The Montana Heritage Trail

Section 1: From the carpark to the Cascade Track Turnoff

For interested campervan types, first time round, we'd been to dinner the night before with friends near Bethells Beach and, rather than head all the way back to Helensville and back, we first off attempted to spend the night in the Bethells Carpark. Bad judgement, or unlucky. Probably the first. A series of cars revving past, starting around midnight, culminated in a four car fireworks and boombox party at around 1.30 am.

We uplifted and found an undisturbed and comfortable level spot by ourselves in the Waitakere Golf Club parking area in Falls Rd, a few hundred metres from the start of the track. The first golfers started arriving around 6 am, but by that time the gate to the end of Falls Rd was open (the official opening time is 8 am, so we were lucky). We headed down to the Carpark where there were public toilets, then organised bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade and coffee, and were on the track by 8 am, starting at the eastern end of the Auckland City Walk. From this end, the Cascade Track is the second turnoff on the left, about 10m past the Anderson Track turnoff.

We're parked down by the toilets, so we head up the road about a hundred metres, past one of the most precious pieces of touristiana that has ever slipped past the collective ARC tastebuds...

I'm not sure but I believe the bark chip surrounds are to conform to current thinking on safe playgrounds.

A bronze plaque stands at the beginning of the track.

We leave the immaculately shaved lawns behind.

Somehow they have managed to preserve against all the growth habits of NZ bush a spaciousness and airiness about the track that is almost gracious.

Not far in, we see our first big one, carefully fenced off against the trampling feet that can damage root systems.

However, we're not here to do the Auckland City Walk. That features elsewhere. It's about half an hour fatman time from the carpark to the turnoff, and we get a move on.

I am much more used to seeing the small round leathery green leaves of Coprosma rhamnoides and Coprosma crassifolia and I enjoy in the Waitakeres finding the somewhat more graceful C. spathulata and C arborea with their lighter spathulate leaves. I am still unsure of distinguishing juvenile specimens of these last two, but I have it in my head that the bluer tinge belongs to C. spathulata and the bronzey tinge to C. arborea. Maybe someone can help here.

Pungas and nikau are pleasant to walk through. It's still very much park rather than bush.

Beside the track is a young mingimingi in the juvenile form characteristic of most of the Waitakeres, in which the slightly stiffer, more austere regular leaves are abandoned for a more flowing, slightly Dr Seuss, quality.

As I said, it's pleasant walking along here. There's a bit of up and downing, but excellent track and of, course, there's really no need to hurry. The Auckland City Walk is a delightful way to fill an hour or a bit more on a spare afternoon.

A punga trunk hosts a lush growth of fragrant fern, mokimoki, (Microsorum scolopendria)

As we get further in, there's a heavier salting of more substantial trees, rather than the few giants surrounded by regrowth nikau and punga that mark the earlier parts of the track.

Mind you, we're by no means done with giants. This one is hosting a rata wraparound.

Next, a section of substantial boardwalk. (This is by way of preliminary contrast to the contrary excesses of the Cascade Track)

To the left of the track, a rata begins it's trek up the trunk of a large kauri. By the time it's got to this stage, many years have passed.

Further on, the buttress roots of a pukatea are a pointer to it's evolution as a swamp dweller. They help to keep the tree stable in ground that is often not.

We cross the Waitakere Stream.

I am busy photographing this sign, which I missed altogether first time round when I hear voices. Alice, at the end of her longish lead is accosting a largish group of Asians. Her feet are muddy, their trousers and slacks are immaculate. So far... I turn and apologise and reel her in. A lead is not always enough.

About 10 metres on is the turnoff to the Cascade Track.

It's taken me about 30 minutes, so far. It takes me another 90 minutes to reach the dam, fatman time, against the 60 minutes suggested here.