A walk along the Three Mile Pack Track, Okarito, New Zealand

We are nearing the end of our month walking and travelling through the beautiful South Island of New Zealand / Aotearoa. We have walked on mountains and through rainforests, along beaches and glacial moraine. We have seen a wild Kiwi in its native environment and visited a predator free island. We were drenched under its highest waterfall and gazed up at the knife edge arêtes on the snow plastered summit of its highest mountain. It has certainly been a trip to remember and for our last walk we find ourselves on the ‘Wild’ West Coast in the tiny settlement of Okarito, where we will be walking the three mile pack track.

The three mile pack track actually connects with two shorter walks, the Okarito wetland and the Okarito trig walks. You can do them all individually but we will be doing all three making it a twelve kilometre round trip. We are also going to take the coastal route back so some planning is required to make sure we hit the beach as the tide is going out to avoid walking underwater.

As we set off we pass a memorial obelisk. The obelisk has four plaques commemorating historical events relating to the area. The first sighting of New Zealand by a European, Dutchman Abel Tasman was thought to have taken place off the coast here in 1642. Perhaps more pertinent to me, an Englishman, there is also a plaque celebrating James Cook who sailed and mapped much of the coastline of New Zealand in 1770.

We are soon on a boardwalk that winds its way over the wetlands, the gentle breeze makes the tall wispy reeds shimmer back and forth like a Mexican wave and the forest is beckoning us ahead. Before long we are in the stillness of the forest, the song of Fantails, Robins and Bellbirds filling the air.

After a kilometre or so the trig walk path branches off the main path and we follow the trail upwards through the forest, popping out through the canopy onto a wooden boarded viewpoint 158 metres above the sea. Below us, Okarito and the whole of the flat calm, blue lagoon can be seen over the top of dense green forest that looks a bit like broccoli. To the west, stretching out to the horizon is the Tasman sea, Australia twelve hundred miles away. To the south and east, the temperate rainforest of Westland Tai Poutini National Park completely covers the low rolling hills like a rich green carpet as they rise up to meet the Southern Alps which are unfortunately in cloud today.

Heading back down we pick up the track and enjoy a peaceful, bird song serenaded meander through a forest of rimu, rata and silver pine trees. Ferns and mosses have been the staple fare of our NZ rainforest experience and we are not disappointed here. Soft green mosses cover the rocks, paths and trees, and ferns are everywhere, Umbrella, Prince of Wales and Golden tree ferns to name but a few.

It’s a mindful walk as I know it’s my last before we fly home and I want to enjoy each step. The forest path runs close to but far above the beach and occasionally there are breaks in the trees providing glimpses of the ocean.

At the southern end of the track we emerge out of the forest and below us is a narrow wooden suspension bridge that crosses over onto three mile lagoon. We cross over the bridge and enjoy lunch sitting on the pebbles by the lagoon. The lagoon is a haven for birdlife but for some reason there are few to be seen today. The same can be said for people, apart from one couple on the wetland boardwalk, we have not seen a soul.

Lunch complete, it’s time for the return journey. Gwen was in charge of the walk-tide timings and as we head down onto the beach, the timing was perfect. The tide was just receding around the headland, Kohuamarua Bluff, unveiling a thin strip of pristine and unadulterated black sand which we were about to defile with our bootprints.

Huge impressive marbled rocks litter the beach. Having fallen from the cliff they have been smoothed over countless millennia by the daily battering of the waves. In contrast to the man made memorial in Okarito celebrating men, these rocks stand as natural memorials, a testament to the overwhelming power of the sea.

The beach is remote and beautiful. The cliff face is sheer, covered in foliage and loose rock and looks unclimbable. I appreciate how dangerous it would be to get caught out by an incoming tide. Sea spray hangs in the air and I feel its refreshing wetness on my face and taste its salt on my tongue. The waves crash slowly and rhythmically onto the sand, as they always have done.

I take some time to stand still and silent among the rocks for a while, conscious of my presence here, in this place, at this time. I am part of this moment and allow my senses to enjoy the experience of unrestrained nature surrounding me.

I think of Tasman and Cook, Europeans just like me, a long way from their home, experiencing the raw and remote beauty of this special land. The natural world here is pure, untainted and perfect.

Gwen is way ahead of me by now and we walk the beach together but separate, each lost in our own thoughts and immersed in our surroundings.

Later that evening we watch the sun go down over the ocean. It’s mid summer in New Zealand. Soon we will fly home to a cold English winter.

For a map, route details and geolocated picture gallery of this walk please click on ‘Learn more’ below. (if you are reading this WordPress you may not see this but will on the main site)