Hauraki Rail Trail ~ Nov 7-9, #4
Hauraki Trail ~ past the “detour”
Leaving Tapapakanga, we tried to keep our minds focused on the present with nature’s help. New sightings of the Yellowhammer followed by pheasants, peacocks and turkeys grazing alongside the sheep and cattle on the hillside reminded us again our life was here and now, simple and unfettered.
Another long descent and we were back at the shoreline tracing its edges, the faint outline of the Coromandel range appearing amongst the clouds across the bay. As we wove along the edge of the hillside just a few meters above the sea, we were once again reminded of traveling highway 101 along Hood Canal.
Miranda
Start of Hauraki Trail at Kaiaua, Coromandel peninsula in the distance
Before long, we picked up the start of the Hauraki rail trail in Kaiaua, a path of finely ground white rock winding its way even closer to the shore until a barrier of mangroves and waves of wild grasses separated the sea from the trail. Along the way we spotted our first wood pigeon, Australian Pied Cormorants and most exciting of all a large flock of Godwits, resting up after their own incredible migration from Alaska, our starting point.
We stopped at the bird sanctuary and stayed at Miranda holiday park, mid-way along the Firth, for a couple days. It was our first park of many with a “natural hot spring” contained within a swimming pool. The topography of this area we were riding through was initially formed by the outward movements of the Hauraki Fault and the Firth of Thames Fault, creating the Hunua and Coromandel Ranges and the Rift Valley in between, a depression that still has active fault lines, some of which allow hot springs to rise to the surface.
On an evening walk through the park, we were both missing the presence of any furry critters peering back at us through the dark, or their chatter piercing the silence, until we heard a familiar screech - a pair of possums engaged in a nightly raucous. As much as we enjoyed hearing them again, possums are among several of the unfortunate, non-native species, relegated to a pest-level existence here in New Zealand. The others are Stoats (small weasel), hedgehogs and of course rabbits. Along the rail trail, every few meters was another box to lure the Stoats to their demise and throughout the farmlands, signs warning of poison in the area were again commonplace; all attempts to remedy mistakes of the past and secure the future of visiting shorebirds and native wildlife.
Thames
From Miranda, we rode on to Thames at the bottom of the Firth before following the trail inland through the valley.
We were reveling in every inch of flat rail trail knowing it would be short-lived as we continued South - that is, until we arrived in front of a sign at the bottom of the Firth indicating a bypass route below the stop banks for at least the next 16 kilometers on a “temporary trail” followed by a disclaimer “the surface will be bumpy, so please ride with care”. We confidently rolled forward, grateful for the cushion of our fat tires. But about half-way in, we were doing anything to stay on the very edge of the chunky rocks that were in no way small enough to even remotely resemble gravel.
Our relief finally came at the crossing over the Piako River where the trail left the cattle paddocks and followed the river revealing dried out mud flats along its’ edges. Further up the trail, a massive renovation of floodgates and restoration of shorebird habitat was almost complete after 4 years of reconstruction. We sat in the new bird hide to watch another flock of Godwits and an array of other shore birds.
We followed the rail trail across the Waihou River on the new Kopu bridge then turned to head into Thames when we saw another cyclist loaded down riding towards us. Oddly enough, he was a Californian, around our age, that had arrived here just before the election. It was of some solace to commiserate over the state of affairs at home and in the world with someone that knew what we were feeling and shared our appreciation for being here, living in the moment. As we parted ways, he recommended stopping at the fish and chips shop on the harbor, which we did, and followed it up with an amazing ice cream cone made from fresh blueberries. Another simple day, living the good life.
