Sandra personally reviewed, documented, photographed and walked the Oneura Bay (Red Cliff Cove) Castle Peak Summit Loop Track on Great Barrier Island on 3 Jan 2023.
From Oneura Bay (Red Cliff Cove), take the dingy ashore. Don’t wear shoes, it’s very boggy trying to pull the dingy out. Walk to the left of the beach where the tiny creek comes out. Walk up the creek for a couple of minutes until you meet the farm track.
Turn right and follow the road. If you keep left at all the forks you won’t get lost. There are no signs. I bumped into some boaties turning right for the 30 min walk to Smokehouse Bay for a hot shower or bath. Smokehouse Bay is a great facility, but be prepared to get the fire going before there is hot water.
After about 30 mins of mostly uphill walking you’ll get to a nice lookout point. The views are really nice from there. You could double back at this stage if you just wanted to see the view.
The track is actually a dirt farm road and in good condition. There is a bit of gorse to hop around here and there on the track.
The track goes past the turnoff to Smokehouse Bay. It’s a nice detour walk to the facilities if you feel like taking a look. Watch out, it can be hard to spot the turnoff. Look for the blue ties on the trees.
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