Woodhill Forest & Muriwai Beach Loop + Parakai Springs

Here's something a little different, especially for the middle of winter ... We will enter the maze of tracks and roads that run through Woodhill Forest and navigate our way around the "Long Loop", hiking mainly through pine forest, through a nature reserve with native bush, and along a remote section of Muriwai Beach. There are some good views along the way, and fallow deer are often seen. After the hike we'll go to the hotpools at nearby Parakai Springs.

Distance: About 12km.
Duration: About 5 hours.
Difficulty: Probably a bit more difficult than average. The highest point is 156m, so no great hills to climb, but a reasonable distance to walk and some tracks may be a bit overgrown and there are many tracks in the forest so care is needed to go the right way.

Route Description:
Click map photo for closer look. Many tracks in the forest are not shown and the hike route is only a rough guide. We will discover/decide the exact route as we go, but roughly: we'll walk to the highest point of the nature reserve, then along the length of the reserve, through pine forest to the beach, along the beach, then shortest way through pine forest back to the carpark.

Meeting Places:
CLICK HERE (https://hiking.meetup.com/171/messages/boards/thread/5836238) for latest details about meeting at New World. We will arrange carpooling there.
From there we will meet at the Woodhill Forest mountainbike carpark. (On highway 16 to Helensville, turn left on Restal Road just before Woodhill, turn right on Boundary Road after 1.5km, carpark is about 1km on right.)

Time Guideline:

• 09:30 - Meet at New World, arrange carpooling.
• 09:45 - Leave New World.
• 10:15 - Arrive at Woodhill Forest carpark.
• 10:30 - Start loop hike.
• 15:30 - Go to Parakai Springs.
• 18:00 - Approx return to Auckland.

Parakai Springs:

• About 3km northwest of Helensville.
• Admission is $16.
• Facilities include large warm outdoor pool, a hotter indoor pool, and hydroslides.
• More Information (https://www.parakaisprings.co.nz)

Bring:

• lunch and drink
• suitable clothing and footwear for winter
• rain gear
• togs and towel
• compass (if you have one)
• whistle
• money for carpooling and hotpools.

Notes:
(1) We will hike in any weather.
(2) The Long Loop is an official walk (there is also a short loop that doesn't go to beach). We will probably choose a figure-8 loop variation of this.
(3) There are many tracks in the forest that may not be well marked. It could be very easy to go the wrong way. Part of the challenge of this hike is to not to get lost :-)
(4) We'll try to hike fairly closely together as a group.
(5) It is up to you to be well prepared in case you become separated from the group (study the map and bring a copy if you can; bring a whistle or something to attract attention, and a compass if you have one, etc).
(6) We will walk at our usual moderate pace with some stops along the way - we'll probably stop for lunch on the beach.
(7) Some parts of the Long Loop are also used by bikes, horses, and motor vehicles, so we need to watch out for these.
(8) We will look to leave New World and start the hike exactly on time. If you arrive late it may be difficult for you to find us on the track, so please take care to arrive on time or earlier.
(9) We are expecting to return to Auckland around 6pm, but there is always the option of staying longer (or shorter) at Parakai if people in the same car agree.

See you there :-)