A group of 13 members enjoyed a lovely tramp through the Tapakanga Regional Park. We began with time to have a look at the historic Ashby homestead. The unfurnished house was not open to go inside, but we had a good look through the windows. We were able to wander through the grounds which included a campsite that was not completely level, at least one of the picnic tables were sloping a little. A plaque commemorated the gathering of the descendants of James and Rebecca Ashby to celebrate the centenary of the house. We began our tramp at 10:30am, following the coastal track that began along the foreshore before climbing up to the small cemetery of the Ashby family. From there the track followed an undulating course along the strip of bush between the farmland and the coastline.

At the end of this track was our spot for an early lunch about 11:45am. Linda gave the devotions about the peace of God. Beiung calm and quiet can be helpful. We must do whatever it takes to keep our peace, such as if we get into an argument with someone before going off to church. Satan really has no power over us if we come to God and ask for peace. When we are stressed out we lose your joy and our strength. We need to commit the situation to God and receive His peace.

It was a steady grunt up a vehicle track to open pasture, then on up to the trig. There were extensive views all around, east across the Firth of Thames to the Coromandel Peninsula, north to Orere Point and Ponui Island in the distance, and west to the Hunua Ranges.

As we began the more gradual descent through the paddocks we had a look at quite a few sheep that were grazing. The track eventually reached the coast, and we got back to the carpark just before 2pm. On our way home we had an icecream stop at Kawakawa Bay, and some local sparrows enjoyed morsels that one or two of us threw out for them. We got back to The Bracken at 3:30pm. DISTANCE: 6.1km including the Ashby homestead and grounds before the main walk. COST: travel from The Bracken $17