Well it has been some time since we walked the Point Elizabeth walkway – why? – well even we can’t answer for sure why we haven’t done this track more often considering it is practically at our back door.
We could probably argue – justify or whatever excuse terminology we’d like to use – the fur kids. They’re not allowed on this trail so it just normally doesn’t feature in our “what shall we do today” conversation. For whatever reason Stephen suggested it and I wasn’t going to say no. Got the kids down to the beach first thing for a nice beach walk and then we filled our water bottles and grabbed a snack and we were off.
Easy 2 minute drive down the road (I know…. told you was practically at our back door!) and we’re parked up ready to go. The track starts at Rapahoe with views overlooking the Rapahoe beach before it winds its up the hillside and into the native bush of the Rapahoe Scenic Reserve.
I’d forgotten just how beautiful this walk is – the native bush is just stunning, it is a subtropical forest with oodles of nikau palms and Mamaku (black tree fern) intertwined with supple jack vines and Kiekie. There are also large podocarps like Rimu, Kahikatea and Miro along with epiphytic northern rata adding a splash of crimson during summer a nature lovers wet dream. For us today we had the native Clementis high up in the tree line adding a gorgeous tinge of white amongst the green.
The trail meanders around pretty near the cliff tops but you’d never know as you’re in standard dense NZ native forest
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