Going For The Worst Walk Ever {Or Trying To Get To Whangamumu}

We love going for walks and have a whole series of "Going for a Walk" posts of the places we've ambled, hiked, tramped, meandered and roamed around in. They've all been great adventures - except one. That's the time we tried to find the trail from Waipiro Bay to Whangamumu. It was possibly the worst walk we did all summer. It was a gloomy day, we were tired and we only had a vague idea of where the trail head was. We ended up giving up after about an hour and headed back to the boat. But we took pictures, so here they are. They're in black and white because that's the kind of day it was. 

We started off by parking the dinghy at the beach on the eastern side of Waipiro Bay and walked up the track to the main road.
 

This sign should have been a warning to us that this wasn't going to be a great walk. It was dirty and dusty and looked neglected. There are a bunch of houses on the hillside overlooking the bay which mostly look to be holiday homes. No one was around. And why would they be - it was a gloomy day. Sensible people stay indoors, have cocoa and play board games.

We walked along the main road in our quest to try to find the trail to Whangamumu. One of the problems with roads in remote areas is the distinct lack of sidewalks. So you take your chances walking along the side of the road, hoping and praying that you don't get knocked down by a car speeding along the road and zipping around the blind curves. I wasn't enjoying it.

We did have a few bright spots on our walk - like this cute little sleepout along the side of the road. It even had a name, "Beach Box". Clever Kiwis turn old trailers into places for friends and family to crash in. Much cheaper then building an extension onto your house. And much cuter. 

We came across a farm on our walk. Which really isn't like earth shattering news or anything. New Zealand is an agricultural based economy. There are farms everywhere. And sheep and cows. See the hills behind the farm? Whangamumu is somewhere over on the other side.

This was one of the cute cows on the farm. I think he looks adorable in black and white. Especially his ears.

And then we got to the mangroves at Parekura Bay. They were depressing. Usually mangroves are a thing to take delight in. But not on this particular day. This is when we decided to turn around and head back to the boat. You take the good with the bad. We didn't make it to Whangamumu, but at least we got to see that adorable cow.

Walk on Wednesday, 5 March 2014

Linked up with Bonnie, Kaelene, Sammy & Van for Travel Tuesday.