| Base map: NZTopoOnline, extracted August 2003, Crown Copyright Reserved |
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Fifteen people showed up to explore a part of the Hunua Ranges the Club had never been to before - the
Lower Mangatawhiri Track returning along Mangatangi Valley and Mangatangi Hill Roads. The intention was
also to do an extra loop walk in the Wairoa Valley area afterwards, but we did not have time or the inclination
to do this. We set out from The Bracken soon after 8am, and after picking up two people at Hunua Village we carried on to the summit of the Moumoukai Road that goes to the Mangatawhiri Dam. It was 9:40am when we set out along the Lower Mangatawhiri Track that follows the ridge on the west side of the lower Mangatawhiri valley. This started out as a well-formed track, being part of a mountainbike route, but after about ten minutes the mountainbike track went off to the left - being a steep track that would be dangerous and muddy at this time of the year it was temporarily closed off - our track became rougher as it followed the ridgeline boundary between the ARC regional park and the private and taboo Turret Forest. About half an hour further on the track was blocked by a “danger - keep out” tape. That would have been put there by gangs that had recently been harvesting part of the Turret Forest as an OSH requirement before the work was done. Needless to say, we ignored the tape because the danger was well and truly past. The mature pines of the forest had given way to a clearfelled valley and we had views out to the farmland beyond. We stopped for elevenses at 10:45am at the boundary between the native bush and the newly-felled forest area. Our track went back into the bush, and soon after midday we stopped for lunch in the bush near the boundary with once-more mature forest. Paul shared with us some thoughts he had gained about God’s kingdom from a Kingdom Builders seminar he had been to in the past week. The Bible says that the kingdom of God is both coming gradually and coming suddenly. The kingdom comes gradually in manageable pieces we can work on, and suddenly when God’s transforming power is shown in people’s lives. Our job is to be open to God to let Him work these in our lives. We can choose from passion or apathy - we need to have passion for life, just as Jesus had tremendous passion and power. Paul then read from the next day’s devotion from the Radio Rhema devotional The Word For Today which takes its reference from Philippians 3:15 Let us keep focussed. There are four great benefits to focused living: (1) It simplifies life! When you don't know your purpose you try to do too much - and that causes stress fatigue and conflict - You've only enough time and energy to do God's will - Not getting everything done may be an indicator that you're doing more than God intended you to do - Focused living leads to a simpler lifestyle and a saner schedule - Listen: "You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm" (Isa 26:3 TEV) (2) You become effective by being selective! If you want your life to have impact focus it! (3) It motivates you! Nothing energises like clear purpose - It's meaningless work not over-work that wears us down (4) It prepares you for eternity! People who spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy on earth fail to realise that - all achievements are eventually surpassed all records broken all reputations fade and all tributes forgotten - you can't take it with you when you go - Ultimately what matters most isn't what others say about you - but what God says - So live with that in view! We finished our devotions with a moment of prayer for any needs within the members of our group, then carried on, not realising we were almost at the summit of the track as marked on the maps. The track turned a sharp left as shown on the map, but we bashed through the bush to see what was on the summit - only to find the map was not completely right and the summit was further on! It was a steady drop down to the floor of the lower Mangatawhiri Valley where the track opened into a wide vehicle-size track. We forded a stream to come out at the campsite at the end of Moumoukai Valley Road, an area of former pasture. It was a straightforward roadbash along Moumoukai Valley and Mangatangi Hill Rd, passing bush, scrub and areas of pasture now used for horse riding. We came out on to Moumoukai Rd about 3:30pm and after a short break tackled the grunty roadbash back to our cars arriving shortly before 4pm. Three of us - Simon, Christine and Heather - opted for a slower group, with Simon in charge. They arrived at our lunch spot while we were halfway through the devotions, and instead of walking the full length of the Mangatangi Hill Rd section took a side track that led steeply up to the Lower Mangatawhiri Track near the start, being the mountainbike route that was closed off as a danger to cyclists. We were too tired and too late to complete the intended Wairoa Valley loops, but we had a wonderful day, a great time of fellowship - and practical devotional thoughts to apply to our busy lives! COST: $7 |