TE PUNA QUARRY AND OMOKAROA
13th August 2010
By Maurice Boniface
The weather report for Monday was for showers clearing so Ken decided we would go out. I picked up Terry then went to Waihi Road and picked up Ken, John and Dave. We drove to Minden Road and met Norma. We went part way up the road to where the Council have made a stairway up to a small park off Dawn View Place. There are 323 steps, so Norma and Dave say, although John says 324 and he's sticking by it! Some of them raced up to the top but the rest of us had to have several rests on the way. We passed a girl who said she was going to go down and up twice, she said that the Council intend to make a track right through to Te Puna Quarry Park. There were some great views out across the Bay at the top and we also looked at the big houses on Dawn View Place. We went back down and met a chap who tries to go up and down seven times a week. He would like to do twelve but doesn't think he will get there.
We drove to Te Puna Quarry Park and set off to go up the track to the Orchids. We passed the concrete dragon and found he had been cleaned up. We were a bit early for the Orchids and there weren't many out but those that were looked very nice. We went down a side track and found some Fuchsia out in flower. We saw a large Sunflower further down so went and had a look. It was an imitation and had wire mesh in its centre.There was a notice below it 'Funky Junk'. Nearby was a frame covered in a mesh with a giant Caterpillar climbing down off the roof, more funky junk. The frame had a cord hanging down with Monarch Butterfly chrysalises attached to it and there were more hanging from the ceiling. There was a panel next to it telling you all about NZ Butterflies. There were a few real Monarchs on some of the bushes enjoying the sunshine. It was now ten o'clock so we found a picnic table with a great view out over the harbour so we had morning tea. I rang Mum and got a good clear reception. There was a sheer rock face behind us and we could see a new rock wall running along the top of it, with a further rock face behind it where they go abseiling.
We climbed up to the new rock wall and found the chap still working on it. There were still piles of rocks on the path. It is amazing how they get the right piece of rock so that they all fit together. We walked along to the other end and went up the Lions Steps, built by the Lions Club. Their notice said we were 160 metres above sea level. Some of the others found a nice seat looking out to sea and sat down. Terry took a sneaky photo of them so when I came along they all posed nicely for me. We could see Mayor Island out in front of us with Karewa Island just in front of it, whereas it is usually near The Mount. Terry said someone must have shifted it! We came to a corrugated iron cutout of a man and a woman which Terry said Peter, who used to come tramping with us, had given it to the Te Puna Quarry Trust. I will attach a photo of it. If you can't read the sign it says.'He said "Let's get dressed up Love and I will take you out for a good time"' Peter told me that he gave them quite a few of these cutouts but most of them have been smashed. He said he gave them one of the three little pigs and it was in the local paper with the caption 'Tinned Pork'. We looked down over the side of the track and could see our cars away down below. Looking further out we could see a big ship in the port. We came across another cutout of a young boy. We then climbed up some steps to the Kauri Grove, the Lions Club planted 25 Kauri Trees for their twenty-fifth anniversary in 2000 but there are not that many now. The track then heads downwards and we passed a big area that had been cleared, they must be going to do some more planting. We passed a giant pair of corrugated jandals, a Painted Forest and a concrete Lizard lying on a rack, some Totem Poles and a wooden steam train complete with a guard who had a red flag plus an NZ Flag made of corrugated iron. We passed a Bottle Brush bush with giant flowers on it. We then came to the area where they have things for children to make a noise on like hanging pipes, iron pots and even a xylophone. Of course we tried them all out. We came to a new little pond with milky coloured water. It had a wooden alligator, a concrete frog and some lovely white giant shells. There was a pile of rocks at the end which Dave climbed to see what was at the top then chatted to the penguin on his way down. We came to the man and woman made of broken china. Some years ago I took a photo of Sig with his arm through the lady's. They have done them up and they look quite smart except for the old shoes on the man. By now we were nearly back to the car park. We had a look at the panel telling you about the park then looked for a nice place to have lunch. We found a picnic table with a mosaic top so sat there. I sent my usual text and Neil replied 'I know where that is!'
We then drove Omokoroa and parked down by the shore and set off down the beach. Because the tide was out Ken suggested that we go around the base of the cliffs instead of along the path at the top. We passed the yard where they repair boats and the plastic chair someone had put on top of an old log. We passed a large rock with a hole at its base that you would be able to crawl through. There were sandy patches and rocky patches then we came to patches of very black wood. Dave said it would be millions of years old and is nearly to the stage of turning into coal. We came around a corner and found that the Council had put big piles of rocks along the base of the cliffs to stop the water undermining them. There have been several big slips come down in this area. By now there was a strong cold wind blowing and I was glad that I had put my wind cheater on over my bush shirt. The wind was so strong I had to hold the brim up so I could see. We passed several lots of cliff pieces that had come down which still had vegetation growing on the tops of them. There were all sorts of steps down the cliff with landings at the bottom, also people had put all sorts of piles of big logs, driftwood, tyres and other things to stop the water eroding their patch. Some of the ones in front had stopped in a little bay with a rock wall to get out of the wind so we all huddled in there too. We came to a small park with rocks along the front of it and wooden steps down to the beach. Further along was a long branch sticking out over the sand and someone had put a plank on the end of it for a diving board. Dave walked out along the branch but the wind was so strong and the branch was swaying so he decided not to go diving after all! We went under some Pohutukawa branches and further along found another one up the cliff with roots coming down the side of it right to the sand at the bottom. Looking ahead along the shore we could see houses at Puhoi. There was a lot of sea lettuce lying on the beach, someone said that it had been reported in the paper that it is caused by nutrients off the farms etc. which is a bit sad. We passed a grove of Bamboo and then came to the golf course. There was a stream coming out with a bridge over it just up the bank which we went over but Dave jumped over the stream. Unfortunately the sand on the far bank was very soft andhis foot went down into it and he got some moisture in his boot. The track then goes up along the top of a bank with a small pond area between it and the golf course. We could see a large bird wading in it. Dave said it was a White Heron and it is a long way away from its usual haunts in the South Island so I took several photos of it. The track then goes up beside the golf course and there were several ladies playing nearby, one of them called out 'Quick march!' so I said we were walkers not marchers. We went right around and down to the streets and then along to a right of way to a football field and stopped for a rest at the club rooms. We went along Omokoroa Road to the roundabout and then down to the beach again. The track goes past some houses and comes out at the road we came in on, so we walked back to the cars and had afternoon tea in the lea of the changing sheds. We set off for home and I got there at 4.15 p.m.
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