Auckland Baptist Tramping Club


EDEN EXPLORER

Mt Eden         Sun 11 Aug




A group of 28 people had a lovely time going upon Mt Eden to enjoy the views and the new boardwalk around the crater. We met at the top of Batger Rd on the western slopes of the maunga, and after the usual in-circle intros and prayer we set out at 1:45pm to follow the well-formed bush track to the Owens Rd entry. From there it was a steady climb up a stepped track to come out on to the summit road. It was great to be able to walk this road without having to worry about cars coming along, as it is no longer open to motor traffic.

We arrived at the summit of Mt Eden (Maungawhau) and had a break at the trig. The area around the trig was reopened a year ago after the whole place had been done up with new boardwalks and planting. We were able to enjoy the extensive views of Auckland all around.


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From there we went along the boardwalk around the crater to a lookout facing north. We could look down to an old kumara pit and the reservoir flat, with views of the central city, North Shore and Hauraki Gulf islands, and Coromandel Peninsula in the distance.

We went on to the end of the boardwalk on the summit road, and stopped for a group photo and devotions. Mt Eden has always been a special place to John, who had lived at the foot of the maunga most of his life. He recalled going up the mountain with his parents in the family car, and going down to the bottom of the crater. This road has been closed to motor vehicles in 2016 as all the volcanoes in Auckland had been handed back to the Maoris in 2014 in a Treaty of Waitangi redress, and this was a mark of respect to the manuga's sacredness, along with a ban on entering the crater. The Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document of NZ - Maori agreed to let others live in the country and let the British make rules about behaviour to be obeyed; the British agreed to let Maoris keep control of their lives, and have the same rights as all other people in Aotearoa. This treaty can be comparted to a marriage covenant, and was conceived by the love of God at the time the Christian gospel arrived in NZ. God loves us all equally, and wants us to embrace all the different cultures there are. It is interesting to look at other people's cultures, such as food, music, dancing, arts and crafts. We are now embracing Te Reo Maori, seeing Maori signage everywhere, and the national anthem God Defend New Zealand has a Te Reo verse sung first. The hymn How Great Thou Art also has a Maori verse. God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever (all people from all cultures regardless) believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

We went on to the Friend And Whau Cafe for coffee, and to browse the display about the history of Mt Eden. This was built in the 1920s at the Tea Kiosk, and had since been known as the Orchid Room and Langton's. After many years as a home for spiders and birds, it was resurrected in 2019 as the Whau Cafe, and renamed Friend And Whau Cafe. Afterwards we went down a bush track to come out on Mt Eden Rd, just one block away from Batger Rd. We finished at 3:45pm, having done 3.3km.  


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