A group of 19 had an enjoyable day exploring Tapora on the central Kaipara Harbour. We left Avondale at 8:40am to drive up there through Riverhead and Wharehine to arrive at the Tapora Golf Club at 10:25am, to be met by local resident Earl Wright. He gave an interesting talk about the area and its conservation issues. Earl led us in our cars down an access track from Okahukura Rd towards the coastline, then we set out on our tramp along the rest of this track and, across the tidal flats to Manukapua Island. This island is made entirely of sand dunes, and we climbed up them to the summit ridge for extensive views back to Tapora Flats and the mainland, and out to the entrance of Kaipara Harbour. We walked northwards and had our lunch stop at a vantage point. For the devotions John spoke in memory of Christine Calvert, who was a keen member of the club over the past 11 years and came on many of our trips. She had led several Sunday afternoon walks with her husband Ted, and John shared some material she had presented on four of these walks. On a walk at Campbells Bay in November 2009 Christine read Psalm 148 and a poem by Eddie Askew on this passage, about how our creator God is loving, caring and praiseworthy. In August 2015 she shared about how plants need light to keep them going, and how we need Christ to keep us going. On the Magnolia Walk in Campbells Bay September 2018 Christine spoke about Shadrach Meshach and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace for worshipping God instead of Nebuchadnezzar's golden idol, and how they miraculously survived. He chose to protect thesemen, and every now and then today He likes to surprise us. In November last year at Onepoto (Northcote) Christine shared about Thanksgiving, the annual festival in the USA that was about to begin. She cited the words of Job when he lost his ten children, servants, workers and livestock - Blessed be the name of the Lord. Summing up, these four messages show we have an amazing God who created us and loves us immensely as a heavenly Dad, blessing, caring and even disciplining us. God's gifts to us are innumerable - things such as friends, abilities, interests, health, laughter, the beauties of nature and even unexpected surprises. Plus the greatest gift of all, salvation through Jesus Christ giving an assurance of a heavenly life free of sickness and pain after death, and that is where Christine is now, having lost her battle with cancer about three weeks ago. John then played a recording of the Eddie Askew poem Christine read out in 2009. We went back down the island and were able to cross the sand flats before the incoming tide would cover them, then we got back into the cars to drive to Journeys End at the north end of the Tapora Flats for our second walk, along Birds Beach into the mangrove flats. There was a short track into the bush at the end of the beach, then we returned the same way to finish at 3:15pm.

On our way home we stopped for icecreams at Kaukapakapa, and a few of us went to Parakai hot pools but most of us wanted to get straight back to Auckland for other commitments or to watch the resumption of the Super Rugby that the covid lockdown had forced a halt to in March.