What a day again, tramping adventure around Piha!

Our group headed along the beach and up the Tasman Lookout Track. A bit of a gem of a track, as you climb up the stairs up the cliff, more spumy, hazy views revealed across the beach and Lion Rock and Taitomo Island and masses of surfers in catching some nice clean sets.

We were like a bunch of tourists reaching the lookout, clicking off so many photos, as all bar two of us in the group, hadn't been up this track before and didn't know it was there.

Back down the steps we headed back north along the beach, enjoying watching the aerial antics of the surfers as we walked.

We hit Marawhara Track that has very recently re-opened and had the Kauri Die Back track resurfacing treatment. A new yellow boot station greeted us, and mass boot scrubbing before entering the track, we headed into the glade area of beautiful old Nikau's as we worked our way up the new gravel and steps and re-routed track. In some ways nicer, as you are nearer the sea, so you can hear the constant roar of the waves crashing down and the odd snippet view, than where the track used to be more over the other side of the hill.

Before we know it, we'd climbed all the stairs and reached the grassy area, to find a suitable, out of the breeze spot for noshing time. As those that have tramped with us before will know, noshing spot must have a gorgeous view to feed our eyes as much as our souls.

Back down White Track and the newbies now understanding why we go down this track and not up usually! It's one steep sucker of a hill! Ok in cooler months, more of the baking, sweaty variety in summer months!

For variety we elected to take in the very tree tunnel like Laird Thompson Track to head the other half of the cliffs. Mandatory stop at the lookout for amazing views over Whites Beach below us and north to Muriwai, looking very ethereally soft in haze. Absolutely beautiful!

Last track in this area, that hasn't had any KDB (Kauri Dieback) treatment, heavily Pohutukawa clad Rose Track back down to the beach. It's still a muddy track! Bumping into the Park Ranger we stopped for a quick chat to find out if Rose Track is about to get some TLC. He didn't think so.

Thoroughly enjoying striding back along the main beach, negotiating the soft patches of sand, we discovered that most hadn't been up Lion Rock before, so that was a must do! For the views and completing the experiences of the day. Pretty cruisy about 18k steps for our group today, with some good steep hills.

Not too long after we arrived back at Big Yellow, the other party arrive, they missed doing Tasman Lookout, but headed up the valley to Kitekite Falls, that obviously didn't disappoint.

Really cool being able to share these amazing spots around Auckland and getting some good tramping, walking and hiking in!