Auckland Baptist Tramping Club 2004

A large group of people turned up to explore an area of private land covenanted to the Queen Elizabeth II Trust for preservation of native bush, through which a little-known track open to public access runs through. We left The Bracken soon after 8am and met up with more people at the Puhoi Domain about 9am. From there we drove to the end of Tolhopf Rd up in the hills west of the Puhoi settlement, where we left our cars and began the 10minute roadbash back down to 703 Ahuroa Rd and the start of our bush walk. The bush sections of the tramp were mostly rough underfoot, being a cut track where we had to rely on orange markers; there were numerous times where we had to scout around hunting for the next marker. We eventually dropped down into a gully to follow a stream for a short distance. Then came the climb up to an open ridge with views of the surrounding countryside, including Moirs Hill to the north. After a short walk along the gorse-covered ridge we came to a grassy clearing which made a lovely stop for morning tea. Afterwards our track dropped steadily down to another stream, which we crossed via a narrow footbridge. A short walk along a vehicle track brought us to our final grunt. At the top of the hill we crossed a stile and turned left to follow a track to the Sugarloaf Rock and a panoramic view of the countryside with the east coast in the distance. We arrived about 12 midday, and this made a lovely spot for lunch. Referring to a book Surrender To Love Alison commented that creation is an outpouring of God’s love. He wanted to extend His love beyond the trinity Godhead; God was pleased with each stage of His creation. We were made for God’s companionship and friendship. Alison gave an illustration of the mother swan spending all her time, braving all weathers, preparing for her chicks about to be born, and then unselfishly caring for them after hatching, and also said that God’s love is the source of everything. We were invited to say short prayers along this theme before Katrina brought the devotions to a close. A short walk up the ridge along a vehicle track then along a fenceline brought us to the highest point on our tramp, where we had a view of the Kaipara Harbour as well as the east coast. A ten-minute walk across farm paddocks brought us back to our cars; we were out soon after 1pm. We called in at the Art Of Cheese factory shop for some cafeterology.

We drove back to the Puhoi Domain carpark. Nelson, John, Katrina, Peter and Andrew donned boots once more to scramble up through the bush behind the carpark and out onto former pasture to follow an old and muddy farm track to the top of the ridge. We were rewarded with a panoramic view of Puhoi village with its distinctive Catholic church and the well-known drinking clinic (Puhoi Hotel), and the surrounding hills, before returning the same way but coming out at the bottom instead of going through the bush again.

The others spent the time looking at the village’s attractions, including the museum and drinking clinic, but their highlight was to look into the Catholic church where a wedding was taking place to the sound of bagpipes. At 4pm we headed back home, concluding an interesting day of physical workout and historical heritage.   COST: $7