Day 326, Friday 13 July 2018
I rode along Scenic Drive in the Waitakere Ranges today, and walked down the Waitakere Dam track, one of the few walks still open in the Waitakere Regional Park. The walk is along a tarmac road, so the surface is very good, and goes through bush down to the oldest dam of the five providing water to Auckland from this area.
A short track off to the left which goes to a large kauri tree is closed to prevent the spread of kauri dieback disease.
The dam was built between 1906 and 1910, and in 1926 the height was raised by almost five metres to double the water storage capacity. A tramway runs from the dam to Swanson Railway Station, but due to an unstable cliff above it, the track along it is closed. This prevents a view of the 95 metre Waiakere Falls.
It took me about 20 minutes to walk from Scenic Drive to the dam, but as it is a steep climb on the way back, it took over 30 minutes to return.
Distance travelled: 62 km. Total distance so far: 41,441 km
Motorcycling Streak 