Te Kopahou Reserve
Name |
Te Kopahou Reserve |
Location |
Owhiro Bay |
Co-ordinates |
1746302 5421102 |
Alternative co-ordinates |
1747024 5422931 |
Configuration |
Network |
Distance |
20 km |
Status |
On-leash |
Grade |
Easy-moderate |
Access |
Easiest access is via Owhiro Bay Parade, which extends from Queens Drive and the Esplanade. Alternatuve access, giving a longer walk,is possible off Happy Valley Road and Landfill Road, but parking on these two roads is difficult. |
Description |
The main feature of this walk is the coastal walk on the Red Rocks track, which runs from Owhiro Bay to Devil's Gate and Sinclair Head. You're walking down at shore level, so although the track is easy it may be ewxposed in bad weather. You're also quite likely to encounter seals, so watch out for them, keep your dog close and give the seals a wide (20+ metres) birth: seals like dogs even less than dogs like seals. In Maori legend, the red rocks that give the walk its name were a consequence of the Polynesian explorer, Kupe, being injured when a clam that he was trying to gather for food clamped shut on his hand; his blood soaked into the rocks. A more prosaic explanation is that they are ancient pillow lavas and iron-rich sedimentary rocks. To extend the walk, and add a loop, you can head inland at Sinclair Head on one of several tracks, up onto Te Kopahou and Hawkins Hill. But if you don't want to retrace your steps at all, the only option is to head for Happy Valley Road and coomplete the round trip with a bit of road walking. |
Connecting tracks |
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Further information |