Friday We travelled to Taupo leaving at various times - Hunter, Madge and John left mid-morning from Auckland, Marian and David came across from Bowentown where they had been staying, and Paul, Ruth and Kim travelled down in the evening after work. Our base for the weekend was the Taupo YHA. The three couples each had a double or twin room, while John and Kim shared dorms with backpackers from overseas. This would be the second Club trip where sleeping bags were strictly taboo - all YHA hostels, and many backpacker hostels as well, do not allow the use of these due to risk of bedbugs. Saturday Marian and David served a Goldilocks breakfast at 7:30am, and we were away by 8am headed for Bell Rock and Shine Falls in Hawkes Bay. After one-and-a-half hours of travel down the scenic Taupo-Napier highway on a glorious morning we turned into Waitara Rd and passed a caravan park full of campervans all decked out with satellite dishes. The road became gravel as we carried on and later turned into Pohokura Rd.  We arrived at the Bell Rock track at 10:30am to be greeted by a view of the Pacific Ocean. The well-formed track began to climb steeply for about five minutes before becoming a more gentle grade. There were two weta apartments, where we could have a look at these native insects. After about 45 minutes the bush gave way to open pasture at the top of the Maungaharuru Range The track followed an undulating course, and we came to Bell Rock about 11:50am. There was a strong cold wind on this otherwise glorious day, and we were unable to walk right up to this spectacular rock formation. After we took photos of Bell Rock we had to find a lunch spot out of the wind facing away from it, but there were other unusual outcrops to view.

John reflected on A Deck of Cards, an old song by Tex Ritter about a World War II soldier who brought out a pack of cards instead of a Bible or prayer book in a church service. The various cards reminded the soldier of various aspects of the Bible: ACE - we are to worship ONE God only, not idols like Buddha, money or Justin Bieber. 2 - TWO testaments, the Old one leads up to Christ, the new one focusses on Him. 3 - God is THREE persons in one: Father, Son and Holy Spirit 4 - the FOUR Gospels describe the life of Jesus and explain His way for our salvation. 5 - the FIVE unwise virgins are like those who don’t come to Christ before it is too late. 6 - a great way to worship God is to admire the beauty of His creation done in SIX days. 7 - every SEVEN days we need to take a day of rest, recreation and worship. 8 - only EIGHT people went on Noah’s Ark and were saved; Christ is today’s Ark 9 - NINE lepers did not thank Jesus for healing; we are to be thankful for everything. 10 - we have all broken the TEN Commandments, and need to come to Jesus and repent. JACK - the DEVIL is cunning and subtle; his mission is to destroy us. QUEEN - Jesus was conceived in MARY by God and not a sinful man, so is perfect. KING - JESUS CHRIST is our King, we believers are members of His kingdom. According to the song, there were 365 spots on a deck of cards, reminding us that we need Jesus each day of the year. John then said he counted the spots one day and they totalled only 250, and commented that the 250 days represent the time we are awake and we need Jesus for this, and the remaining 115 days represent our sleep, where Jesus looks after us while we are inactive. He concluded the devotions with the reminder that we should pray "4" (the number of suits in a deck of cards) others. We returned the same way to the carpark, enjoying views of the Pacific Ocean and the Hawkes Bay coastline from Wairoa to Napier before we entered the bush. Back in the cars, we set out for Shine Falls about 1:45pm. As we continued down Pohokura Rd we were slowed down by a farmer on horseback moving a total of 800 sheep helped by four dogs. We were glad to get onto the sealed Matahorua Road, and we arrived at the Shine Falls carpark on Heays Access Rd at 2:30pm. The track to Shine Falls began as a steady climb through farm land before entering the native bush of the Boundary Stream Scenic Reserve, to follow upstream. We arrived at the base of the highest waterfall in Hawkes Bay about 40 minutes later. David braved the cold waters of the pool, venturing far enough to enjoy a brief shower under the cascade. Afterwards we drove out to SH2 instead of return along the gravel roads, and went past Lake Tutira. We stopped at a fruit shop as soon as we reached the start of the Napier-Taupo highway. We were back in Taupo by 6:50pm, and after we showered and cleaned up we went to Breakers restaurant to exercise our wallets and catch up with Kelvin and Jan, who were members of the Club before they moved to Taupo some years ago. Sunday We left YHA at 8:30am for a day of walks in the Turangi area. Our first tramp was the Tongariro River Walkway, starting at te Red Hut footbridge 5km south of Turangi, and finishing at the towship. One of the cars was left at the Turangi end of the walk. We crossed the river and followed the eastern bank all the way. There were more views of the adjoining farmland than there were of the river, but we were able to see the river with Mt Pihanga in the distance in several places. We found a spot on a side track leading