Auckland Baptist Tramping Club 2004

After a very stormy night, the morning looked ominous with heavy rain.  However the forecast predicted it would clear later in the day so we set off bravely from Bracken Avenue with five people.  By the time we reached Hunua the weather had cleared, the sun was shining and six more people awaited us, all keen to go ahead with our original plan to cross over from the Cosseys Reservoir to the Wairoa Reservoir.  Drivers took the cars to the Wairoa Carpark while the rest of us walked to the upper and lower lookouts and photographed the falls looking very beautiful after the heavy rain and with a rainbow effect on them.

We set off over the bridge and continued up the Massey Track as the Wairoa Gorge Track was closed due to work being done on the dam.  This was a steady climb on a good track up to a Kauri Grove where we stopped for morning tea and devotions about trees and the importance of having deep spiritual roots which feed on the Word of God so that we can withstand the storms of life. We admired the beautiful Kauri trees and the bush looking fresh and clean after the heavy rain.

Once we reached the Waiora-Cossey Track the trail deteriorated somewhat and we had lots of mud and tree roots to negotiate.  Half way along this three hour track we stopped on a grassy area for lunch.  The sun shone brightly and we were very warm.  As we descended to the Suspension Bridge Track the track improved and we could see glimpses of the surrounding area with bush on the left and farmland on the right.  Just along the Suspension Bridge Track we encountered a lookout which consisted of a platform with a set of steep steps leading up to it.  Unfortunately the trees were blocking much of the view but we could manage to see a glimpse of the Wairoa Reservoir.  Another half hour or so and we were across the Suspension Bridge where our cars were waiting just along the road. Most people felt sufficiently exercised after the five hour tramp, so we drove the cars up to the Wairoa Dam and walked up the road to where we could view the Reservoir and Dam. The group kept up a steady pace and everybody agreed it had been a great day of tramping. COST: $7-50