Whanake: From Shore To Summit.

Titimiri Point

The Labour Day break will soon be upon us and the population of Tuateawa will increase remarkably. A great time and place to relax, and maybe, overindulge a little. Should you wish to compensate for the latter I can thoroughly recommend a stroll in the bush. We have been fortunate to have a track from Waiherere Drive to the trig. point on Whanake for a considerable period. More recently this has been added to by the completion of a walkway through the existing subdivision and the new Tokeroa subdivision down to the coast. Now you can walk from the coast a little south of "Boulder Bay" to the trig. and beyond.

Ngaio at the back of Boulder Bay

Shore celery, taste it!

The journey is a relatively short one with no difficult climbs. The coastal trees are very large and probably pre-European in age and there are magnificent stands of nikau palm.

Green hooded orchid on the new path

The vegetation varies as you climb nearly a thousand feet to get to the trig which is well carved with the initials of Tuateawa kids, many now well into adulthood.

Tokaroa from the Trig Track

Titimiri Cliffs from the Trig Track

Beyond the trig about fifteen minutes is a rocky bluff with a view to match any on the journey. It's worth sitting here for a while. If you do you will be surrounded by the scent of a pale yellow clematis that scrambles over the surrounding rocks.

View beyond Kennedy Bay

P.S. I have been quite happy to take advantage of the Labour Day Weekend whilst not knowing too much of it's origins. On investigating I was really surprised that it had it's beginnings in Pre Treaty New Zealand. Samuel Parnell an English carpenter, arrived in Wellington in 1839. He and other tradesmen were in great demand due to their scarcity and were able to negotiate from a position of strength. Wellington was one of the first places to see the eight hour day, forty hour week. This happened in 1840 and has been celebrated by a public holiday from 1900 until the present.

The forty hour working week was brought in by the first Labour Govt. in 1940 but has never been formally enshrined in law. Statistics NZ figures show the average working week to be around 38 hours including some overtime. This average does include a significant number of part time workers. Figures from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development tell a different story. Forty percent of employees work more than 45hr. a week and nineteen percent work more than 50 hours. This is more in line with my personal experience and observation. The work/life balance of Samuel Parnell has gone a little astray for some of us. Good reason to make the very best of unique places like Tuateawa!

Tuateawa and Kennedy Bay

One of the most upmarket Auckland suburbs bears the name of our archetypal working man, Samuel Parnell. Our prime Minister lives there and, ironically, it is part of the Epsom electorate of our celebrated dancer, Rodney Hide!