Talk:Fort Opau

Makara Beach Secret, well, maybe not so secret. -- Rubberduck-e 18:58, 29 July 2012 (CDT)
Definitely a blue sky tramp! That is if you want to get maximum return on this one!

We parked the car in the ample parking area and headed west down the beach. It doesn’t take long before we reached the first climb up to the ridge just before Wharehou bay, the slope is grass covered and marked with poles, a decent gradient.

Once you get up on the ridge you can hang a right and follow the path for a nice lookout, it doesn’t take very long but do take care as you are close to a steep drop. Great views of Mana and Kapati Island!

Head back to the main track and continue on westward. On your right is a steep drop about 100m down, but look beyond that and Cook straight and in the distance you will be rewarded with some beautiful views of the South Island. Keep on the track and before you know it you will see the first fortifications, these are the gun emplacements, take care as they may cordoned off due to the structure being unstable. A bit higher up is another structure, this is fort Opau, and just a bit higher is the peak. There is a proper track to it, but Dirty Japie and I simply bushwhacked our way to it.

From here you can head back the way you came, or like me and Dirty Japie you can do a bit more exploring. Head down the dirt road, scare the life out of a hare or two and you will eventually come to Turbine B2, a giant wind turbine standing 67m high. And if there is a breeze you will see and hear its massive 40m blades slice through the air, giving it a total height of 110m.

With a stunning day we took our time to soak it up and spent just over 2 hours on the tramp. Very family friendly, but most of the tramp doesn’t not allow dogs past the beach track.