Located on a peninsula, on the east side of Northland, are a series of craggy pinnacles that is part of the scattered remnants of a large 50 km wide extinct volcano that erupted some 20 million years ago in the early Miocene period. This peninsula is known as Whangarei Heads. Mount Manaia is a dominant landmark with Mount Lion and Bream Head further to the south end of the peninsula.
The outline of Whangarei Heads can be seen from as far as Ruakaka off Motorway 1. Stopping at the scenic lookout, one will get an expansive view of the headlands across the Ruakaka farmlands and Bream Bay for a complete view of the headlands. Travel closer to Marsden, and it will afford a beach view of Manaia from the shores where the Marsden Oil Refinery is located. It will take us 2.5 hours to reach the trailhead of Mount Manaia from Auckland, as we round the bay to the peninsular. In fact, we completed the Mount Manaia track in less time than it took us to drive here from Auckland. On that note, we also received two speeding tickets on that day in the mail after we got back home to Hawai'i(!)
There is no shortage of positive exclamations to describe the surrounding area of this relatively unknown gem. It was also during this time at the end of the year that the native endemic tree, the Metrosideros excelsa or Pohutukawa is in full bloom, coinciding with the festive Christmas season. Hence the name Christmas Tree.
At first glance, it felt like we just stepped into someone's well manicured garden. There were many nikau palms and kauris greeting us initially. At the trail head, the many informative signs, tells us of the story of a dispute over the infidelity of the chief of Ngātiwai's wife, and how a sacred chant (karakia) was used to turn his family into stone. Hence, the pinnacles at the top of Mount Manaia represent his tūpuna (ancestors). This place is sacred to the Maori, so go respectfully in this wāhi tapu.
Once past the customary shoe hygiene station, the initial portion of the track is quite dry with many palms, cactus and dry grass. Soon it gives way to the wooded treeline and there starts a series of wooden steps. This is by far the toughest section as the gradient increases quite steeply the higher you ascend. Keep counting the steps... as there are about 1100 of them!
When we visited in December 2018, many parks around Auckland were closed due to a fairly widespread Kauri dieback that was killing off many Kauri trees. We were pleasantly surprised that this one was kept open. The native bush in this area was regenerated through many years of conservation and regeneration efforts.
As we approached the upper section, the wooden steps were replaced with a boardwalk. This helps to manage erosion, while still allowing hikers to access the bush.
Towards the final push for the top, we also came across a large boulder that was lodged in between a large crack in a rock above the trail. It reminded us of the famous Kjeragbolten rock in Norway(!) Though this time we stand below the rock rather than on it. This definitely makes a good spot for a selfie.
In less than an hour, a final set of wooden steps took us to the top of the rock with a spectacular view of Marsden Point, Bream Bay, Hauraki Gulf and Whangarei Harbour.
We did break a sweat, and rightfully so as there were quite a number of steps to reach the top. This hike was a perfect warm up for us as we had just arrived the day before and we planned to do many more in the weeks to come.
From this vantage point, the official trail ends. For those who want more, shimmy past the next three pinnacles and climb up to the top of the fourth and last pinnacle. Beware of the dangers as some have fallen to their deaths from there(!)
For us, we were very satisfied with the great workout and the impressive reward of the stunning views from a well placed perched on one of the pinnacles. This amazing little track really packs a punch; yet it still remains a relatively unknown track. The next three photographs shows: (1) the view looking back past the first pinnacle to the Pacific Ocean; (2) looking past Mount Aubrey to Marsden point and Whangarei Harbour on the right; and (3) looking south past Mount Lion on the right and Te Whara on the left, with Hen and Chicken Islands in the background.
All in all, this was a great find and a very rewarding hike. There are also many other hiking activities in the area; from waterfalls, to open ridge hikes, and beautiful beaches to explore. We definitely will return.
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