16 people left Auckland on Friday afternoon/evening for Waihi Beach where we stayed the night at Nelson Young’s bach. Saturday We were joined by Ann from Thames and then travelled to the end of Whakamarama Road.  At the carpark we meet up with Steve and Charmian from Tauranga. We then tramped into the Te Whare Okioki hut via the Ngamarama track and the North South track. After an hour we stopped for a drink and snack.  We had lunch together at the junction of the Ngamarama track and the North South tracks. Distance tramped was 12.2 km from the car park to the hut. The first group of our party of 20 took 5hrs 30 mins to reach the hut (3hr 45 mins moving time and 1hr 45 mins stopped) to reach the hut. The Te Whare Okioki hut is at the site of the previous Ngamuwahine clearing and shelter (coordinates E1856779 N5814906).  We were the first large group to use the hut since it was opened on 12 October 2019 and we had booked the whole hut which has 12 bunks and a large deck. Bunks had been allocated in order of booking and the other 8 in the party slept on the deck or the hut floor. We divided into two cooking groups of 9 each for dinner and 2 persons self-catered. Thanks to Jocelyn for arranging the menu and food purchases for two breakfasts and one dinner. Everyone brought their own lunches. The hut has solar powered lighting in the hut and on the deck. A feature of the hut is the large deck enclosed on three sides and ideal for our party of 20 to gather after dinner for devotions.  Murray reflected on how the name of the hut (Te Whare Okioki - Resting Place) prompts us to think about how we understand rest and leisure as well as how the concept of rest is described in the Bible. He read Psalm 46:10 which says to "be still and know that I am God", explaining how the ancient Greek says "have leisure" while the Hebrew word can be translated as "let go" ... A leisure attitude leads us to enjoy God more. Sunday Rain arrived but was initially not too heavy and off and on and most of the party made it out before the heavy downpour arrived. We divided up into several groups to tramp out as the weather was cooler and not ideal for stopping other than very briefly. This enabled everyone to tramp out in a group at a pace that they were comfortable with.

COSTS: accommodation at Waihi Beach, club equipment levy, hut bunk and food were $27 per person (those without a bunk bed paid $19.50). Travel from Auckland $40.