Cascades and Kauri Tracks in Northern Waitakere Ranges

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/3/4/1/event_8717217.jpeg We are going to the Cascade Kauri area in northern Waitakere Ranges for a hike through the largest remaining stand of mature kauri trees in the Auckland Region. The hike route includes Cascade Track, Upper Kauri Track, and Lower Kauri Track. A number of giant majestic kauri trees are the main highlights of this hike.

Distance: About 9km.
Duration: 4-4½ hours including stops.
Difficulty: Average (3 on 1-5 scale of difficulty for day hikes we do). A mix of easy well maintained walking tracks and rough tramping tracks that are likely to be muddy at this time of year. Some steep hill climbs (Fence Line Track quickly gains about 150m altitude) and a few shallow stream crossings.

Weather Update (Sat 12:30pm): Metservice forecast for Sunday is, "Becoming fine with light winds by afternoon. (sun+cloud symbol)". This hike is going ahead!

Important Note:
There are 16 junctions on this hike route and it is possible to become lost in the forest if people go the wrong way. So there is more emphasis on being well prepared (study route maps and directions), hiking as a group, waiting at track junctions, looking out for each other, and taking care not to keep the group waiting for long.

Large Group Warning:
It looks like we will have a large group! A large group can be lots of fun, but this can lead to longer delays and test patience if we are not careful. Extra care and awareness is needed not to keep the group waiting. If you don't like the idea of hiking with a large group, this may not be the best hike for you to attend.

Meeting Places:

• We will Meet at Victoria Park New World and arrange carpooling from there.
• Then we will drive to Cascade carpark at the end of Falls Road (off Te Henga Road on way to Bethells Beach - see Google map directions here (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?saddr=Scotland+St&daddr=-36.85368,174.7574+to:Falls+Rd&hl=en&ll=-36.853252,174.645538&spn=0.251093,0.433273&sll=-36.853527,174.745188&sspn=0.031386,0.054159&geocode=FS-8zf0dKnxqCg%3BFVCozf0dGJZqCimBX2UY7EcNbTHQpuAGYe8AEw%3BFeQozf0dDPZmCg&vpsrc=6&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=14&via=1&t=h&z=11)).
• We will gather in carpark near information boards.
• It is best if most people meet at New World first. If driving from west or with full car, then okay to go straight to Cascade carpark - just let us know.

Time Guideline:

• 09:15 - Good time to arrive at New World, meet and greet.
• 09:30 - Latest time to arrive at New World, arrange carpooling
• 09:35 - Leave New World by now
• 10:00 - Good time to arrive at Cascade carpark if driving straight there
• 10:15 - All at Cascade carpark by now, introductions.
• 10:30 - Start hike
• 15:00 - Approx end hike
• 16:00 - Approx return to Auckland

Maps:

• Map of hike route (http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/1/f/2/highres_51337362.jpeg)
• Magnified map of hike route with junction numbers (http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/c/a/6/highres_51460102.jpeg)
• NZ Topo Map of hike area (http://www.nztopomaps.com/-36.889712,174.516621,14,Map,100)

Route Directions:

• See route map (http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/2/e/a/highres_51364842.jpeg) for junction numbers ...
  (P) From Cascade carpark, walk up Falls Road about 300m.
  (1) Right turn onto "Auckland City Walk".
  (2) Continue straight-right on Auckland City Walk (Anderson Track on left) about 10m.
  (3) Left turn on Fence Line Track.
  (4) Right turn on Cascade Track.
  (5) Continue straight-right on Cascade Track (Robinson Ridge Track on left).
  (6) Left turn on Upper Kauri Track.
  (7) Continue straight-left on Upper Kauri Track (Lower Kauri Track on right).
  (8) Right turn on Long Road Track towards Smyth Corner.
  (9) Left turn on Smyth Ridge Track to high point at Sisam Track junction.
  (10) Return back to Smyth Corner.
  (11) Left turn on Long Road Track.
  (12) Continue straight-right on Long Road Track (Wainamu Bush Track on left).
  (13) Right turn on Lower Kauri Track.
  (14) Left turn back on Upper Kauri Track.
  (15) Continue straight-left on Upper Kauri Track (Cascade Track on right).
  (16) Left turn on Auckland City Walk and complete loop back to carpark.
• We'll probably have longer stops at junctions 2, 4, 6, 9, & 14.
• Junctions 2 & 3 are close together beside a large kauri.

Route Description:

• The route consists of 2 loops (Cascade loop, and Kauri tracks loop) connected by Upper Kauri Track.
• Auckland City Walk is a gentle stroll on well maintained path.
• Fence Line Track is a steep uphill climb quickly gaining 150m in altitude.
• Cascade Track is undulating, starting downhill, finishing uphill. Cascade Stream crossing may result in wet feet depending on stream level. This track has been rough in past, but wooden steps were newly constructed on west side last year, and it is possible this construction has extended further east since then.
• Upper Kauri Track is well maintained. Gentle uphill southward and downhill northward back to Auckland City Walk.
• Long Road Track is gently undulating.
• Lower Kauri Track is a rough undulating tramping track with a few stream crossings.
• Giant kauri trees are mainly between junctions 1-6, 15-16, and west end of Lower Kauri Track.

Bring:

• lunch and drink
• clothing suitable for early spring
• footwear suitable for tramping tracks
• rain protection
• plastic bags for muddy boots
• change of footwear and clothing for after hike
• copy of map and description of route (print or hand write)
• first aid items
• money ($10 if carpool passenger - please give to driver)

Notes:
(0) Meetup time is 5pm because it had been set to 9:15pm by mistake and can't change it to correct 9:15am time now because that is in the past.
(1) 9:30am is the latest time to arrive at New World and 10:15am is the latest time to arrive at Cascade carpark. We'll aim to leave New World and start the hike exactly on time. We are unlikely to wait for late people to arrive. Arriving early is good :-)
(2) It is safer and generally more fun to hike together as a group and stop at all track junctions. We encourage this, but there's no guarantee this will happen, so prepare for this hike as best you can (study route directions and maps, etc).
(3) We will walk at our usual moderate pace with stops at giant kauri trees and other places of interest along the way.
(4) We will probably stop for lunch at Smyth Corner. The short return walk from there to Sisam junction can be optional.
(5) We hiked most of the Cascade loop on 15 August 2010 (https://www.meetup.com/auckland-hiking/events/14338028/). This time we will hike the whole Cascade loop in the opposite direction. It will be the first time that we hike the Upper & Lower Kauri loop.

RSVP:

• If you are interested to attend, you can RSVP online (see our RSVP Guide (https://www.meetup.com/auckland-hiking/pages/RSVP_Guide) for more information), and answer a few RSVP questions about certainty of attending, transport, meeting places, and accepting this is a group hike. This will help with planning.

See you there :-)