We continue for a short distance before a suitable bank beside the track provides an opportunity for a packs-off break.
For the first time since the St James I have shouldered the big pack as part of the buildup for next year's expedition along the Greenstone and Mavoro tracks. Unlike the day pack this one belts around my waist as well, and slightly alters the walking dynamic, shifting weight from the shoulders to the hips.
Unfortunately, it also invites undue attention to the bits of me that bulge slightly on either side of the belt. With any luck, that will shift as the fitness programme begins to bite.
My camera bag sits comfortably on my front hitched to the shoulder and waist straps of the pack, and also contains my water bottle. It's a handy arrangement.
Ahead of us the track continues its immaculate course past carefully shaved banks, and at times we can see where the original track ran parallel. The remake has been considerable and thorough.
Fuelled by our snack break, we continue up the track, and I do mean up. At one point we can look back down and see where we were 50 metres or so previously.
We reach a lookout point, where the frugal tourist can capture three Auckland icons in one photo. It is very misty, but we do what we can.
photo by miranda woodward
As we get higher and more exposed, the bush begins to open up and the vegetation changes. The Goodfellow track heads off to the right.
The track begins to level out, but this is cruelly deceptive. There is a lot more uphill still to do.
Miranda gets a wonderful shot of a neinei (Dracophyllum species) but I do not know this genus well and cannot yet pin it in more detail. I've always called it the Dr Seuss tree.
photo by miranda woodward
Also increasingly common is korokio taranga (Corokia buddleioides) In the Maori pharmacy the leaves are boiled in a non-metal (ie, enamel) container to provide a remedy for certain kinds of stomach pain. I am curious about the number of Maori remedies that involve boiling, as this seems to me, hot pools apart, a post-European phenomenon.
The characteristic yellow flowers have 4-6 petals.
Just beyond these is a vast tree, possibly a kauri, though I'm not certain, supporting a small city of epiphytes and climbers.
photo by miranda woodward
Just ahead, a giant has been arrested in its fall and hosts another bunch of epiphytes. Clearly visible is the rata vine that once rode it to the sunlight.
We reach the Old Coach Road Track turnoff to the right, with the Fairy Falls carpark just down the track a minute or two. The sign is displayed for the benefit of those coming from the Fairy Falls Carpark which doesn't make a lot of sense.
We head off toward Tawari Rd.
