Our second day of hiking on Waiheke has been very different in feel from the first. We’re doing a different part of the island trail, much more inland although it is still technically a piece of the coastal trail system. Now that we’re away from the ocean, we begin to see more of the diversity contained within this small island. Those of you who have played the game Minecraft will be familiar with the concept of biomes, where as you travel through the landscape the surrounding shift dramatically and suddenly from one type to another. Our walk today was a bit like a real-life version of this, with portions of heavily forested bush, open upland fields, and sunny vineyards all seemingly transitioning from one to another within a few quick steps.

The day began in the bush, with travel through a forest of giant ferns that was part of a nature reserve. Before entering we had to scrub our boots and spray them with disinfectant, part of an effort to stop the spread of a disease that is killing the native kauri tree.

After a period of travel we emerged from the bush and the trail hopped a fence. Suddenly we were surrounded by pastures, with nary a fern in site. And apparently our steady climbing paid off, because we were rewarded with another view of Auckland in the far distance (see picture at top).

After spending a while in pasture, we reached another change in land use: our first vineyard of the day. The path through this section mostly seemed to run along property lines, which is to say that it charged uphill and plunged down again with no concession to the verticality of the slope. At one point the trail was so steep that they had installed hundreds of meters of rope to aid with the climb. With nothing else to hold onto, we found it quite helpful on our way down.

It is always rewarding to come across something interesting and unexpected, and today we had several. Our first find was an old, abandoned manganese mine only a short distance off the main trail This was about as archetypal as mines get: a low-roofed tunnel carved into solid rock, receding into the darkness. We followed it in for a short distance until it became too hard to see.

Our second unexpected discovery was prompted by a seemingly out-of-place sign at the side of the trail in the midst of another section of heavy bush. Against all appearances it promised that a winery with spectacular views was at hand for the price of a mere five minute walk. Somewhat doubtful, we decided to test it out — and sure enough, after a short hike we emerged from the trees to see row upon row of vines, with a posh restaurant waiting at the top. Lunch with a view!

The remainder of the day we continued to move in and out of different biomes, for a while following Waiheke’s only year-round stream before hitting the coast for a rendezvous with our ride back to the lodgings. We ended the day with a walk along the Onetangi beach right outside, and a nice dinner in one of the restaurants at the far end.