Walking from Port
Fitzroy up and over Mt Hobson to Whangaparapara then to Medlands
Beach and Tryphena is good for a re-set. The hiking trails are
fantastic, the beaches are idyllic and the waterfall pools are divine
for swimming. Crowds? What crowds? I shared a campsite with one other
hiker, a hut with 4 others, and then a campsite all to myself. This
weekend is what I was told would be a busy 3 day holiday so now I am
sharing a good sized shady beach campground with 8 other camps.
There’s plenty of room. No revelers, no boozers, just people
enjoying themselves. Most anywhere else in the world such a place
would be a disaster on a holiday weekend but not the Great Barrier
Island of New Zealand. A little slice of heaven.
Not a bad place to
be if the rest of the world blows up. No central power or utilities.
People are self reliant and well organized. The roads are very good
and things are quite well laid out. The campgrounds and trails are
excellent as well as the mountain huts. The windward side hosts some
great surf beaches while the leeward side offers quiet coves popular
for boaties.
To get to the Great
Barrier Island you either take a daily 4 ½ hour ferry ride or you
fly 30 minutes on a ferry small plane that puts the excitement back
into flying. Otherwise, you hitch a ride on private boat.
I took the ferry.
The ride over was beautiful with few people and calm seas under sunny
clear skies.
The climate is sub
tropical but the island has every bit the feel of tropical minus the
hotter temps and tropical diseases. The locals drink the water right
out of the streams and the mosquitoes are nothing to be feared. Just
a nuisance. Most everyone is very friendly. Yesterday I chose to walk
along a road from one side of the island to the other. Five separate
cars stopped along the way and asked if I would like a ride. It was
quite impressive considering there are not many cars on the Island. I
declined as I was happy to walk.
It’s kind of
difficult not to feel better and start to unwind on an Island like
Great Barrier. Another week of this and I might start to feel like my
old self again.
No comments:
Post a Comment