Auckland Baptist Tramping Club 2005

This trip was originally planned for February last year, but was knocked on the head as the weekend planned for it turned out to be the wettest and stormiest weekend of the whole year, with non-stop rain on the Saturday and flooding in various parts of the country. This time it had been a hot and dry summery autumn, and about 25 people showed up at The Bracken at 8am on a calm sunny morning, to be joined either at a rendezvous stop at Whatawhata or at the start of the Wairake Track on the south side of Mt Karioi by another 10 people including members of the Pathways club in Hamilton. It was 11am by the time we set out to climb the mountain. The track began by following a vehicle track on private farmland, before climbing steeply up a fenceline to the start of the bush. We had a quick rest stop before entering the bush, enjoying the panoramic coastal view below us to the south and west. One of us chose just to relax at this point rather than climb to the summit, to catch up on some reading. It was a steady climb through the bush. Unlike the last time the Club climbed Karioi, in August 1996 when we climbed the mountain from the Te Toto end south of Raglan, the going was straightforward - it was not steep, and there were no tricky stretches. About halfway up the bush section we stopped for elevenses. Two short and easy wooden ladders brought us to the summit, arriving about 12:45pm. A small flat area of concrete made a good place to have our lunch while enjoying a sweeping view from Raglan through Pirongia to Kawhia and the Tasman Sea; cloud on the horizon blocked out any views of Mt Taranaki. The true summit was just a minute’s walk further on, but much more rocky and not so conducive for a large group to lunch together.

Nelson told us about the value of friendship within the Club, and how we as a Club value teamwork, such as on a tramp we have a frontperson, leaders, first-aid person and tail-end charlie. True friendship involves trust and confidence, vital in the team situation not only on the track but in other situations such as our occupations in the workplace. In John 15:13-15 Jesus calls us our friends instead of servants if we obey Him, who has given us our free gift of salvation. We sang the well-known chorus He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today, He walks with me, He talks with me....... at the end of which Linda S yelled a loud cheer! Nine of us carried on the more difficult traverse of the mountain to finish at Te Toto Gorge. This was an up-and-down track along the main summit ridge of the mountain, with one or two tricky parts but nothing which the group could not manage. The descent to Te Toto Gorge was steep and tricky in places, with a long rope in one section to help with the rocky scramble. The group came out at about 4pm, to be met by Stan who had driven his van around to return these people to their cars. The others returned the same way to the carpark, completing the descent in just over one hour, then drove into Raglan to icecreamerise or latte in the town’s main street. Some of us walked down to the Raglan harbour foreshore to look back to the mountain we had just climbed. The traverse group arrived in Raglan about 4:30pm to do likewise. Some of us went into Hamilton afterwards to see the annual hot air balloon festival beside Hamilton Lake. The Innes Common had become a large carnival area with rides of all sorts for the children, and junk-food stalls. About half a dozen fancy balloons dominated the scene. As the sun went down the huge crowd of people sat around the arena area to wait for the Night Glow - a wait for some unknown reason just went on without explanation. After about an hour the show balloons were inflated then the fires were turned on. To the sound of music - a collage containing pieces from 1970s disco, 1980s rock, the 60s tune Mission Impossible, War of the Worlds, and part of the William Tell Overture - the flames went on and off giving a spectacular but all-too-short display. A fireworks display concluded the show, which was over just before 8pm.

Six of the group stayed overnight at Gail’s home in Hamilton West. Two returned to their churches in Auckland for the morning service; three went to local church services, and the remaining one headed home to Tauranga. The others travelled home to Auckland after the balloon show and half an hour of absolute traffic bedlam immediately afterwards! COST: carpooling $24 (going directly back to Auckland afterwards) or $26 (going to Hamilton afterwards)