Great Barrier Island

The Great Barrier Island (Aotea) guards the entrance to the Hauraki Gulf from the open reaches of the South Pacific Ocean. Geologically, it is a volcanic continuation of the Coromandel Peninsular, separated from it by the 15-km Colville Channel. Aotea was one of the earliest settled parts of New Zealand, dating back to the first Maori migrations 1000 years ago. Nowadays, it is sparsely populated (about 1100 people), it has few roads (mostly unsealed), but plenty of interesting tramping tracks, even though many are rugged and poorly maintained. It's a 4-hour ferry ride by Subritzky's ferry from downtown Auckland to Tryphena.

Great Barrier has a mix of rugged hills, old-growth forest, and many great beaches (but not warm enough for winter swimming). Most of the accommodations are in backpacker lodges, but there are campgrounds available in summer. Food is not easy to find in the winter months, especially in the north, but the islanders are very helpful.
On this preliminary trip I biked most of the roads and did a couple of combination bike and tramping explorations.

Summer on GBI is for serious tramping; this visit I aim to walk some tracks in the interior near Hirakimata and on the west coast of the island.
After arriving about noon on the Subritzky ferry from Auckland, I hitchhike around to Mulberry Bay and up Rosalie Bay Road to the start of the track that leads down to Medlands Beach and the DOC campground at its southern end.

From FitzRoy I hitch-hiked over to the eastern side of Aotea, then tramped a coastal track from near Okiwi to Harataonga, where I shared the campground with a friendly heifer (bovine, not human). Next morning, I ascended Hirakimata, at 620 m (2000 ft) the highest point on GBI. The following day I strolled up Te Ahumata (400 m, 1300 ft), followed by another climb up Hirakimata. Well, that was plenty of hiking for one trip, so back to Tryphena, the ferry, and Auckland city. It's easy to hitch-hike around Great Barrier and this is more convenient than having a bike or motor vehicle. In summer there are several backpacker lodges and campgrounds available.

Here we are again after a 4-hour ride on the Subritzky ferry from Auckland to Tryphena, but now the weather is colder and windier than last December.
I stay the night at Sunset Lodge Backpackers in Mulberry Grove, then use Rosalie Bay Road and track to hike over to Medlands Beach and on to Crossroads Backpackers, just north of Claris.

Next day I hitch-hike to Okiwi and walk 10 km (6 mile) further north on Mabey Road to the start of the Burrill ridge track to Tataweka. Now the fun begins; there's no water, plenty of pig rooting on what was once a bulldozed track, and eventually there's not much track but the ridge is still there.
After spending a night under canvas sheltered from the cold wild wind, I tramp up the last hills of the 20-km track to the summit (530 m, 1700 ft) of Tataweka, which is the highest point on northern Aotea. There's not much to see except the trig station. The round trip took 10 hours; the sort of tramp that just proves it can be done.
I walk back down Mabey Road (cars don't seem to use it) and at Okiwi get a lift to Orama Christian Community in Karaka Bay on the west coast of GBI. The following day I walk my favorite Forest Road as far as the Kiwiriki Track junction before evening overtakes me and camping out is again necessary.
Next day it's south on the Forest Road and Te Ahumata tracks and a quick lift to Crossroads Backpackers again. Next day I indulge in a taxi ride (only $10 though) because the driver stops, and soon I'm in the relative civilization of Tryphena, the ferry, and Auckland city.

Next morning I hitch to Claris to stock up on food and visit Crossroads Backpackers then go up Aotea Road to the Harataonga turnoff and walk for a half hour down to Harataonga campground. After a quick lunch I head north on the coast track to Whangapoua / Okiwi. It's sunny but the track is level and the views over the sea to Rakitu Island are magnificent, so it takes only 5 hours to complete the 12-km route. A few minutes later I'm at Whangapoua DOC campsite near the Okiwi airstrip. There's a rain shower while I'm setting up my tent, but I keep dry while cooking a meal and settling in.
In the morning the weather has improved and I walk and hitch across the Okiwi valley and up to the crest of the hill between Okiwi and Port Fitzroy. There, at the start of the ridge track to Cooper's Castle, a rock bastion, I meet Pieter and his son Geoff and we tramp the rough track together to the top then drop down into the Kaiarara Stream and on to the hut near the head of the bay. From there I head west and south near the coast to Kiwiriki Bay, this being an alternative to the Forest Road I have used on previous trips. At Kiwiriki I make a campsite in the bush and spend the evening with the abundant birdlife and a few mosquitoes.
Next day it's a steady climb up to Maungepiko junction then south on the Forest Road and the Tramline and Kaitoke Springs tracks and a quick lift down to Crossroads Backpackers. Next day a quick hitch with only two rides gets me to Tryphena. There I hang out and visit the potters near the ferry wharf while waiting for the mid-afternoon ferry for the return to Auckland.

In February, after a break of two years, I'm returning to GBI for summer relaxation. I come on the Sealink ferry to Port FitzRoy in the north from Auckland via Tryphena in the south, to spend a week in the northern areas.
This trip is mostly by bike, with frequent days spent on the beach. I make a loop from FitzRoy through Okiwi (DOC camp) with a side trip to Whangapoua Beach at the end of Mabey Road in the north, then over the big hill near Hirakimata and down the side road to Harataonga. Here I stay for two days at the Harataonga Hilton and enjoy the beach and coastal walks. I bike down the east coast to Crossroads Backpackers, just north of Okiwi, staying the night there before riding up Whangaparapara road to the southern end of the Forest Road up the western side of GBI. After five hours on this mountain-bike trail I'm at Kaiarara hut just south of FitzRoy. Next day I hang out there and catch the 5 p.m. ferry back to Auckland, arriving at 10 p.m. All as delightful as usual.
In August I'm back for tramping and camping, mostly at Harataonga and Kaiarara, using the Forest Road as usual to walk down the west side of the island.
The pictures are shown in roughly geographical order.