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We took the boats up to Whakapirau at the weekend for a paddle. Tried my new TUMONZ mapping software out (you were right – NOT ACCURATE ENOUGH TO TRUST OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE) but it did take us over a lovely little scenic strip of dirt road called Mountain Road which chops about 7ks off the trip to Maungaturoto from Wellsford. 😀 It can be found about two kilometres north of Kaiwaka on the left and returns to the main road SH 12 just before Maungaturoto. It would be useful if you were heading out west or further up country via Paparoa and on to the Twin Bridges.
Malcolm GAnonymous
Guest13/09/2005 at 8:56 amPost count: 2134We had a ride through there a while ago. You just have to be carefull with the milk tankers and the road is gravel which turns most riders off. 😕
There is a lot of great roads up north, 8) but the club keeps on going to the same old places. ❓Malcolm_G wrote:We took the boats up to Whakapirau at the weekend for a paddle. Tried my new TUMONZ mapping software out (you were right – NOT ACCURATE ENOUGH TO TRUST OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE) but it did take us over a lovely little scenic strip of dirt road called Mountain Road which chops about 7ks off the trip to Maungaturoto from Wellsford. 😀 It can be found about two kilometres north of Kaiwaka on the left and returns to the main road SH 12 just before Maungaturoto. It would be useful if you were heading out west or further up country via Paparoa and on to the Twin Bridges.
Malcolm G
Pictures? I am still jonesing after a GPS. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who's got the NZ maps. I'd love to know if they'll have all country roads on that as well.
Seeing that I've managed to talk my daughter into a Subaru Legacy, our canoe might get some water time again. Not nealry as sleek as a cyak, though.
AlexGuest13/09/2005 at 10:02 amPost count: 2134Kokopelli wrote:Malcolm_G wrote:We took the boats up to Whakapirau at the weekend for a paddle. Tried my new TUMONZ mapping software out (you were right – NOT ACCURATE ENOUGH TO TRUST OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE) but it did take us over a lovely little scenic strip of dirt road called Mountain Road which chops about 7ks off the trip to Maungaturoto from Wellsford. 😀 It can be found about two kilometres north of Kaiwaka on the left and returns to the main road SH 12 just before Maungaturoto. It would be useful if you were heading out west or further up country via Paparoa and on to the Twin Bridges.
Malcolm G
Pictures? I am still jonesing after a GPS. Unfortunately I don't know anyone who's got the NZ maps. I'd love to know if they'll have all country roads on that as well.
Seeing that I've managed to talk my daughter into a Subaru Legacy, our canoe might get some water time again. Not nealry as sleek as a cyak, though.
Alex
Make sure and get the Legacy checked out as they can be trouble.
Go and see Telecom Mobile phone shop they sell Navman which have the maps, but GPS in NZ is very Basic at this Stage. The AA NZ Maps are better.
Make sure and get the Legacy checked out as they can be trouble.
Go and see Telecom Mobile phone shop they sell Navman which have the maps, but GPS in NZ is very Basic at this Stage. The AA NZ Maps are better.
Man, I must start to read my posts before sending. I am starting write like Steve B.
The Legacy should be fine, I had one for four years without a problem, and this one drives and shifts even better.
Thanks for the advice about Telecom. I must check these maps out.Sorry Alex we didn’t stop to take pictures on the road 😥 However just to prove we were there we took a couple on Sunday while we were taking a walk before leaving for home. Once a kid always a kid eh?
A few months ago we did a similar trip to Hargreaves Bay which is a little further south and opposite Port Albert. Had a great time but the property is private and quite remote - tents and all gear required. There used to be a settlement there way back but all that is left is the sad little grave of Emily Hargreave aged 6 just up from the beach in a patch of bush. Emily died in 1860 - boy it was bloody remote back then. The pic of the wagon is looking out to Hargreaves Bay. We put our tents up at the far end of the beach you can just see an old dilapidated caravan.
MalcolmDear Malcolm
Hate to give you a lesson in geography but the place you see directly opposite Port Albert is a little settlement called Oruawharo. You can see the church and cemetery, the school (now closed) and the marae.
I know, because I was brought up there (finally, a claim to fame on this website!).
If you are kayaking, the Oruawharo beach is one of the few hard landings in the Kaipara, i.e. you can beach without having a boat ramp.
If you are suggesting going from Port Albert round to Hargreaves (did you have to tell the world about this place??) - a word of caution - the tidal ebb and flow once you round the headland can cause a few problems - you are directly out into the open harbour - and you could find yourself halfway to Australia before you know it!
Also, like you said, a lot of those places are privately owned. There are also a lot of maori reserves in the area. There are sites of old homesteads and pa that were abandoned once coastal shipping died; but also ones that were razed when the occupants died in the 14-18 flu epidemic. So all you JAFA's, please ask first before kayaking into the Kaipara, you could cause a lot of offence without meaning it. And watch the tides.
As a matter of interest, Hargreaves Bay was a site of community action in the good old days! It was close to Rev. Gittos mission station in the Kaipara. They used to host the most amazing New Years Day picnics from around the district - photos show women dressed up in victoriana, under parasols. I think the photos are either at Matakohe Museum or Wellsford District Museum.
Wendy 😉Hi Wendy, many thanks for the lesson. I am aware of what you say but for the sake of simplicity I used Port Albert as the most likely place to be known to most readers although I realize it (P A) is in fact some way further up the channel. A hard landing would have been a wonderful thing – we paddled home after a hard days paddle to a low tide and had to traverse a hundred metres of thick sticky mud to reach the beach – poor Jean was almost home when she lost her balance and fell 😳 .
Your comments about the tidal flow are so right but you don't mention the bloody little sand fly thingies that swarmed in dense clouds around our heads to the extent that one of our group was getting seriously agitated as there is no escpape when you are in a kayak some distance from the shore. However as soon as a breeze came up they shot through.
Thanks for your comments
Malcolm -
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