Auckland Baptist Tramping Club

Friday We travelled to Rotorua during the afternoon and/or evening. The first two of the five car loads, all travelling via SH27, arrived at the Thermal Holiday Park about 6:30pm and picked up the keys to the four cabins we had booked. We had four kitchen cabins beside the holiday park’s hot pools. The remaining three cars arrived later that evening. Saturday Breakfast was served at 7:30am in one of the four cabins. We were away by 8:45am and after stopping to buy lunch at a bakery at the start of Tarawera Rd we went on to the Tikitere Forest for our day’s tramping.

Tikitere Forest lies between SH30 and the southern shores of Lake Rotoiti, and contains a number of patches of thermal activity in their natural state. We needed to arrange a permit to enter the privately-owned production forest. Our intention was to walk the Cherry Bay Road but we ended up heading towards the Ruahine Hot Springs. The roads and tracks in the forest were not signposted, and the misty weather gave poor visibility. A GPS containing a topo map, something new on the market, would have been ideal in such a situation. Mark was able to give assistance and feedback throughout the walk with his new GPS phone - although it used Google Maps it could accurately read the longitude and latitude that was indicated on the hard-copy topo map. We followed a forestry road through a recently harvested area. There were views down to Lake Rotoiti, but we could just barely see the coastline through the mist. The road became a vehicle track and that soon petered out into gorse as it followed a line of power poles. There were some dead wallabies, victims of a carrot bait pest control programme. A sign that had seen its better days said that trying to access the Manupirua Hot Springs by foot is strictly taboo; these commercial springs are for boat access only. Char handed out some of her lovely homebaked chocolate cakes. There was no option but to return to the Ruahine Hot Springs. We had our morning tea stop here. John read out an interesting poem he had written about an acquaintance from his high school days in the 1960s. At the time he was invited to pray the sinner’s prayer on a cold wet winter evening, but rejected Christianity because of hell and damnation for the unsaved. Thirty years later he and his wife were having problems and went to a church pastor, resulting in finding not only a solution but Jesus Christ as well. John briefly cited instances of other friends who were unbelievers when he first knew them, but later became committed Christians. He presented the challenge of regularly praying for one’s friends, family, work associates and associates from leisure clubs and groups for salvation without exception for each one, not necessarily mentioning their names while praying. This can include praying for unsaved friends and relatives who are terminally unconscious, that God can give a “last-chance” vision of Jesus Christ before they finally die. The importance is to let the Holy Spirit do all the work. We continued, descending a road that became a vehicle track though harvested terrain to come to the edge of Lake Rotoiti at Wharerata Bay. Some of us tried to follow the coastline towards some hot springs in the distance, but soon had to give up. The vehicle track followed the coast and soon joined up with Tumoana Road near its end. A sign at the end of Tumoana Rd  threatened trespassers with being shot. Back along the road we came to a small reserve on the lake’s edge beside a jetty. We continued past a small settlement, and on through the forest along Tumoana Rd coming to the Maraeroa Springs, a series of three thermal areas visible from the road. We thought about having lunch at the first of these, but the view was not good and there was nowhere to sit down. Our lunch stop was beside the road overlooking the second of these springs, a spectacular sight down in the valley. Soon after we were on our feet again we passed the third one on our left. We were back at our cars about 1:30pm. We went back to the Tarawera Rd this time to have coffee at the Outdoorsman Headquarters shop. Taking photos there is strictly taboo for “security reasons”. There was enough time left for the one-hour walk around Blue Lake (Tikitapu) in an anti-clockwise direction. In contrast to the forestry roads, the track was a well-formed one going through mature native bush. There were frequent views of the mirror-smooth lake. We paused at the beach on the south end of the lake with time for a group photo and a “movie shoot” by Barbara of Peter modelling his ABTC high-viz polo shirt for promotional purposes. The bush track around the lake finished just five minutes short of the finish. Some of the group who chose not to do the walk relaxed at a picnic table on the beach. We were glad of a soak in the hot pools beside the cabins. Later we dressed up to go to the Kingsgate Hotel for dinner. This was the hotel where the Club had its 25th jubilee dinner five years ago. We had booked our tables for 7:30pm. For $26 each we had a lovely smorgasbord covering soup, mains and dessert.

Sunday We ate our breakfast at 8am in the communal kitchen, as the kitchens in the cabins were too small to cater for 18 people. Afterwards we packed up and vacated our cabins. At 9:30am we gathered outside the holiday park office to begin our walk that would take us down the Utuhina Stream to Kuirau park near the centre of town. We set out along Old Taupo Rd and then along Springfield Rd till it came to the Utuhina Stream in overcast and spitting weather.

This well-defined track followed the Utuhina Stream down to near the centre of Rotorua, but we had to cross the fields at Boord Park. Not far from the finish of the walkway we found a sheltered spot under some trees for our break. Being the start of Matariki, the Maori new year, Barbara began her devotions with the words of a Maori song meaning be strong, be steadfast, be sure for God is our refuge and strength. Matariki is traditionally time for reflection, renewal, and celebration. She reflected on things we had seen yesterday -  Lake Rotoiti, calm and still; the tall trees of Blue Lake reaching straight up into the sky, and deeply rooted - we should root ourselves in God’s Word; the boiling mud caused by a lot of heat under ground representing the spirit of God in our lives giving strength and resilience. God can give renewal to our minds daily. After a karakia from Barbara Felicity led us in a waiata acknowledging God, the Holy Spirit, fellowship and many other things, often sung as a grace before lunch at kindergartens and other places.

We carried on and soon came to the Old Taupo Rd. From there it was a short walk along Pukatua St to Kuirau Park as the liquid sunshine became more steady. We were finished soon after midday, and we phoned Glenda to come and take the drivers back to the holiday park to collect their cars. Two of the car loads went to the Fat Dog in central Rotorua for lunch; the others decided to have their lunch break at Tirau or Matamata on the way home. The rain persisted as we travelled State Highway 27 and arrived home around about 4:30pm. COSTS: travel $38-00; accommodation $38-50; breakfasts $7-00; hotel dinner $26-00.