Cape Brett © Getty Images BELOW: Okaihau to Horeke, Utakura River © Twin Coast Trail
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS
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CAPE BRETT TRACK
One of Northland’s most exhilarating walks, the trail winds and weaves along coastal paths before arriving at a Department of Conservation (DOC) hut, where you’ll find a most elegant 113-year-old lighthouse.
Set off from Rawhiti, Bay of Islands (4hr from Auckland, 40min from Russell) and walk 16km or for a shorter walk, take a water taxi from Russell to Deep Water Cove for a 6km hike.
Terrain
TRACK OVERVIEW Picturesque Cape Brett juts out into the Pacific Ocean at the eastern end of the Bay of Islands. With two ways to attack this walk, you can choose to do the eight- hour, 16km hard way from Oke Bay in Rawhiti or arrange for a water taxi to take you from Russell (or Paihia) and start at Deep Water Cove. This second option means the walk to the lighthouse will be a much more leisurely two-and-a half-hour walk. Whichever you choose, you will be serenaded by choirs of birds as you wander through regenerating native bush along spectacular undulating coastal paths.
Where is it?
Occasionally you’ll be sheltered beneath mānuka canopies, or on exposed narrow trails, before arriving at the DOC hut.
No dogs
8hr one way from Rawhiti to the lighthouse; 16km or 2.5hr from Deep Water Cove to the lighthouse; 6km. An A to B walk. Advanced tramping track
Undulating, sometimes steep, much of it in the canopy of regenerating bush.
Need to know
Paihia is the pulse of the Bay of Islands with a pleasant stretch of golden sand. Grab a kayak or a stand-up paddleboard for a dalliance on the water, or follow the coastline and walk to where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. Haruru Falls is reached via a mangrove forest or, if you’re still in the kayak, via the river. Paihia is also excellent for diving and fishing, and anything you catch can be cooked at the town’s premier fish and chip shop, Vinnies. Catch the ferry to Russell from Paihia, a delightful seaside town just across the water and where colonial history meets esplanade dining. Russell wins the heart of all who visit with its streets of old cottages, fringe of pōhutukawa lining the shore and phenomenal sunsets, not to mention the myriad of top eateries – thanks in part to its abundance of freshly caught seafood.
A permit, available from Russell Info Centre, is required to walk this track. Bookings essential if you wish to stay at the 23-bed DOC hut.
Water supplies Water supplies at the Cape Brett Hut are slightly salty from sea spray. Bring enough drinking water for the walk out to and back from the hut.
WALKING MUST-DO'S 15
