & Rescue groups on See back cover for our local information the Coromandel that can give centres, or visit thecoromandel.com advice, including Kuaotunu Search and Rescue. 8 facebook.com/KuaotunuSAR landsar.org.nz YOUR COROMANDEL TRACKS & TRAILS TRACKS COROMANDEL YOUR & TRAILS TRACKS COROMANDEL YOUR 1 2 Waikawau Bay From opposite the entrance to the DOC camp at Waikawau Bay a short walk of 5-10 min leads uphill to a cluster of kauri that were planted by children who are now adults. The lookout is a good place to catch your breath after the walk up and enjoy the views over the long, sandy strip of Waikawau Bay to the north, and the small community of Little Bay, to the south. For a longer walk, take DOC’s Matamataharakeke Trail from the back of Pump Paddock at the Waikawau campsite.