In Search of The Fairies
- Dec 26, 2016
- 3 min read
Location:
Waitakere Ranges, Auckland, NI, New Zealand
It’s Saint Stephen’s Day here in Auckland and we have only just woken up from a very special Christmas. It’s probably my favourite one that myself and Jason have spent together, I think because it had a bit of everything including nice food, good company and a comfortable house. What more could we ask for? As Ralf so very kindly lent us his car for the entire Christmas break, we don’t want to waste it. We have had a nice couple of days in the house, now we are rearing to go! The question is where?
After much debate, we both decided that we should stay within Auckland at least for today. What I love about the city is all the things one can do on the outskirts. It makes it so much easier when one has a car. It was agreed that we would spend the day at the famous ‘Waitakere Ranges’ enjoying some nice treks while burning off those extra sweets! They just taste so good! Doesn’t help when your other half won’t help you eat them! What a monster!
Lunches packed and water bottles filled, it’s time to get the flock out of here. On the way, we stopped off for a nice cup of coffee and a quick snack, before heading into the ranges. There is a trek that both of us want to do and it looks amazing! I don’t think it’s a hard one because if it was, listening to Jason’s moans would not be worth it. While the car parks were all full, we eventually found a parking space up a bit further on the side of the road. We didn’t mind having to walk a little bit further, that is why we came after all.
The ranges look absolutely, amazing. We worked our way down to the famous ‘Fairy Falls,’ with the crunch of dead leaves with every footstep, air that is fresher than anything you will breath in the city and utter tranquillity to clear your mind. That’s all before we even reached the waterfall. As you can imagine, it was pretty, special. There were a few people admiring it, but at least it wasn’t crammed and unlike Asia, we didn’t have to pay a cent! Yay!
As the track was a loop, we were only half way there. The second part involved getting a bit closer to nature. We had to cross through streams of water, on very rocky planks of wood. Thankfully I didn’t fall in. There is something really, nice about being at one with nature, especially being able to enjoy a trek where you must cross through different terrains. They could have set it up where you avoid getting so close to water and where you don’t need to climb over rocks, but honestly, where’s the fun in that?
We exited the ranges with a bit of a walk back to the car on the main road. It did seem long and it was a bit dangerous, but there wasn’t that much traffic. I think Jason was more nervous than me! When we eventually saw our car at the end of the windy road, it was such a relief. Our faces began to light up. Relaxing in the car, we both enjoyed some nice sandwiches. Yummy!
Our next stop of the day was the ‘Heritage Gardens’ near ‘Centennial Park’ where we enjoyed another nice trek and a couple of nice photos at an oversized frame with a beautiful backdrop of the Waitakere Ranges. The frame has become quite iconic over the last few years as it allows you to simply ‘Get in the picture!’ Selfie enthusiasts, take note! It’s a genius idea!
Myself and Jason had a really, nice day. It wasn’t very stressful, just somewhere nice to spend a few hours, while taking in the beauty of this part of the world. We could have stayed at home watching old movies, but hey, I enjoyed my day and I feel great after it! An appreciation of nature is something that can only bring good into one’s life! Has Jason reached that stage, or would he still swap it for the ‘Pub?’
By Andrew
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