3 May 2007

Hātea River Walk

page 3

More boardwalk, and right above the stream it's absolutely lovely walking

We reach a spot that offers a look back upstream

A young tanekaha finds a home on a clay bank. These are often found colonising slightly harsher environments, as are the Olearia just behind it.

This piece of bank gives some idea of the sheer variety of plantlife offered by this track.

I'm still not confident distinguishing between juveniles of Coprosma arborea and Coprosma spathulata, though their adult forms differ considerably. Some authorities suggest that C. arborea is more thickly clothed with leaves. I tend to go more on colour - bluer for C. spathulata; more reddy gold for C. arborea, but with no real justification.

The Ponga Track, one of several to do so, heads off uphill. When I come back I'm going to devote a day to getting round all of them.

Up ahead we can see the characteristic fence that very often surrounds a big kauri on a popular walk.

Sure enough

The surface roots on these biggies are very vulnerable to damage from people simply walking over them.

If this was a woman, I think the word louche might capture it well: slightly flaunting, slightly night-town.

The bush has been quietly changing and is now more open and light green.

This one fascinated me. Instead of a simple straight crossing, the bridge has been built with a slight curve in it to follow the course of the track without interruption. I like it. Some tracks I describe as "in your face". They demand your constant attention and commitment if you are not to slip or fall or trip. This one is one of the least obtrusive routes I have ever walked. You are totally free to be with your surroundings, and the surroundings fully justify the attention to detail.

I am curious, looking over the rail to see the base rock under all this soil. It is pure white.

Here's a smooth mossy bank with almost no clutter. More recently graded?

It is lovely peaceful walking.