Auckland Baptist Tramping Club 2000 It turned out to be a beautiful fine weekend, nine trampers left the ferry terminal at 6:30pm Friday.  We had a lovely trip over to Great Barrier Island apart form the swell in Colville channel which had a couple trying to keep down their dinner. Retrieving our packs in the dark with 400-odd people looking for their was a bit of a nightmare then trying to find our taxi van. But a lovely motel awaited us with a warm bed and hot pikelets with jam and cream made by Jeff. Saturday morning we wanted to stay there but had to met up with four others who had flown over to meet us at the airport. Thirteen of us now were dropped off by shuttle van at the entrance of Windy Canyon and so began a hard day of tramping, first to Mt Hobson where the views were fabulous. After lunch on top we walked down the never-ending steps to Kairara Hut. We had good food, potbelly stove and great fellowship, and a President who couldn’t get enough Affairs (chocolate biscuits, of course!) Sunday morning again was fine and packs being a little lighter made a lovely tramping day. We tramped five hours to the remains of Whangaparapara hut. On the way we stopped to climb Maungapika. We set up camp for the night around the burned out hut. Then around 3pm we walked 1.5h to Kaitoke Hot Springs for a relaxing dip. We walked out to Whangaparapara and a short walk to camp tost art dinner. Kelvin lit a fire so that we had a time of fellowship and remaining Affairs! Monday dawned to a cloudy but fine day and after breakfast we had a short walk to Whangaparapara and dropped our packs on the lawn of Great Barrier Lodge with Jocelyn playing watchdog while the rest of us walked around the harbour firstly to the remains of the kauri mill and then along the foreshore to the old whaling station. We returned to have lunch on the back lawn of the lodge where Jocelyn had arranged plunger coffee for all. We walked down to the wharf at 2:30pm to catch the ferry and after a few anxious moments we managed to smuggle our President on board because he had forgotten to book his return trip. We think he wanted to stay there......... After a smooth voyage home, we disembarked at 6:30pm to return to our homes.