There really is only one hike on Kawau. Most of the island is private with one patch being owned by the DOC (Department of Conservation). We went ashore mid morning and tied the dinghy to the dock. We decided to go for the walk first.
The walk took us down to the old copper mine. The pump house was modelled directly off those from Cornish mines so it looked quite familiar. The land through which we walked was very pretty – tall pines and ferns with lovely views over the bay to the mainland.
We took the inland path coming back. Under my direction we took a couple of wrong turns which bothered me not one bit as I was enjoying being out and about. We made it back to the mansion in time for lunch where be both opted for breakfast at the tea house. After our very filling breakfast/lunch we took a tour of the mansion which was reasonably interesting.
Having done the public part of Kawau Island we moved the boat over by the Kawau Island Yacht Club.
We popped ashore in the dinghy to have a look around. We walked the vast (not) distance to and old smelter and all the way back. Having blown many minutes we headed back to the boat. We were still full in the evening that we passed on any thought of going back ashore to eat at the yacht club.
Today we’re almost certainly taking the boat round to Gulf Harbour marina at first light. We plan to spend the day with David and Marian from Kilkea II down in Auckland watching the harbour racing on the day before the Volvo ocean race takes off. The wind is picking up and looking to really build over the next few days. Being pinned into a marina for a few days is not really what we want but we can’t miss the chance of spending St Patrick’s Day with our good Irish friends.
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