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Karekare Whatipu Loop, Waitakere (22km – 6 hours)

Words and Images by Eric Skilling

Standing on Karekare beach I can understand why a famous

director chose to shoot a movie here.

Apart from a lone fisherman practicing his craft we were the only

people. Ahead of us the fine black sand, freshly groomed by the

outgoing tide, stretched to the horizon. Somewhere up there,

over six kilometres away along the beach, was the entrance to the

Manukau harbour.

The colours of the Tasman Sea always seem that much richer

alongside the deep charcoals and blacks of the shoreline. Today

the waves fought their way in against an offshore wind, finally

crashing in a mass of spray and then racing up the sloping beach

towards us, coming to a stop a few feet away.

Almost a kilometre away to our left, a few dunes dotted with wispy

grass looked insignificant against the heavily scarred cliffs that

were clearly losing the battle against the forces of this high-energy

coastline. Above these precipices impenetrable-looking West

Coast bush covered the ridges, the greenery contrasting starkly

against the darker shades on the cliff faces. You can only be

inspired by this place.

Finally, four years after the tracks had been closed to protect our

native Kauri trees, we are able to travel the loop from Karekare

to Whatipu and back. Our plan on this trip was to meet at the

Karekare car park and travel south some 10km along the beach

to the entrance of the Manukau Harbour at Whatipu. Then head

inland past the camping ground and follow the newly completed

Muir and Gibbons tracks back to Karekare.

From 90-mile beach to Fiordland, the West Coast is spectacularly

wild country full of great walks but in terms of accessibility and

variety of terrain, this rates as one of the best. Combining an

open beach section leaving you fully exposed to the elements,

to the relative calm of tracks meandering through lush bush, with

stunning views from the cliff-tops and boardwalks over thriving

wetlands.

Our leader made a great call when she decided to head south

along the beach in the early morning just after low tide. We all

appreciated making fresh footprints along the firm sand, and we

got to enjoy the wind at our backs on the most unprotected section

of the walk. Much more appealing than a slog back into the wind

in soft sand at high tide with tiring legs.

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