Nineteen trampers began the walk from the end of Horsman Road (fortunately we caught up with two others
who came in from the other end of the track) so we were a group of 21 in all. We followed the Goldie
Bush Walkway down to the Mokoroa Stream. This was a pleasant track through the bush, well paved and with
172 steps down to the Mokoroa Stream bridge - quite an impressive swing bridge. As the tramp was fairly
short and we had some fit trampers on board we decided to continue along the Goldie Bush track towards
Constable Road and then return back to the bridge before making our way up the stream.
The stream
route up to the falls took us 1hr 40mins, but time passed quickly as we negotiated the many river crossings
(15) and climbed up steep banks back onto the track. It was a case of “Look for the orange triangle markers.”
We prayed for God’s protection before we left as many of the rocks were very slippery and the track narrow.
There were a couple of anxious moments as a couple of the trampers chose ‘full immersion’ rather than
just getting their feet wet but thankfully no-one was injured. We stopped for devotions at a grassy area
along the way. David Kilgour led this with a reading from Psalm 19 and a talk about how nature declares
the glory of God. God so loves us and wants us to know Him that He put evidence of Himself everywhere
we look.
We reached the falls ready for a lunch break. There had been a rock fall and we were
warned to keep clear of that area but were still able to sit and eat our lunch while viewing the falls
which were a trickle rather than a rush of water but still very picturesque. Then it was a short, sharp
climb up steps to a lookout platform with a great view of the falls. We then followed an old logging
track up a gentle ridge back to Horsman Road which took approximately 30 minutes. For most of us a coffee
stop on the way home at the Railway Café in Swanson made a pleasant end to the day.
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