Auckland Baptist Tramping Club

This year the end-of-year trip featured an afternoon walk on Scandrett Regional park followed by a BBQ at a member's home in nearby Snells Beach. We set out from the Martins Bay carpark about 3pm along the beach then up to the ridge into Scandrett Regional Park, where we had views looking out across to Snells Beach with Tamahunga on the skyline. A walk along the ridge brought us to Mullet Point where we could look out across to Kawau Island and other smaller islands in the northern Hauraki Gulf. We then dropped down to follow the easy rocky coastline to Scandretts Bay, where we had a look at the original farm buildings, now restored as a showcase of the regional park’s history. From there we went straight over the hill and back along Martins Bay beach to the carpark, ready to join many more people at the home of Lynley in Snells Beach for the end-of-year BBQ. A yummy pot-luck BBQ was served up on the lawn outside the house. We went inside to enjoy our dessert before the formal part of the evening began. A game where we split up into four groups to sing in turn parts of a Christmas carol or song started the formal time. This was followed by a game where we took turns in throwing a dice and grabbing a present if certain numbers showed up on the dice. Peter Y read out a poem to celebrate Ted’s 60th birthday. Eileen, Ali, Sonia and Carole performed a bird dance, especially as Ted is mad on birds. Carole, Joy and Jocelyn then sang the 12 Birds of Christmas, a variation on the 12 Days of Christmas including a photo of a whitehead.

Dressed in a Hawaiian-style shirt and green lei, Ted cut his birthday cake.

Barbara concluded the evening with a common feature of Club devotions, an acronym. Ted’s birthday is actually Christmas Eve, the eve of Christ’s birthday, so BIRTH was appropriate: Birth - Jesus born in a humble manger Immanuel - God with us, to share humanity with us, to be one of us as a Friend Royal - Jesus was in the royal line of David, perfect in very way, a King Teacher - Jesus taught in parables, etc and challenged the Jewish leaders Hope - Jesus came to give us hope as our Saviour, for today and the future COST: Carpooling $15