abtc whangamata

This weekend was based at the bach of a club mamber at Whangamata. Ten
trampers enjoyed two day excursions into different parts of the Coromandel hills, led by
the hosts.

Friday

We departed The Bracken as usual about 6:30pm in four cars. After a dinner stop at the
KFC in Thames we carried on to what was to be “home” for the next two nights, arriving
soon after 10pm. The ladies had the run of the house; the three menfolk bedded down for
the night in the garage at the back of the section - this had a double bed, a single bed and
two bunks as well as a collection of surfboards and pushbikes!

Saturday

The ladies were treated to the inaugural Presidential Cups of Tea in Bed Service. This
service had been around for years on Club weekend trips, to cater for all young (<100yrs)
people. The AGM only two weeks before voted to put the Presidential stamp on this
stomach-warming ritual.

The sound of heavy rain on the roof overnight was no indication of what the weather
would be for our crossing of the Coromandel Ranges from Wentworth Valley to
Maratoto.

Before we got into the cars, Cherie read from the Radio Rhema devotional The Word For
Today. We were told about the importance of putting faith in God instead of a large
number of people or friends with dubious opinions such as you’re too old, young,
uneducated, etc. Fearful people do not have the right spirit.

We drove to the start of the Wentworth Valley Track before Nelson and Grant drove
around to Maratoto - they were to climb up the Wires Track and meet the rest of us at the
top for lunch. Afterwards they would carry on through Wentworth Valley to pick up the
cars that were left there. The rest of the group would climb over from Wentworth Valley
to Maratoto and return to Whangamata in the cars which Nelson and Grant left there.

The Wentworth Valley track was an easy formed track with a gravel surface. We followed
along the Wentworth Stream and had to cross it twice - there were no bridges and the
water was a little on the high side. A gradual climb brought us to the top of the
Wentworth Falls and a lookout down the valley, a little over an hour in from the road.

A further half hour gradual climb brought us to the summit plateau and a stile marking the
start of the off-road vehicle track to Maratoto. We followed this for about twenty minutes,
fording the upper reach of the Tairua River, till we came to the junction with the Wires
Track. A small grassy clearing was to be our lunch spot.

And lunch was timed nicely - within ten minutes Grant and Nelson came out from the
bush. We boiled the billy for tea - as Nelson was taking the billy off the portable burner he
accidentally spilled the boiling water down his leg. He had to rush to the nearest stream,
only a couple of minutes away, and bathe the burn in the cold running water for ten
minutes, the best first aid for burns. Unfortunately he was so badly burned he needed to
see a doctor as soon as he came out, so after some discussion it was decided Nelson tramp
back to Maratoto which was closer to Thames Hospital, leaving Cherry to return to
Wentworth with Grant.

John had done this tramp with the Club exactly one year and one week before, so decided
to follow the vehicle track out to Maratoto instead of take the Wires Track with the rest
of the group. The Wires Track was a steady two hour downhill through bush; near the
beginning the track went through a couple of deep narrow cuttings with steps, the remnant
of last century when the track was the main horse-pack track over the hills to
Whangamata. Later there was a very lovely grove of young kauri trees to go through. The
vehicle track was more open and had views looking across the valley to the Pinnacles and
other high points in the distance, and out across the Hauraki Plains to the Hapuakohe
Range. John reached the end of the tramp first, then began to walk along the start of the
Wires Track. Just as he had crossed the farm paddocks and entered the bush he met
Christine - she was at the front of the main group.

The two carloads travelled back to Whangamata - the second not long after the first,
apparently Nelson did not have to wait long for the doctor.

Our hosts put on a lovely dinner of mince, pasta and salad followed by a very
tempting dessert of cheesecake, fruit salad, and chocolate pudding. Afterwards many
tummies had the “post-restaurant feeling”! Don brought out his guitar for a singsong, and
adding to the music of Great Is Thy Faithfulness and other songs was someone on a melodica, a type of mouth organ with a short piano-like keyboard. The evening finished
off with a very brain-racking game of Bible Trivia - those who had never been to Bible
College or DTS began to realise how little they knew about the greatest book of all!

Sunday

We had a big day ahead of us, so were up at the crack of dawn to have breakfast, pack up
and clean up. By 8:30am we were all on our way to Thames - Nelson, whose leg was still
bandaged, to go to church, while the rest of us went on to Te Puru to start our tramp into
the hills to join up with the Crosbies Clearing track and come down to Waiomu.

The track started with a river crossing, one of many for the day. One lady whop was a bit
afraid of the cold water decided to go back to Thames with Nelson but after a bit of
encouragement from the menfolk she braved the first stream, with the help of John - and
was glad she did this when she was across! There were two more river crossings before
we began the 2-hour climb up to the top. The track was steep in places; about
three-quarters of the way up we came to a large kauri tree.

We had a late lunch in the bush at the top once the track levelled out. Then we followed
along a level and often boggy track to come to the junction with the Crosbies Clearing
track. As we rested a few minutes at the junction Don added to the music of the birds and
insects with his recorder (a type of flute taught in primary schools) as we contemplated the
long downhill.

And it was a long trip down, easily the three hours mentioned on the signpost. What held
us up were all the trees which had fallen in recent storms, there was umpteen of them! By
the time we reached the bottom of the hill it was beginning to get dark - and there were
half a dozen streams to ford before the track finished. John and Kath raced on ahead to tell
Nelson, who would be waiting at the end, we were almost there - and it was dark just as
they met him. Leader Cherry did the sensible thing in getting the others to group up after the
second stream, and with a couple of torches and a lot of mutual assistance and
encouragement they all trooped out with wet boots singing just before 7pm!

The dinner stop at Thames KFC was very welcome, and a quick run home brought us
back to The Bracken about 10pm.

COST: $55.