Waitakere Ranges Regional Park

 



Sunday 16 January 2011


Met Ivan and Di in Auckland then drove to Piha, on the West Coast of Auckland.  We all met at Waitakere Ranges Regional Park on the Kitekite Track/Knutzen Track which leads to the 40 metre high Kitekite Falls.  The pool at the foot of the falls is great for a quick dip.

Rog, Ivan, Nicky and Andrew and the boys, they were all quicker to get to the bottom than Diane and myself!

Tom and Riley having a paddle

Would love to abseil down this!  Another time maybe .

My best friend, Christine's father Roy used to call me Sir Edmund when we were young; well I have now walked in his footsteps.  Sadly my dear friend is no longer with us, I would have loved to share this with her.

Riley and Andrew

Hillary Trail honours NZ adventurer

A new four-day walking track on Auckland's west coast has been named after one of New Zealand’s greatest adventurers, Sir Edmund Hillary.

The Hillary Trail - in a region of lush rainforest and dramatic coastal terrain that has long been a favourite with the Hillary family - was officially opened in January 2010 to mark the second anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's death.

The local mayor and Sir Edmund had been discussing the track idea for 20 years.

Follow Hillary’s footsteps Admirers of the great New Zealand adventurer don’t need to scale Everest or trek to the South Pole to follow in Sir Edmund’s footsteps, they can "do the Hillary" within easy reach of Auckland city.

The walking track covers 70km and passes through the Waitakere Ranges and along Karekare, Piha, Anawhata, Te Henga (Bethell's) and Muriwai beaches offering trampers spectacular views of the rugged west coast.

The five generations of the Hillary family that have enjoyed and explored the Piha coastline since the 1920s, were also passionate about creating a trail along the dramatic black sand beaches of the west coast.

In his 1982 history of neighbouring beach Anawhata, Sir Ed's father-in-law Jim Rose wrote: "My family look forward to the time when we will be able to walk from Huia to Muriwai on public walking tracks like the old-time Maori could do."

Piha link
According to Peter Hillary, Sir Ed’s son, his famous father used to go to Piha and Anawhata to dream up expeditions and prepare for them. When Sir Edmund scaled Mt Everest, the telegram sent to his wife went through the Piha post office.

And later, when Sir Edmund's wife Louise and daughter Belinda were killed in an air tragedy in 1975, the rugged coast worked "like a balm" to heal the family's broken hearts, he said.

"As a family we were raised on weekend adventures out here and we are delighted that this trail will bear our father’s name. Call me biased but the Hillary Trail is one of the finest tramping experiences in New Zealand," Peter Hillary said.

Sir Ed’s legacy The Hillary Trail would be a testament to Sir Ed’s legacy in New Zealand and the world, according to Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey.

"A great icon deserves a great walk. This is one to match the world renowned Heaphy and Milford tracks of the South Island.The west coast was Sir Ed’s second home. Anawhata was his favourite beach, a place he called the most beautiful on the planet.

"He would have loved walking the black sand beaches and native bush of the Hillary Trail."