MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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WALKING WEEKEND WRAP-UP - Walkers not short on varietyFriday afternoon has proved a great time to limber up for the days of more serious walking ahead on the annu-al Mangawhai Walking Weekend – held Friday to Sunday March 27-29 – and the casual, entertaining nature of the Troubadour Trail is just the ticket.
Early afternoon rain delayed one group but certainly didn’t dampen any enthusiasm or detract from any of the performances which kept the big crowd of all ages entertained almost until dark. Following the picturesque estuary loop, ramblers came upon entertainers hidden in various spots along the trail. A family of four siblings who, with cello and vio-lins, rather than chamber music, gave a polished rendition of Metallica songs. Young and old were intrigued by the sleight of hand delivered by the magician while Waipu’s Achmed Abmann brought some circus acts into play and added some unicycle antics in there as well. At the end of the trail Paihia’s Dann Pinkney, with acoustic guitar, played a number of well-known cover songs that got more than a few feet tapping and put everyone in a good mood relaxing on the lawn beside the estuary. This is a good start to the weekend and an en-joyable exercise for old and young if you’re able to sneak that extra couple of hours off work in the afternoon. Willing walkers thrilled by Lakes A full contingent of walkers spent almost four hours around the Tomarata Lakes walk. For many it was their first time in the vicinity of the lakes which many said were “fabulous” and they also learned a lot about the district from their guides. This flat beautiful walk took the troop from the Lake View Chalets from where there is a clear view of the sand-lakes, Slipper and Spectacle, through the pine forest, around Lake Tomarata and out to the southern section of Te Arai beach with its bril-liant white sands, wild waves and isolation. Several were also on the look-out for the sea birds en route and the memorial seat provided a good resting spot be-fore they returned via the loop track. Easy walking on well-formed tracks was made a little slippery in parts by overnight rain but the vistas of farm-lands, lakes and beach far outweighed any neg-atives. A big thumbs-up from this group. While there are some calling for more tracks around Mangawhai, once you have walked all 40 its probably time to go back and do it all again. |
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