Auckland Baptist Tramping Club

Thirteen people showed up on a hot and sunny early autumn afternoon to explore the Karamatura Farm, a heritage farm between Huia and Little Huia which is now part of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and open to public access. Three people met at The Bracken at 1:30pm and the others met at the farm’s carpark at 2:15pm. After our usual intros and karakia we set out along the northern boundary of the farm to climb up to a lookout where we could see out across the Manukau Harbour to the Awhitu Peninsula. The trip was to focus on photography in the light of the upcoming ABTC photographic competition. We were to have had a couple of guest photographers but they had to cancel at the last minute due to other commitments. However Lynley, who works as a photojournalist and is in charge of the competition, was able to share some tips on getting good photos. We learned such things as framing a picture, eg. with a tree branch in the foreground, and adding a focus of interest such as people in a lower corner. We carried on through the middle of the farm, passing a number of cows on the way. One girl reached out with some grass to feed one. One of a stand of tall macrocarpa trees had been blown down in a storm just two days before, taking a section of fence as it became uprooted. We had our afternoon tea stop beside the Karamatura Stream. John told a story about someone who saw a lovely rainbow as they went about their daily early-morning walk. They gave it a score of 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 and took a photo of it with their phone. But the camera in the phone did not catch the rainbow. The rainbow intensified to a score of 8, so they decided to run home to get a proper camera and take a picture of it. As they returned, they saw the rainbow while driving go up to a 10. They decided to find a better spot to catch this spectacle, just two minutes away. They arrived there, pulled out their camera and - alas, the rainbow had disappeared. Life is often like chasing a rainbow, getting all built up for a big event only to be let down, instead of enjoying every little event on the way. After the great flood God gave the rainbow to Noah and to all of us to remind us that He always keeps His promises to us. Geoff finished the devotions with a karakia.

It was a short walk back uphill via some more cows to the carpark, and a welcome icecream stop at Huia on the way home. COST: $5