Close to home: Tatapouri to Tuaheni Point

DRIFTING: Flow patterns in the papa rock and swirling seaweed. Picture by Gillian Ward

This coastal walk was one way, which we managed by dropping off two cars at the southern end of Wainui Beach before driving to Tatapouri to start the walk.

As we set off along Tatapouri Beach to walk around the headland the tide was half way out and dropping, but there was enough of the rocky beach to walk on without getting wet. The rounded wet rocks were slippery though and sometimes the choice of climbing over boulders at the base of the cliff or walking on the rocky shore platform in shallow water, made the latter the better option. We were thrilled to see several young seals in the water and on the rocks around Tatapouri headland. There were also many shags and we saw two New Zealand dotterel.

There is an extensive shore platform at Tatapouri, which at half tide was still under water. The swirling flow patterns in the papa rock, created by turbulence when this was a soft muddy sediment on the sea floor, and the variety of shapes that have been formed by the erosion of the shore platform by the sea in more modern times, are striking.

Rocks that have tumbled off adjacent cliffs and landed on the shore platform made reflections in the still water.

We appreciated having toilets on the way — at Makorori Beach and at Okitu Beach at the Whales carpark.

We made the Makorori Beach carpark our lunch stop.

“PLEASE NO VECHILES ON BEACH” is sign-painted in large capital letters on the water tank. We applauded the message and enjoyed the spelling!

We walked along Makorori Beach to the southern end to the “surfers' track” leading up to the carpark near the track over Makorori Headland. A lot of work has been done adding flat beach rocks to the cut steps to make the track less slippery.

From Makorori Headland there is a lovely view looking back the way we had walked . . . and looking towards Tuaheni Point, where we were heading.

We walked along Okitu and Wainui beach towards Tuaheni Point, our footprints alongside tyre tracks. We thought the beach would be more attractive, and a safer place for nesting birds and dune vegetation recovery, without vehicles.

On Wainui Beach, we walked through Hamanatua and Wainui streams as they spread out across the sand, then up the steps at the end of Lloyd George Road, and along Lloyd George Road to the entrance driveway to Tuaheni headland.

We climbed up to the Telecom tower, then to the new Maritime New Zealand light on the headland, which are both good viewpoints. Then we followed a circuit around the farm tracks from where we were able to see all sides of the headland, the coast, and the regenerating shrubland and bush. It is no longer possible to walk out to the end of Tuaheni Point along the ridge because the track has fallen away, eroded from below by the sea.

Tuaheni Point and Te Kuri a Paoa face each other across Turanganui-a-Kiwa/Poverty Bay and are cultural and landmark features. Ambitious restoration projects over the last 15 to 20 years on QEII National Trust covenants on both headlands have enhanced their natural character.

On Tuaheni Point three contiguous covenants cover 34ha wrapping around the coast from Shark Bay to Sponge Bay. Coastal herbfield and shrubland occur on the coastal cliffs with Selliera-ice plant herbfield on cliff terraces, tauhinu shrubland on hillslopes, wharariki flaxland on cliffs, and tutu-rangiora-karamu shrubland on the hill slopes and cliffs.

The native bush restoration that was initiated by Tuaheni Point Charitable Trust in 2003 is now well established. QEII National Trust, Project Crimson, Forest and Bird, Ministry for Primary Industries, Gisborne District Council and keen volunteers have planted more than 7500 seedlings on the headland.

Tuaheni Point is sacred ancestral Maori land and farming of this steep sensitive land with its numerous wāhi tapu seems inappropriate, especially with cattle. It would seem appropriate for the remaining farmed area to also be retired and allowed to regenerate.

Back at Lloyd George Road, the tracking apps that had started recording our walk at Tatapouri showed we had walked 14.25 km. Geoff Cobb, our Gisborne Canoe and Tramping Club newsletter (Pack and Paddle) editor had arrived back from a couple of months in England just a few days before and commented that the walk was just what he needed, to help with recovering from his jet lag.