39 people came along on a first for the Club, the Mataia track on the Kaipara Harbour. This was on private land, and the owners have set up this track as a source of income along with their farming and accommodation. After the intros and a briefing from owner Shane we set off across the paddocks and over a hill to come to a QE2 covenanted area of bush, and on to the Mataia Bay lookout for our morning tea break. We could look out across to the Alan Gibbs sculpture farm and see some of the giant sculptures.

From there we followed the coastal track northwards - this was not a level track but constantly going up and down, making for a real workout. Once we got to the end we went up Lemon Tree Gully Track and stopped for lunch at the top, Hurikarokaro Pa, in the bush.

For our devotions Lucy Zhang presented some Bible verses and a list of alternatives: salvation through Christ and what seems to be salvation through self-effort; disappointment with God and without God; Your will be done and My will is better; peace with God and no peace with God; living in the light and living in the darkness; the narrow road to heaven and the broad road to destruction; becoming like Jesus and conforming to the world; assisting the Saviour and assisting the devil; our owing Christ and Christ disowning us; eternal life after death and eternal death after life. Alternatives occur - I know what I would prefer. The wide track gave way to a bush track boardwalked in places as we went down Peach Tree Gully Track, then we carried on the Canopy Track with occasional clifftop views over the Kaipara Harbour. This eventually came to rejoin our outbound track at Mataia Bay and we retraced our footsteps through the QE2 bush before finishing with the Mataia Creek Track. Everyone was finished by 3:55pm.

COST: track fee $8, travel $14 DISTANCE: 12.2km.