Waimahanga Walkway

A walk or bike ride for the whole family where you can experience the otherworldliness of a mangrove forest.

THE TRACK

The Waimahanga track is a loose metal, an all-weather track about four kilometres long and is suitable for all age groups. The track up to George Point Road is steep.

The track is the off-shore section through the mangroves named Boswell’s Track and provides a great opportunity to observe life in this fascinating environment.

FLORA, FAUNA, AND HABITAT

See the rich, diverse ecology of mangrove forests that grow between sea level and the high tide line. If the tide is out, you’ll see the mangrove trees' aerial roots reaching up out of the mud. The trees' green seeds drop into the water where they are dispersed by wind and tide before the germinating seeds eventually anchor themselves into the mud.

Other native flora alongside the track include harakeke (flax), ponga (tree fern), the beautiful white plumes of toetoe (in spring) and young totara.

Birds that you may see include kotare (kingfishers) and pukeko along with silvereyes, fantails, and shags (cormorants). Fish who live within this habitat include eels, parore, mullet and mud crabs.

Source: whangareiNZ.com