Barefoot Tracks of Whangarei: Te Whara, Bream Head ( Part 1) Pohutukawa and Gun Emplacements

Te Whara, Bream Head Scenic Reserve is at the end of the Whangarei Heads, and extends from Urquharts Bay to Ocean Beach. There are several barefoot tracks in this park (one of them being part of the Te Araroa Trail In Part 1, we are visiting the Gun Emplacements (built during WWII) and the large Pohutukawa trees on the nearby hillside, what I like to call, a Living Playground. If you are in New Zealand during our summer, make sure you wear sunscreen, a shirt and hat to prevent sun damage, as the ozone layer is thinner here, and people get burnt very quickly (for me, it only takes 10 minutes). Te Whara is named for the principal wife of Manaia, an early Rangatira (chief) of this region. Manaia also has a mountain named after him. It is thought that the track that runs from Urquharts Bay to Ocean Beach is at least 700 years old. How wonderful to walk in the barefoot tracks of ancestors past. WEBLINKS Department of Conservation