Matt and I are still at Urquharts bay so we decided to get one more hike under our belts before we head to the Hen and Chickens Island group. There is a great, “easy” walk called Smugglers Bay Loop. It starts at the car park, takes you through a WWII Gun Battery, to the tip at Busby Head, across Smugglers Beach, and back to the car park. Estimated 1.5-2 hour walk across wide open fields and pastures, through a nature preserve forest, along a beach, and over a tall hilltop.
Our loop is the dark dashes on the left. We start at the car park, pass the gun emplacement, down to Busby Head, over to Smugglers Bay and back up to the car park (we don’t do the part that crosses in the middle).
The Path
There is a clear, distinct dirt path that takes you through the most beautiful green pastures dotted with grazing cattle.
After you pass through these pastures you arrive at the Bream Head Gun Battery.
The Bream Head Gun Battery – WWII
These buildings are the remains of the Bream Head Gun Battery. They were built to defend the port in 1942. The builders carefully disguised the buildings to look like a farmhouse with out-buildings. The house was the armory and accommodations for officers. 
Three buildings remain standing and in relatively good condition.
The Beautiful Forest Preserve
The forest is only a small portion of the hike, but lovely none the less. We spotted a NZ pigeon which are really pretty birds.
View of the gorgeous waters.
Busby Head and Smugglers Bay
We head up to the top of Busby Head and get beautiful views of Smugglers Bay. Afterwards, we walk down and over to Smugglers Beach where we are able to walk the two pretty beaches.
Back through more green pastures.
We end our hike feeling good. There were several hills and lots of beautiful scenery. Here is a comparison between our Mt. Manaia hike and the Smugglers Loop. Manaia first then Smugglers.
- Floors Climbed: 104 vs 56
- Steps: 9,759 vs 9,571
- Miles; 4.1 vs 3.8
- Calories: 543 vs 420
Hen and Chickens
After our walk we pull up anchor and make our way over to the Hen and Chickens island group. In 1925, the Hen and Chickens Islands were declared a scenic reserve because of their valuable flora and fauna. They are now a nature reserve for seabirds, tīeke (saddlebacks) and tuatara – the ancient reptile unique to New Zealand.
Hen and Chickens Island Group
The Hen and Chickens include the Wareware Island, Lady Alice island, Whatupuke Island, Marotere Islands and the Mauitaha Islands.
We were only able to enjoy this anchorage, at the Starfish Bay (Hen and Chickens) for one night. We left the next morning for Great Barrier Island. 
Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events. This blog post occurred at the end of January. Did you read our last blog post where we climb a stairway to heaven?