Stormy weather at the beginning of the week was no indication of what we would be in for - a glorious fine and sunny three days of the long weekend to explore the northern Coromandel Peninsula including walks at Fletcher’s Bay, the big climb up Moehau and a climb up Castle Rock near Coromandel township. Fifteen trampers took part in the weekend, and they were joined on the Moehau climb on the Sunday by Laurie  who came down for the day and two Maori guides who took us right to the two summits which are on a Maori burial ground that is now off-limits to the public. Friday - to Coromandel We left The Bracken soon after 6:15pm, and after a munchie stop at Thames carried on to the Tidewater Associate YHA backpacker hostel just before the Coromandel township, where we shared several dorms for the night. Our leader Paul went to see the Maori guides who would be taking us up Moehau on the Sunday, and they gave us forms to fill in with our names and other details such as address, etc - this was the guides’ normal procedure just in case of search-and-rescue emergency. Saturday - Fletchers Bay walks We were away soon after 8am for Fletchers Bay, but not before Phillip shared a devotion based on James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. He took the analogy of what happens to three different foods when boiled in water - carrot, egg, coffee beans. The carrot when boiled goes soft and loses its strength; the egg becomes hard and stiff although the shell stays the same; and the coffee beans add taste to the water. The boiling water represents times of adversity when things go wrong in our lives, and the question we must ask ourselves is - how do we respond in times of adversity? Do we let our adversities overcome us, or do we let them strengthen us, or do we change the adversity to benefit us? The drive to Fletchers Bay was a pleasant and scenic drive following the coast much of the way. We were there about 10:30am. Two options were offered - a walk about halfway along the coastal Coromandel Walkway which goes through to Stony Bay, and a climb up to the highest point on the mountainbike track that also finishes at Stony Bay. John M, Paul, Leo, David and Lorraine chose the mountainbike track climb while Nelson led the others along the coastal track. Both options followed the Coromandel Walkway for about half an hour to the first lookout point giving a view of Stony Bay and beyond. The mountainbike track then began to climb steeply though open pasture following a stock route close to a fenceline. It was mostly a farm track but in places it was steep trackless pasture that would make a challenging ride on a mountainbike either way - the signs at the start warned against riding bikes with panniers or backpacks. We did not see any cyclists on the track. Over an hour of mainly terrible grunt was rewarded with a lovely lunch spot overlooking the Stony Bay and Port Charles area with the Mercury Islands and Cuvier Island out to sea. We were also able to look back to Fletchers Bay and Port Jackson with Great Barrier Island beyond. Afterwards we made quick work of the return trip, cutting through the paddocks of the Coromandel Farm Park once down most of the mountainbike track, to come out to Fletchers Bay. The other group enjoyed the coastal walk, which went up and down several hills to come to a lookout giving great coastal views. Both groups came back out at Fletchers Bay about the same time, and John D and Katrina were brave enough to try the beach for a swim in the chilly mid-afternoon, staying in for several minutes! We had planned to do a short walk to the eastern end of Port Jackson beach, but were running short of time and it was quite windy as well. So we headed for the sheltered campground at Fantail Bay and set up our night’s accommodation - three large fly-tents. The campground was across the road from the beach in an idyllic gully, and had the basic facilities of a cold shower, running water and a longdrop loo. We had to use the Club’s billies and burners to prepare a sumptuous dinner, after which some of us took advantage of the near-full moon to go back down to the beach and see the glow of the lights of Auckland in the distance.

Sunday - Mt Moehau The day started before it got light with the Presidential Cups Of Tea In Bed Service for those who had left their cups out the night before. We needed to be on the road by 7:30am to meet our Maori guides at 8am at the start of the Moehau track at Te Hope Stream. To guard against theft, we emptied the tents of everything including packs and bedding and put them back into the cars.

We were met at 8am at Te Hope Stream by Max and Martin, our two guides who would be taking us to the summit area of Moehau. The first hour of the tramp was over farmland, climbing gradually, then into the bush to cross several streams and come to the boundary of the Coromandel Forest Park. From there it was a steep grunt - we divided into three groups. Paul led the fast group of about seven people; Joy was in charge of the medium group; and John M looked after the slow group of five. The instruction for each group was to travel as far as possible but at 1pm to turn around and begin the downward journey. The fast group made it to the main summit of Moehau; some of the middle group also made Moehau; and the slow group went as far as the first grassy clearing up on the summit ridge.

The climb to the summit ridge was mostly steep, but with a few more level stretches. Once on the summit ridge the track opened out to a grassy clearing, with the rocky outcrop of Little Moehau (the first summit) in the distance ahead. To carry on from here one must be sure to take the orange-marked track to the left; a pink-marked track to the right was put in for pest control only, as two of us would learn the hard way later on! Just five minutes further on, there was another larger grassy clearing giving panoramic views of both coasts - it was a pity that the slow group was happy to lunch in the first clearing and not venture this far, although John M did so to see the views and get photos. This was the limit of public access - a DOC sign warned that the area ahead was sacred Maori land that was out of bounds.  The track then climbed up to Little Moehau, which had a short tricky stretch of rocky ground, then across to the main summit of Moehau. Our guides explained that the early Maoris would carry the bodies of their deceased to the top of mountains such as Moehau to prevent people from desecrating them by taking bones etc. to craft them into tools and implements, etc.

