Karekare & Mercer Bay (rescheduled)

It was raining last time, so we'll return to Karekare on the west coast to hike along coastal cliffs between Karekare and Piha, and explore around Karekare Beach. Highlights include spectacular coastal views, a wild west coast beach, a pleasant glade, a waterfall, and a variety of native flora. (We'll definitely do this hike this time, rain or shine ... forecast (at 7pm Sat Oct 17) is for unpredictable showers, cloud, and some fine intervals.)

Distance: 8-9km.
Duration: 4-5 hours (including stops - walking time is about 3.5 hours).
Difficulty: About average for hikes we do. Tracks are generally good quality but may be muddy in places. There are some steepish climbs on Comans and Cave Rock tracks, but these aren't very long or high (max elevation about 250m). Should be suitable for most hikers who don't mind some climbing.

Route Description:
(Click map photo for closer look at updated route.)
Summary: We start with a walk up to Cave Rock and back, then hike on coastal cliff tracks around Mercer Bay as far north as Log Race Road, return southward via inland tracks, and loop around Karekare Beach back to the carpark via Pohutukawa Glade with a sidetrack to Karekare Falls.
Details:
(1) Starting from Karekare carpark, turn right onto the road and right again just past the bridge into Pohutukawa Glade. Turn left onto Cave Rock Track and walk up to Cave Rock for good views of the beach and falls.
(2) Return to road, turn left, and left again at Watchman Road. Walk to the track at end of this road.
(3) Turn right onto Comans Track (just after Ahu Ahu Track turnoff) and walk up the coastal cliffs, turning left all the way to Te Ahua Point. (Some lookouts and sidetracks on the left can be explored along the way; veer left at junction with Ahu Ahu Track; and turn hard left down smaller track at next junction to Te Ahua Point (easy to think this is the wrong way as main track ahead looks so inviting, but left is right!)).
(4) Backtrack a little then turn next left up Mercer Bay Loop Walk. Continue clockwise around loop, through the Log Race Road carpark, back down towards Mercer Bay to complete the loop, then left back up to Ahu Ahu Track.
(5) Turn right onto Ahu Ahu Track and follow this gradually down all the way. Turn right at the end of this track and continue straight onto rough track through grassy dunes to the beach.
(6) Wander freely along the beach. Turn left at southern end of beach onto sandy track leading through Pohutukawa Glade back to the road (alternatively, can walk straight back to carpark after crossing the stream (will need to cross stream again just before carpark)).
(7) Turn right and walk up road about 100m. Veer diagonally left down Taraire Track a few minutes to reach Karekare Falls (can optionally continue up Taraire Track a bit for different views of the falls). Then return to carpark.

Time Guideline:

• 09:30 - Arrive at New World, arrange carpooling
• 09:40 - Leave New World
• 10:30 - Arrive at Karekare carpark, introduction
• 10:45 - Start hike
• 16:00 - Approx finish hike
• 17:00 - Approx return to Auckland

Meeting Places:
CLICK HERE (https://hiking.meetup.com/171/messages/boards/thread/5836238) for latest details about meeting at New World. We'll arrange carpooling there.
Then we will meet near the information board in Karekare carpark at the bottom of Karekare Road.
(It's best if most people meet at New World first but if this too far out of your way then okay to go straight to Karekare - just let us know).

Bring:

• lunch and drink
• suitable clothing for changeable spring weather
• suitable footwear for beach and bush walking tracks
• sun and rain protection
• copy of map
• money for carpooling

Notes:
(1) This is a slightly shorter variation of the same hike we planned to do two weeks earlier on Oct 4.
(2) We'll aim to hike together as a group the whole way but there's no guarantee this will happen. It is good to prepare for this hike as best you can in case you become separated.
(3) Make sure you have a good understanding of the route before we start. Study the map and route description, and bring a copy of the map if you can (even a quick rough hand drawn copy is better than nothing if you can't print it).
(4) We'll aim to leave New World and start the hike exactly on time. Arriving early is good :-)
(5) We'll hike at our usual moderate pace with stops along the way.
(6) We will probably stop for lunch at Te Ahua Point.
(7) Depending on the weather, etc, we can spend some time on the beach near the end of the hike, and anyone who is keen can go for a swim.

See you there :-)