There are some tracks that we keep coming back to. They’ve got that something special, and this is one of them.Â
It begins, along with several others, at Glenesk Rd at Piha, and for about half it’s distance more or less follows the stream along a mainly dry and straightforward track. Along the way, tracks branch off – McKenzie, and Piha Gorge, and then we hit the steps – around 2-300 of them in a succession of flights, and designed well as are most ARC steps so that going from one to the next is a relatively straightforward matter. At the top of the steps, the track continues more or less level, a little narrower and a little more demanding of step to step attention, to the junction with Centennial Track. To the left about five minutes is Black Rock Dam, and to the right, Centennial Track heads up to Home Track and a bunch of others coming off that. Good to get the heart-rate up and sustain it there for twenty miinutes or so.
Today I was a little off-colour with a somewhat ugly infected finger, and off the pace somewhat. Miranda took a full overnight type pack with her for training purposes but I stayed with the day pack, and instead of doing a circuit over to Kitekite Falls and back to the van as Miranda did, I swallowed a leisurely second cup of coffee and headed first back to the van and then up towards the Falls to meet Miranda.
The good news is that the track is in good shape and the bush, particularly around the steps, is just plain beautiful, if that’s not a contradiction in terms. The stream is running noisily and is a welcome companion along the flat.
Tracks that are user-friendly after sustained wet weather are valuable assets, and for that matter the Kitekite Falls track nearby is bordering on perambulator-friendly. The Home track is boggy as hell in places between Centennial and Winstone, and Winstone down to Connect is holding up well also at present, according to Miranda.
For a fuller account of this track with pictures, click here