So today I opted to go for a walk, that wasn't over our farm. I knew Whitecliffs walkway wasn't too far away from where we live, so I hopped in the ute and headed off. It was a bit further away that I thought, but it wasn't as far as it felt, if that makes sense. You know, the drive back was a lot quicker than the drive out felt.
So first off I found the start of the walk, kind of. DoC do not have the best signage out, and I couldn't work out where to park. I parked at the boat ramp to try and work it out, but nothing really came to me. I couldn't park at the boat ramp for long, incase someone actually showed up with a boat. So I decided to call it a day, and head on home.
The boat ramp.
I was actually a bit nervous getting out of there, as it involved reversing, up a hill, on a fairly narrow section of land, and required backing out onto the road, which fortunately does not have a lot of traffic. I managed it fine, but my heart was pounding a bit. I imagined myself slipping a wheel over the bank and hanging off the edge. I have a very over active imagination!
The view from the boat ramp back up the road that I drove in on. Very picturesque, despite the brackish looking water.
Once I managed to get back onto the road and headed for home I actually spotted some places that looked like parking spots. I pulled off, hummed and haaaa'd a bit, and thought, well, since I'm here I may as well see if I can find the start of the walk.
And I did.
I was a bit nervous, as I always am first time somewhere new. The start of the walk involved walking up a private road, past a few houses. It felt a bit like trespassing. And I always worry that I've got it wrong and someone is going to come flying out of their house screeching 'PRIVATE PROPERTY'. But no one did. I was on the right 'track' - it wasn't a track, it was a sealed road. Not quite what I was expecting.
Then you reach the end of the road, and you get to enter onto private farmland, and the seal gives way to gravel.
It was a lovely day for a walk, and since it was my first one I just walked 30 minutes in, to be 30 minutes out, so an hour total. My 30 minutes in took me to the top of a fairly large hill, which gave a lovely view out over the sea, to the white cliffs - well to some white cliffs, I'm not sure if they were THE white cliffs.
View from the top (and end) of my walk.
The gravel road back down from the big hill.
I was actually quite surprised as to how easily I managed this hill. I had seen it from a distance and thought to myself, I hope the walk doesn't go up there! But it did, and it actually wasn't too bad!
There was a corner in the gravel road where these trees roots had been exposed by the constant slipping of the land. There was a sign there that said, no stopping, slips, so it must slip quite a bit.
Noticed this cool fracture of the earth on my way back.
I'm not sure if a geographic event caused it, or if it is a result of earthworks cutting into the cliff for the road, and the end of the corner has fractured. I guess it will break off eventually. The left section is connecting to an ongoing bank. The right section is only a few metres long, for the road to curve around it. Never the less, it's very cool! If you look back at the picture of the view from the boat ramp to the road back you can see this naked bank in the background by the road.
So I absolutely loved the walk. I just felt like the old me, which is a fantastic feeling. I am hoping to get out and do this walk a bit further along, and other walks every other week.
Oh, it felt so good to get out there! Boy it felt good!
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