Auckland Baptist Tramping Club 2004

Eighteen people joined up with the Motuora Restoration Trust for their monthly tree-planting bee on Motuora Island, one of several islands in the Hauraki Gulf whose pastoral land is being restored to its original native forest cover by bands of volunteers. Despite an unfavourable weather forecast, the trip went ahead as planned. Blanket-grab was bravely beaten as we set out from Auckland about 6am in the darkness of a typical winter morning. The first patch of light on the eastern horizon appeared as we travelled through Orewa; and as we approached Sandspit east of Warkworth the estuary was bathed in a lovely red sunrise, the omen of approaching stormy weather. We boarded the Kawau Kat boat at 8am for the 45min journey to Motuora Island. We were greeted on arrival at the island by two inflatable dinghies, which were used to ferry us ashore. Once ashore at the island’s campground on Home Bay, we were briefed from officials of the Motuora Restoration Trust about the work we would be doing, as well as safety precautions. We climbed the zigzag track behind Home Bay then took the main tractor track to the north end of the island. The tree planting site was clearly recognised by its brown-ness; the pasture had been killed off by spraying in preparation for the planting. We were shown how to plant the trees, a simple skill where one person of a team of two would dig the hole spade-deep and the other person place the tree in the hole and fill it with earth that had just been dug up. We paired off accordingly and set to work. Over the next two hours the whole group would plant a total of 2700 trees that would in time turn this barren-looking piece of land into beautiful native bush. At midday work was called to a halt as the first spits of the predicted rain came down. On our way back to Home Bay the real rain held off as we explored a new track that had been cut into a patch of coastal forest that had been planted just nine years ago. This began as a wide track before becoming a rough cut track with pink tape markers. A sausage sizzle was awaiting us as we arrived back at the Motuora Restoration Trust base at Home Bay. Afterwards one of the trust’s officials spoke about the work of the trust and invited people to join up as members. The stormy weather arrived about 1pm, along with the Kawau Kat ferry, whose pick-up from Motuora Island had been brought forward two hours accordingly. Had the weather been better, we would have had free time to explore the island until 3pm. The two inflatable dinghies did a great job battling roughening waters to get us all back on the boat for our hour-long headwind trip back to Sandspit wharf. The Ducks’ Crossing cafe in Warkworth made a pleasant conclusion to an enjoyable trip, where we had traded our normal singing in church for another act of worship, doing something to help restore Motuora Island to how God had originally made it as a habitat for native bush, birds, reptiles and insects, for the pleasure of present and future generations and His glory.