Base maps for both map illustrations on this page: NZTopoOnline, extracted June 2003, Crown Copyright Reserved The water catchments of the Waitakere Ranges contain some of the most interesting tramping in the area, and 17 trampers had an enjoyable day exploring part of this. We left The Bracken soon after 8am, and met up with a few more people at the Mackies Rest carpark on Exhibition Drive, where we had a view of the Lower Nihotupu Reservoir. It was 9am when we set out, walking the short distance down Exhibition Drive to the Pipeline Road Track, a private gravel road leading down into the water supply reserve. After about half an hour we left the road to go along the Pipeline Track through bush to come out on the Nihotupu Dam Road. This road climbed steadily to come to the Huia pipeline tunnel. From there we went on to Hamilton Track, climbing gradually but steadily through bush to the intersection with Summit Track, crossing a couple of small waterfalls and numerous trails made by wild pigs. We had our elevenses at eleven (11am) at the intersection. A lone dog appeared, apparently without its master. We had a look at its collar, which had a radio transmitter and a contact phone number on it. Thinking it may have been a stray, we tried to phone the number, but there was no reception. A park ranger told us later the dog was used for hunting pigs, and the transmitter would be used to pinpoint the location of any kill. We followed the Summit track as it followed the ridge northwestwards towards the Nihotupu Dam, later dropping down with one or two glimpses of the dam. The dog was running up and down this track for a little while as we tramped. Just before the dam it joined on to Christies Track. We arrived at the dam about 12 noon, and the water reservoir was full. Our lunch spot was at the far (east) end of the dam. After the notices spot, a feature of most Club tramps, Geoff, who had recently come through a short time of sickness, read out Psalm 139:1-5 slowly so we could meditate on it as we listened. This passage, and the rest of that Psalm, is about how God knows us completely, and is with us at all times everywhere. It is great to think that, even when we are “lost” (in our day-to-day situation, while tramping, when feeling rejected, or on the sick-bed) He knows about it and we are not really lost. We returned to Christies Track and sloshed our way down it to the Huia Dam Road, having to put our raincoats on at one stage. The time of year, and storms over the past ten years, made the track a bit rougher than when we did exactly the same trip ten years ago, in July 1993. It was 2pm when we came out at Huia Dam Road after fording the Huia Stream. Six of us - John, Andrew, Peter, Val and Paul - chose to do the side trip to the Huia Dam, an easy walk up the road and through a tunnel.