| Section Two - Lodge to Lighthouse |
Section Summary:This section is suitable for almost anyone, being mainly easy-grade grassed vehicle paths.
While there are plenty of areas of native forest, the emphasis of this section is on the outstanding marine panoramas and coastal scenery. The park owners have yet to meet anyone who has not been inspired by this section of the trail. The Wilderness Park can provide guided tours of this section on motorbike, land rover, horseback, or foot. There are many side-trails off the main path, including: -
the Gold Trail (including mining shafts to explore, remnants of miners stone houses and mining machinery etc).
- Luckys Ridge Trail, which affords spectacular 360 degree views. I you look south you can see right down the throat of Queen Charlotte Sound, east to the Kapati Coast and Mana Island, north to Mount Taranaki and Ruapehu, and west to D'Urville Island and into beautiful Port Gore.
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The beach track, which leads to a lovely, secluded golden sand beach - a perfect lunch spot
- Mussel Point track, a trail down to the sea through jurassic forest, where mussels are abundant. This is a great spot on a calm day and well worth the climb back onto the main trail.
Section Detail:
From the lodge, you take the upper road to Waimatete Saddle. Beautiful views typical of this section of the trail greet you, with Queen Charlotte Sound, Kapiti Coast and D'Urville Islands amongst the sights. From here the reef directly below you and to the north is Mussel Point, and a trial leads down for access to the sea and abundance of green-lipped mussels. Heading along the ridge you'll enjoy one of the few stands of kohekohe predominant bush in the South Island.
Looking East to Cape Lambert |
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Carry on up the slight gradient towards hurricane valley (so name because of the funneling effect the valley has during northerly gales), noting the goldmine side-trail for a later excursion. Once you reach the ridge you will be overlooking the general area of the gold fields worked in the late 1800's. Views
here look out over both sides of the peninsula.Continue northeast down the winding trail and soon you'll come to the huge Waihi Basin area, where the yards (sheep pens) and old musterers hut (to be restored as funds allow) are located. Below you is where the Rangitoto sank in 1873. Following the track through the yards and up the ridge, you'll notice the broad track meanders from side to side allowing stunning marina panoramas. Look out for Mount
Taranak and Ruapehu on a clear day. The east coast of the North Island is almost always visible (it sometimes seems close enough to swim, but that is not recommended!), and the snowcapped Kaikoura Ranges during cooler months. Nearing the end of the peninsula the vehicle paths stops abruptly and a narrow walking-only track leads to the lighthouse. The old (now redundant) Cape Jackson lighthouse |
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True, the peninsula seems to narrow away to almost nothing, with land on each side of the route falling away precipitously into the sea. But the footing is firm, the track is wider than it looks from a distance, and if you have the nerve the experience is well worth it. This is the section where you will be most likely to see marine mammals in close proximity. Seals certainly, dolphins often, and whales occasionally. Try to spend some time at the lighthouse itself
looking out over Jacksons Passage. You will see all sorts of birdlife feeding in the tide race, including flesh footed shearwaters, and little blue penguins. Had you been here in 1986 you would have witnessed the huge Russian cruise liner, Mikhail Lermentov attempting a fateful and rather silly passage between the land and the old lighthouse out on the rock. The new lighthouse itself is quite an historic site, as it was here on 29th January 1770 that Captain Cook first raised the flag.
Our private and safe golden-sand beach |
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Retrace your way back to the vehicle path. Head down onto the loop track which leads past a side-trail to a secluded cove, which features a golden beach. Just offshore is the wreck of the Lastingham, which sank in 1884. Restoration of an old musterers hut nearby is planned.This whole area is marked for conservation (about the
northern-most 400 acres of the peninsula), and will eventually become a a predator-free "virtual island sanctuary" for native bush and birdlife From this point simply follow the loop trail back to the yards and retrace your steps home to the lodge. This is a good opportunity, time permitting, to explore some of the side trails. Additional Notes: It is a good idea to take a packed lunch to enjoy at either the lighthouse or the private beach (check the tide times for the beach).Walking time usually about 3-4 hours, but with lunch and stops for the numerous views and side trails you could easily enjoy a full day experience. In fact, you could spend two days on this section alone, if you wish to explore all the side trails. |
