Auckland Baptist Tramping Club 2003

Scungy wet weather at lunchtime in the centre of Auckland did not stop fourteen people from making their way to the end of Log Race Rd just before Piha for a walk along a perennial favourite for a half-day tramp. We set out about 2:30pm, the rain giving way to grey skies and the occasional patch of mist, heading down to the track overlooking Mercer Bay with its rugged cliffs and ocean beach almost inaccessible on foot. We decided against going out to Te Ahua Point because of the weather; instead we carried on to Ahu Ahu Track, then on to Comans Track. This gave occasional but spectacular glimpses of the rugged Tasman Sea coastline. A little further on, as we began our descent to Karekare, we could look out across Karekare beach to the wide sand flats of the Pararaha-Whatipu coast. As we carried on, we had occasional views of the Karekare valley. A beautiful glade of pohutukawas marked the finish of Comans Track at the settlement of Karekare, where we came out about 4pm.

While the drivers were ferried from the Karekare beach carpark to collect their cars, the rest of us carried on a half-hour of roadbashing up to the Walker Beach Mansion for afternoon tea. This was the venue for last year’s end-of-year BBQ, and will again be where we will be having our BBQ to finish this year off. COST: $6