An early morning breeze through Harray Track and Kauri Block Track, Coromandel Town
A little adventure story from the Coromandel.
Track: Harray Track (mainly)
Level: Moderate, unmetalled, steep and muddy sections
Distance: 9km (through town loop)
Time: 2 hours loop, allow 3 to enjoy and grab a coffee
Take: Phone, mud-friendly boots, a smile
It’s an all-too common occurrence: on holiday, you wake up at 6am, pining to go out on a tramp. It’s winter, so the sun isn’t up yet. Yet, that track you’ve often wondered about is beckoning. Believe me, I get that feeling all the time. In this case, the track I was yearning to complete was Coromandel Town‘s Harray Track. On three other visits to the town, other activities had stopped me ticking this one off. As I lay in my warm, comfortable, rented bach bed, getting out into the cold morning was all I could think of. I know: you’ve been there before, right?
The track starts on Rings Road, about 2 kilometres north out of Coromandel Town. Fortunately for my aims, that was about 200 metres up the road from the bach. As I trot up the pavement to the start, the glow of the rising sun silhouettes Kaipawa and the surrounding Coromandel Range high up to the east. I’ve been up there before, but never down this way.
An elderly lady rolls silently past on a bike, her dog galloping along the dewy berm beside her. We swap “good mornings”, then I arrive at the track entrance. A sign explains the 70-minute adventure I'm about to embark on, tramping through regenerating native bush and pine plantation towards the coast. The first half is a tough, sometimes-slippery unformed, backcountry-standard trail, while the latter half is formed, gravel and easy. Seven or eight steps later, the first and only true obstacle of the track presents itself. It’s a river crossing. It's semi-challenging due to recent rainfall, plus the personal decision to attack it without removing my boots or getting my feet wet.
I’m part-way across, balanced on a slippery rock, when I miss a call on my phone. I quickly check the caller and am surprised to see it's Judith Collins, former government Minister and National MP for Papakura. My day job as a producer for The AM Show is the reason for this atypical incident at 7:05am on a Friday morning; while my concentration on not sliding into the drink is the reason I missed the call. I check in with colleagues and they're in touch with Judith.
Safely on the other side, the track sweeps past the edge of (possibly over) private land, overgrown with non-natives, then ascends a ridge. It’s the first of two obvious, but small, climbs. I look back at Kaipawa and see the sun about to creep above the ranges, turning the sky an enchanting purple. I pause and I take a moment of gratitude for being able to live where I live and explore where I am.
A short, muddy descent leads down the other side of the ridge, then the track meets and traces the border of farmland and the town golf course. The scenery is now felled pine, dotted with replanted natives. It’s a long way off, but I think I can make out Motutere (Castle Rock) in the distance. Parts of the town sprawl appear as well, wrecking any pretence at being backcountry proper. Visions of the golf course also diminish the wild-rating of the area. Still, a coffee on the walk back through town will be the trade-off.
Up some steps and into a pine forest, Harray Track is nearing its end, Kauri Block Track is about to begin. This borders Coromandel Town's western coastal properties and the town dump. It's named after numerous recent plantings, rather than any aged and giant kauri. Youthful though the trees are, they do allow plenty of views of the Coromandel Harbour.
The track's all gravel and there aren't any big hills to negotiate, so I speed through. I visit the pā site, up a quick, two minute detour. The sunny morning views across the harbour, Wyuna Bay and Whanganui Island are worth the short trip alone. Feeling the bach check-out time nearing, I drop out of the forest onto Wharf Road. With the speed-walk on, I smash through town and arrive back just minutes before 9am. This whole first-light experience took 2 hours, but I didn't get a coffee.