Sunday 26th March 2023
Location: The end of Whitesline East, Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt
We discovered the Haywards Scenic Reserve early last year when we explored the Green Track (see our write-up on Haywards Track), today we decided to check-out the Blue Track.
We parked at the end of Whitesline East and walked up the steep driveway. The entrance to the track was at the top of the road, clearly marked with a map.
We started off with a hiss and a roar, we hadn't done a family walk in a while and everyone was ready for some green. The track started off wide and was well marked with coloured arrows.
Master 10 stopped to inspect a Silver Fern.
We quickly come to the realisation that ratbaggery was in the air and while we might have started off at a breaking neck pace, going would be slow with the mandatory stops starting less than 100m up the track.
Yip - we found a swing!
Lucky for their little bottoms it managed to take both their weight.
We then came to the first sign which took us up to the left, from here the track changed, becoming narrower, with roots to navigate and sticks galore. While it wasn't particularly hard, this is more of a tramping track and more challenging than the Green one we'd completed previously. We even discovered some cutting grass blocking our way. Miss 8 was not impressed.
We found several seats on the walk, Master 10 was underwhelmed by one of them, which had absolutely no view. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in dismay.
After a tiny bit of puffing, we popped out on the ECNZ Firebreak. The signage wasn't clear, we decided to take a punt on heading right up the Firebreak. A few meters up we noticed hidden in the overgrown Manuka, a sign that had seen better days. Yay, we were on the right track.
We looked for grasshoppers who were strangely allusive and admired the beautiful view out over Lower Hutt.
Not too far up we came to a big open space with a sign on the right pointing back into the bush. It was getting a bit hot for us all, so we were glad for some shade.
The sign here was a little confusing too - the Blue Track pointed right but there was no track going right, just straight down. We continued down, and came to another juncture (this is where you turn right).
Beautiful big trees, what do we think?
There was an amazing black tree, we started observing the hammer strokes on the bark but then got distracted by a cicada.
It was so beautiful.
Miss 8 is part monkey and always keen to check out a vine. She was even prepared to put her stick down to try it out.
We popped out back where we initially started 45 minutes later. A little puffing up the hill, beautiful views from the ECNZ Firebreak and lots of playing with sticks. To top it all off there was a race to the car (which Mum opted out of).
Love it! Haywards Reserve is awesome, now we just need to check-out the Red Track.
Below is a picture of the track from our AllTrails App:
Age of Kids: 8yr and 10yrs
Walking Time: About 45 minutes
Distance: 1.89 km
Elevation: 167m
Buggy Friendly: No this is a bush track
Difficulty: Moderate
Wet Feet: No (unless you fall in the little streams)
Amenities: There's a toilet at Waiwhetu park by the playground and lots of seats along the way.
Dogs: Yes, on lead only
Cellphone Reception: Yes