Awaruku Bush Reserve: Waterfall and Glow Worms in Auckland!

The Awaruku Bush Reserve is probably the best known of the Torbay Tracks and is a remarkable piece of native bush containing features such as a waterfall, a 650+ year old kahikatea tree, 500+ year old puriri tree and glow worms in Auckland!

Track Details
Track Location	Torbay
Track Distance	400m – 1.8km
Walk Time	15 – 60 mins
Difficulty Rating	1 – 2
Suitability	Family Easy
Wheelchair/Buggie	Yes
Track Condition	All Year
Quest Available	Not Yet

Navigation Links:

Google Map: Awaruku Bush Reserve
Geocaching Map: Awaruku Bush Reserve

Quest:

A Quest has yet to be produced for this track – watch this space for a new Quest soon!

Why walk this track?

This is the original and iconic Torbay walk.

Options are available for everyone – walk to the waterfall pushing a wheelchair or baby buggy.  Climb the hills through the middle of the reserve or tackle the amazing staircase which at times has you level with the treetops.  At night, visit the glowworms and in the rain, enjoy the waterfall.  There are picnic tables en-route, massive native trees more than 500 years old and the historic plaque to the original 107 year old St Mary’s by the Sea church that burned down in 1998.

The Awaruku Bush Reserve was preserved from the Developers in Torbay in the late 1960’s and has been enhanced and maintained by an enthusiastic group of local residents, among them the ‘bushman’, Mr Hugh Willis.

In the early  1900’s, the Reserve was used as a quarry for taking rock for local roading.  However, the rock did not bind together properly for road construction and the quarry was abandoned.  The quarry area is now home to the waterfall, bird-life and the glowworms.

Unique Trees:

• 650 year old kahikatea
• 500 year old puriri
• natural cathedral made from canopy trees

The Awaruku Bush Reserve can also link to the Glenvar Glade Track, forming a 1.2km loop walk.  It can be longer if you also choose to complete the interior Awaruku Bush Reserve loops.  The Awaruku – Glenvar loop is shown on the Awaruku Bush Reserve Map.

 

Track Entry Points:

The main entry point for the Awaruku Bush Reserve is the original track entrance on Awaruku Rd.

• Next to 13 Awaruku Rd, Torbay
• At the end of Relko Cres, Torbay
• 2 entrances On Glenvar Rd, by the corner of the Glade area (see on map)
• Next to 20 Morgreen Heights, Torbay

Note: The Awaruku Bush Reserve track links to the Glenvar Glade track to form a complete route.  This is shown on the map.

Track Highlights:

This track is full of highlights:

• Glowworms in Auckland – by the waterfall at night!
• huge 650 year old kahikatea tree
• massive 500 year old puriri tree
• See the tree tops from the wooden staircase
• St. Mary’s by the Sea Memorial Plaque
• Waterfall in the rain

 

Running and walking:

The Awaruku Bush Reserve is ideal for both running and walking.

The gradient is not overly arduous like some of the other Torbay Tracks, although some may find the wooden staircase with approximately 100 steps a bit much.

The surface is excellent and tracks very well maintained.

 

Wheelchairs and Buggies:

The track from the Awaruku Road entrance to the waterfall is perfect for wheelchairs and buggies.  It is mostly flat and is quite wide.  The track also from Awaruku Road to Relko Crescent is also good, although there is some slope towards Relko Crescent which requires a bit of extra effort pushing a wheelchair or buggy.

Disclaimer: Stating this track can be completed in a wheelchair or buggy does not mean it meets standard health and safety regulations. There may be parts of the track that are steeper than wheelchair health & safety requirements and parts of the surface that are not as per regulations.  It does indicate the track can be enjoyed with reasonable care, even if at times a little extra effort and care may be required.  greataucklandwalks.com can not be held liable for any accidents that may occur on a recommended track.  People use the tracks at their own risk and with due care.

Summary:

The Awaruku Bush Reserve is a wonderful track for people of all ages and abilities.  It contains many highlights that are sure to provide plenty of ‘wow’ moments.  It also has options for very short and easy walks, through to more arduous exercise.

*** Note: if using this map for navigation on your phone or GPS device, you will need to open it within Google Maps to get your current position showing on the map.  To do this, simply click the expand icon in the top right corner of this map.  This will now provide you live GPS tracking as you walk the map so you always know exactly where you are!  WOW!

The Google Map and Elevation Chart used in this Post have been produced using the Tom Tom Multi-Sport Cardio GPS Watch. This watch tracks running, cycling, swimming and freestyle, and includes built in heart-rate monitor – and I love it!  Check out the Tom Tom Cardio Watch or check out a wider range of GPS watches and Fitness Trackers.  Enjoy – they add another dimension to exercise.