Palmers Track on Aotea Great Barrier Island is the fastest way to the top of Hirakimata Mt Hobson at 2 hours each way (actual time versus signposted times). It starts with the climb up to Windy Canyon and then continues on over a couple of “humps” to the peak. The views of Kaitoke Beach, Whangapoua, and the surrounding ridges, pinnacles and peaks are fantastic.
About halfway along the track, you will see a remnant of one of the hoist systems that carried kauri logs over the ridge and down to Whangapoua. As you reach Hirakimata, you follow a series of boardwalks and raised steps (of which there are many) that protect the nesting grounds of black petrels and the few relatively mature surviving kauris.
Look out for native tree daisies (a modest shrub flowering from March to June) and sundews. Both are unique to the area, as are the dwarf kanuka along the ridge.