The slow group was back at the cars soon after 4pm, with the others out by soon after 5pm - except Joy and Jocelyn who had not come out by the time darkness fell soon after 5:30pm. We became very concerned, naturally, so Nelson, John D and David put on extra warm gear and took torches and the first aid kit to go back onto the track up Moehau. There were memories of that trip back in April 1988 when the whole group got caught out by the falling darkness on the way down and the leader, the late John Burns, did the right thing by making the group stay put overnight without any food or sleeping gear, and kept the group warm by lighting a fire. It was decided to break camp at Fantail Bay and find a place in Colville for the night handy to telephone access, etc. for the search-and-rescue operation. Phillip drove his vanload back to Fantail Bay, where breaking camp was simply taking the tents down as all the food, gear and bedding were already packed away in the cars. Alex’s carload went on into Colville and was able to secure the woolshed on the farm of the White Star backpacker hostel just out of Colville towards Coromandel. This was fitted out with a kitchen area, and we were able to drag up enough mattresses for each one of us from the storeroom below the main floor of the shed. There was no heating, but we were comfortable with plenty of winter woollies on. The police at Thames was notified of the missing trampers. We treated ourselves to a roast dinner at the cafe beside the Colville store. This was a nice cosy place, which Katrina (who had spent a year or two in England) described as reminiscent of an English pub, even though there was no bar. Later, soon after we were back at the woolshed, the phone rang. John M answered it, and there was the good news from the main house of the White Star hostel - Joy and Jocelyn had met the three rescuers just after finishing the long steep bush descent, and they walked out that last hour across the farmland with them! Just two minutes later two cars arrived at the woolshed - John D with Nelson and David, and Joy in her car with Jocelyn. Dinner was quickly cooked up for them. Joy and Jocelyn had taken the wrong track (the pink-marked pest control track) once at the first grassy clearing on the summit ridge of Moehau and had followed it for one-and-a-half hours, deciding to turn back when they found it went just about nowhere. As darkness fell, they were able to spot the orange track markers with their torch and decided to keep on going rather than stay put overnight. Needless to say, the police were again called and told of the good news. Praise God! Monday - Castle Rock Although we were in the woolshed rather than in tents, we had a colder night - most of us wore woollen hats or had woollen cardigans over our heads while asleep, and there was a frost on the ground outside. But we were able to sleep in, with the Presidential Cups Of Tea coming in once it was completely light at 7:30am. We welcomed a nice hot Goldilocks breakfast and packed and tidied up before sitting down to enjoy a short mini-Bible-study from Paul on the theme of worship. He said that God is seeking for fellowship with us, to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed, and to seek His face. Exodus 20:3   Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 1 Chronicles 16:28-31  Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth. Psalms 100:1  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Psalms 103:1-2  Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Paul then mentioned that one purpose which God had created us for is for fellowship with Him and one another. Our worship should be genuine and not done as a “duty”. Jocelyn and Joy then told us that they had a sense of being looked after by God as they tramped out of the bush in the dark, when they could see every orange track marker in the torch-light. Our original intention was to do the walk behind Fantail Bay climbing into the hills to get views of the area, but because we had broken camp there and spent the night at Colville we decided instead to have a go at Castle Rock near Coromandel. Another crisp clear sunny morning made for a lovely drive back to Coromandel township, where we were able to buy our lunch at a bakery before carrying on to the start of the track to Castle Rock, about 2km along a forestry road off the 309 Road south of Coromandel. It was midday when we set off along a wide track leading uphill through the pine forest. This came to a ridge, then became rougher and steeper as it climbed up the side of Castle Rock. The final approach to the summit was especially steep and rather tricky, but it was well worth the effort especially on a cloudless windless day. We could see all around - the Coromandel Harbour to the west, the Hauraki Gulf islands and Auckland in the distance, Matarangi and Kuatonu to the east, the extensive hills of the Coromandel Range to the south, and of course the peaks of Moehau to the north. A small aeroplane flew close overhead and we waved to the pilot and single passenger. Phillip and David also climbed the “sister”  knob of Castle Rock just to the west of the main summit. We were back down at the cars about 2:30pm ready to set off home to Auckland. State Highway 2 was so congested that at least one car load turned around and travelled home via Kaiaua, Kawakawa Bay and Clevedon, a scenic route void of busy traffic! COST: $85 (travel, food, accommodation, koha for Maori guides); dinner at Colville cafe $12; dessert at Colville $5.