The Green Pastures of Port Waikato

---

Have you ever watched a movie where the main character got tired living in the City, went to the country-side to unwind, and find tranquility? Or maybe experienced a break-up, gone missing for a decade and went to the country-side to admire the beauty of silence and the sound of the wind. Walking to the Port of Waikato tracks can make you say, "there's more to the world that we could ever imagine". This travel experience is a treasured memory worth remembering, and you'll find out why.

Port Waikato is located in the south of Auckland, an hour and a half drive from the city approximately 90 kilometers. Port Waikato is well-known for surfing and white baiting destination. The trip was divided into two parts, a walk to the Harker reserve track, which was a 1.5/5 difficulty ratio where Vivian falls is situated, and a 30 minutes drive towards the edge of Port Waikato where the tramping will begin while the scale of difficulty has risen to 4/5.

Travel Experience

---

The day before the event, I decided to go on a trip by myself and join Meetup ( Meetup is a Mobile Application used to organize groups and activities for people with the same interest ) and hike together with the group Feet First - Wilderness Walk in and Around Auckland and which was led by Mr. Mike. the group was only limited to 30 people.

July 12, 2020

As the sun was about to rise at 6:30 AM, I packed my stuff for hiking, prepared my lunch for the trip. The last trip i had, I was not prepared that much during the hike due to the rain. But this time I had everything, especially a rain jacket. I finished everything and ready to go around 8:00 AM, which the group will gather at 9:30 AM in the Harker reserve track as our first destination and will take me approximately 1-hour drive from my house.

Upon driving into the south, I plugged in some jams along the drive to feel the moment. As I arrive in the reserve tracks about 9:15AM, I geared myself up for the hike and waited for another couple of minutes for other people to come. As everyone arrived, the group organizer mike gathers all of us and discuss the rules and guidelines for the trip and itinerary.

We started the walk around 9:45 AM and went to the reserve tracks. the group entered the tracks and felt a whole new different dimension that is peaceful and magnificent forest scenery like what you see on Instagram. Before getting to the falls, we stopped and admired the short Araucariaceae's coniferous tree, also known as the Kauri tree, which is famous in New Zealand. We took group photos and continue to walk going towards the falls and passed a green pasture. We arrived at Vivian falls around 10:30 PM, which was a breathtaking moment for everyone. The Vivian falls has a 12 meters elevation. As much as I want to dip myself in the waters, unfortunately, we have a long way to go. Also, the water is cold since it's wintertime in New Zealand.

The group head back after staying at the falls for 10-20 mins. We arrived at the carpark around 11:30 AM, and the group went to grab lunch in Cobourne Reserve, which was a 30-minute drive and has alluring scenery from Harker Reserve. The Reserve is a small park where you can clear your mind and watch the Waikato River and Waiuku forest from afar. We took our lunch there for 30 minutes and had coffee before we start the second hike. We drove to Port Waikato School Camp, which offers a range of excellent facilities and ideal location for school camp or function and its a 10 minutes drive from Cobourne Reserve.

Around 1:00 PM, We arrived at the camp and waited for everyone to get ready. As we started the hike, we entered the field as a starting line for the trek. The first 10 minutes of the hike was smooth, it is like walking in a grassy field, but as the walking tracks got steeper and we encountered a spear grass that can prick your legs. Speargrass is an iconic plant in New Zealand that can grow large with sharp narrow spines. And at this point, we already knew what's coming next.

As we climb the hill going to the peak, it is getting steeper and mud is everywhere. Good thing this track has a rope for hikers to grab on to while climbing up. Everyone had a hard time climbing up because it was slippery, and some are on the verge of quitting the hike. However, the group remained optimistic. Everybody encourages one another to finish and help whoever is in need. The word "ALMOST THERE"( even if it's not ) pushed everyone to finish the hike. We rested for a bit to talk and laugh about how was everyone's not expecting a difficult hike just to relax the mind to the pressure of tramping. As we are getting near to the hilltop, we encounter heaps of Gorse( A 2.5-meter tall plant which has a lot of thorns ), which was a nightmare to people who wore a cotton-based pants and who wore shorts as we passed by to a narrow track.

Path of Gorse

Around 2:40 PM, the group made it on top of the hill. No one even sat nor lay down, the ravishing view on top cleanses everyone's feeling of tiredness. Everyone got busy taking pictures, and some were busy talking about the hike experience of how they almost gave up but continue to climb up top. We rested for 30 mins and head back towards the car park. On the way down, we took the easy track and enjoy a beautiful grassy terrain and flocks of sheep. This made me think about a movie called divergent. It's like we're in the Amity faction.

Overall, the trip was fantastic. I made heaps of friends who shared knowledge about their culture, perspective, experiences in New Zealand, and shared tips on surviving here as an International. I also met a Filipina who also a BLOGGER, we took and shared some writing content tips. This hike was very cheap that all it takes is to have a Meetup app and join the RSVP. In case you don't have a car, you can hitch with someone who is going and pay NZD$20 for gas. The hike finished around 5:00 PM, and everyone drove back to their own homes with a precious smile and self-fulfillment.