to the river, and here David and Marian gave devotions. David read the passage from Matthew‘s Gospel about Jesus calling fishermen to follow Him as disciples, then Marian commented that the Christian life is like a long walk with Jesus alongside. She told of experiences at Lake Sumner during the recent summer tramps, where rain was setting in and the group, one of whom had left his raincoat behind and another minus his water bottle, had to plod on to the hut regardless. After a sleepless night they were grateful that a family was able to take them out next day in their 4whd vehicle. This showed how things often do not go according to plan, even when well planned, and how God can help out in the situation. The track climbed up to follow cliff tops with spectacular views of the river, the township of Turangi and the surrounding countryside. We then dropped down to come out at the finish soon after midday. We had our lunch at a coffee shop in Turangi before going on to Pukawa on the western shores of Lake Taupo just north of Turangi. Our second walk was the Pukawa Bush Walk, a lovely 45 minute loop track with occasional views of the settlement of Pukawa and Lake Taupo. Our third walk was up Maunganamu, the prominent hill marking the gateway to Tokaanu. We drove down a short side road that had seen its better days, and after negotiating a locked gate we walked along a flat at track to the north side of the hill. An unsignposted but well formed track climbed up through bush, and half an hour after we set out on our walk we came to a viewing platform at the top. There was a panoramic view of Lake Taupo and the flat area around the mouth of the Tongariro River. We retraced our footsteps, and drove to the Tokaanu Thermal Pools nearby, arriving about 4pm. Our final walk for the day was the small thermal reserve next to the pools. The fifteen minute track took in a number of hot springs and mud pools. Hunter and John were happy to swim in the public pool, being fresh water heated by the thermal waters. The others chose to soak in the private mineral-water pools, the two couples and Kim in three separate ones. Because of the temperature of the pools, time in them was strictly limited to 20 minutes, and the $10 admission included the public pool afterwards. We returned to Taupo, and went into town for takeaways, having a choice of a Chinese smorgasbord or chish and fips. Monday The group decided on Acacia Bay for the morning walk, as nothing had been actually planned for the day. We left  the hostel and went to the end of Acacia Bay Rd and the start of the Whakamoenga Point track. We set out at 9:40am and initially dropped down before following a level course. After 15 minutes we came to a landing below a private property, and stopped to view the rocky coastline.  From there we carried on to the end of the track, which came out to the open rock coast. A couple of canoeists were setting off for a trip when we arrived. Formal devotions had not been prepared for today, so instead we sat down for a time of open sharing. One of us opened the discussion by saying that it is good to see the blessings God gives us each day and take time to enjoy them rather than take them for granted.  Someone else said that going for walks and appreciating His blessings has helped to combat his depression. Life is like a whiteboard which God wipes each morning. We were reminded of the well-known hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness. John recalled his Crusader leader at school in the 1960s giving the acronym for grace as Great Riches At Christ’s Expense, including the awesomeness of God‘s creation plus the eternal life we have in Christ. We concluded with a short time of prayer for various Club members’ needs, and John mentioned the Club’s monthly home group that gives the opportunity for people to have fellowship, sharing and praying for members’ needs. We returned the same way to the carpark, coming out just before 11am, and we went on to the L’Arté café set in a lovely sculpture garden. We browsed the many sculptures, many of which were for sale, before sitting down to coffee. Each one of us without exception counted it a special honour and privilege to add the GST to the displayed prices, which were normally inclusive of the tax. This 15% surcharge was to mark the Auckland anniversary day which was effective as far south as just north of Turangi. At 12:10pm we left for our homeward journey. David and Marian went through to Bowentown to pick up a caravan while the rest of us stopped outside the Castle Pamela toy museum for a picnic lunch. We didn’t go into the museum, but there was plenty to see in the museum’s shop and café. There were a number of dolls and teddy bears around the tables, and a bookshelf had titles such as I Need Another Bath by Barry Smelly, The Boundary Fence by Barb Dwyer and The Worn Carpet by Fred Bear.

We carried on home and were back in Auckland about 5pm, bringing to a conclusion a relaxed weekend of easy walks, fellowship and God’s amazing creation. COSTS: travel Auckland-Taupo return $50; Saturday travel $25; Sunday travel $12 ; three breakfasts and two lunches $10; restaurant main course $16+; Turangi hot pools $6 for public pool, $10 for private spa plus public pool; accommodation $84-$120.