About the path
Tryphena has it all from stunning bays, amazing vistas, settler history and shops. This route takes you around some of the highlights, and shows you a few surprises.
Start at Pah Beach, by the Stonewall Store bus stop. Head left at the beach, at low tide you can make your way down to the beach near the public toilets, a great way to avoid the road. Otherwise, follow the Tryphena Coastal Trail towards Gooseberry Flat.
At the headland between Pah Beach and Gooseberry Flat, make sure you take the grass path around the headland, it is safer and you are rewarded with great views.
An option at Gooseberry Flat, if the tide is right, is to hop down onto the beach by the beautiful overhanging pōhutukawa, and walk the length of the beach, all the way to the track that takes you up the steps to Shoal Bay Road.
The route meanders all the way to Mulberry Grove, where you’ll find public toilets, a small library, a shop and café. A good place for a short break. Turn back a little way, up the boardwalk and steps and turn right onto Miller’s Track, a nice bush track that takes you back to Gooseberry Flat.
The track starts quite steep, but it eases off quickly. At the end of the track, head down Omanawa Lane, turn right at the end and carefully make you way back to the Gooseberry Flat playground.
From the playground, stay on the grass and turn right to have a look at the cemetery. This beautifully located cemetery holds a secret, right at the back, in the forest is one of Aotea Great Barrier’s original settler cemeteries where some of the early pākehā settlers are buried.
Head back on the road, turn right up Blackwell Drive, which leads you past a great collection of 1970’s and 1980's A-frame houses, then back down to the inviting community hub at Pah Beach.
A great way to spend some time exploring the Tryphena area.
