Whakanewha - Rocky Bay, WaihekeA 100% Natural Sleeping Tablet by Kel AshleyAt the start of this magnificent summer, halfway down thesouthern side of Waiheke proved a great location to spenda few days. Developed 13 years ago and now managed byAuckland Regional Council (ARC) Ranger Andy Spence, thecamping ground at Whakanewha nestles in native bush.The place is stunningly beautiful. Huge pohutakawa, some over 200 yearsold, rivalled by equally massive puriri and nikau palms, might have beenseedlings when Capt. Cook was around. Cook missed this side of the islandcompletely. Did Waiheke’s fortified Maori pas discourage him? Perhaps hehad bigger fish to fry. For us, discovering Whakanewha waswell worth our ‘voyage’.We paddled past the massive, pill-shaped rock which guards the entranceto Rocky Bay and at low tide landed on the righthand end of a white shellybeach. Trolleys, or in our case, Warehouse bags were options. Since thecamping ground starts on the grass verge, we could have done better,avoiding both by landing at high tide!Like much of New Zealand’s pre-European history, Whakanewha’s iscolourful and tragic. Its Maori name means ‘to lull’, but this was often beliedby bloody battles around the many fortified headlands.The most stunning views of the bay can be had from the pa immediatelybehind the camp. At night the lights of the Sky Tower flicker beyond BrownsIsland. In this idyllic place it’s hard to believe that you’re so close to thepulsing metropolis of Auckland.The camp is basic ARC. Heaps of drinkable water from taps, two coldshowers, flush toilets, grass and trees. That’s it. Cell phone access is prettyshaky. Great! If you run low on supplies and enjoy cockles and pipis,you’re in luck. If not, there’s a supermarket not too far away at Surfdale. Beinnovative — cadge a lift or paddle to Putiki, have a beer at the Irish pub(you’ll probably cringe if you’re Irish), then cadge a lift to the supermarket.Confession time. Bar a day trip to the very lovely Awaawaroa Bay, a coupleof marginally successful fishing excursions and another to Putiki Bay, wedidn’t do much kayaking. At Putiki Bay the internationally famous, seriouslyCampi Ground at Rocky BayAndy Spencewealthy Rothschild family own a quaint historic villa with its own beach.(We’d like to be in negotiations to take it off their hands… surely they needthe money!) We morphed back and became landlubbers, enjoying the manytracks and walkways which snake through the bush of the WhakanewhaRegional Park. Another visit will see more adventurous sea excursions toPonui or Pakatoa.But that’s the magic of Rocky Bay — or Whakanewha, take your pick. It ‘lulls’you into feeling that there’s no better place to be. At the northern end ofthe bay, Andy Spence has fenced off the wetlands and beach to protect theendangered dotterel population. It’s still accessible, but signs ask you to takecare.He gathered a group of would-be greenies from the camp for an ‘educationaltramp’, gently imparting years of conservation practice as he led the partyon the tracks and lovingly constructed walkways created by volunteers. Hegave them the credit. But without his vision, leadership and single-mindeddevotion, a gorse covered, cattle trodden wasteland would not have becomea kayaker’s and camper’sparadise. “Being the parkranger at Whakanewha hasbeen the most satisfyingwork I have ever done”, hewrote. “It has been my life’swork. It has required everyskill I have learnt in my life”.As we school children oncelearnt, Sir Christopher Wrenrebuilt London after theGreat Fire. His tablet in StPauls Cathedral, writtenin Latin, reads “If you seekhis monument, look aboutyou’. On a smaller scaleit’s what we can say aboutAndy Spence and one day,maybe, hope to hear aboutour work.Oh, the sleeping tablet? Aftera six and half hour paddlefrom the East Coast Bays, yousleep pretty well.32 <strong>ISSUE</strong> FORTYfive • 2 0 0 8
For all your roof rack requirementsBAY OF PLENTY: 07 574 7415WAIKATO: 07 847 5565Email: sales@roofrackcentre.co.nzWELLINGTON: 04 477 6911AUCKLAND: 09 815 2072NORTH SHORE: 09 479 1002HAWKE’S BAY: 06 842 1305TAUPO: 07 378 1003MANUKAU: 09 262 0209TARANAKI: 06 769 5506 <strong>ISSUE</strong> FORTYfive • 2008 33
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