Where the action is
On Waitangi Day, get back to nature — with a side of treats — writes Alexia Santamaria
After all the packing, unpacking and laundry of these incredibly sunny summer holidays, it seemed a day trip might be a nice way to have some hassle-free holiday action before getting back into work and school mode. And, after the overconsumption of icecream, fish and chips and 5 o’clock nibbles for almost two months, I didn’t think it would harm my family to get a little active either. All that spelled Northwest Auckland — mountain biking, swimming and walking, without a huge drive. And what we did would make the ideal Waitangi Day excursion for anyone looking for something to do this Tuesday.
We got up nice and early, strapped the bikes on and headed out to Woodhill Mountain Bike Park, stopping on the way at the gorgeous Boric gourmet food market for indulgent snacks and Le Petit Perigord in Kumeu for a breakfast of French crepes (okay, so maybe we were still in holiday mode food-wise but in our defence, their lemon and sugar and salted butter caramel crepes are very good).
Sugared and helmeted up, we hit the park — a popular spot with more than 50 trails equalling more than 100km of riding.
The staff pointed us towards routes which wouldn’t intimidate the kids, or a relative beginner like me. There may or may not have been some whingeing (not all from the children) as we navigated the initial uphills, but we knew that what went up had to come down and loved the fast, fun downhill through the pine forest over tree roots and sweeping banks.
After doing the family loop and the hilariously named Togs Togs Undies track, the boys and I sat down for a rest, while my husband ploughed on to something a little more challenging. Always good to quit while you’re still having fun.
Needless to say, we were relatively thirsty after our biking and water bottles just weren’t cutting it, so we headed 15 minutes up the road to The Kombuchery in Helensville. A tall, cold glass of Mama’s Brew Shop Warrior Kombucha was just what we needed and it was exciting to see this relatively new development in the village.
Rumour has it that Liberty Brewing will be opening a taproom for their fantastic beers soon, so Helensville will be a place to watch. We didn’t think we were that hungry, but after seeing the Best Ugly Bagels with salmon, thick cream cheese and capers on the counter we couldn’t resist a couple to share.
Keeping the active intention strong, we headed another 15 minutes’ north to Omeru Scenic Reserve for a short but very pretty stroll through the bush up to the glistening waterfalls and back down the other side.
We were getting hot, so took off our shoes and stood in the cool water at the bottom of one of the three falls, before meandering back beside the babbling stream towards the reserve for some ball-kicking action. The kids had races up the hillside until they were tired, and we headed back to the car.
Though I could have happily spent the rest of the afternoon at some lovely West Auckland winery, or at lunch at The Tasting Shed, the boys had seen the Parakai Springs sign on the way up towards the Kaipara and in the name of them sleeping well that night, we couldn’t see any harm in some hydroslide action on the way back to the city. It’s amazing how they never tire of running up those steps and blasting down the slides on their blue mats.
I even gave it a go, after possibly 25 years (but who’s counting?). It was still great fun whipping round corners in a giant tube on a river of fast-flowing water — before being spat out into the pool at the bottom. There is just a bigger splash at the end, these days.
Parakai has well-kept lawns for sprawling, and we took our weary bodies out to the grassy area for a lie-down on our giant mats for an hour, picking at the picnic of fruit and snacks we’d bought from Boric in the morning. Bliss.
And after well and truly achieving our goal of an active day, we felt we deserved a relaxing stop at the wonderful Hallertau Brewery on the way home.
The kids were happy in the play area and we were thrilled with a tasting paddle line-up of their finest pale ales, sours, pilsners and seasonal favourites (and some nibbly sharing plates of course) in the beer garden. We bribed the boys to behave with the promise of a fresh strawberry icecream on the way home, so everyone was happy. It’s a West Auckland summer tradition and there are so many outlets to choose from between Kumeu and Westgate.