Twenty-five walkers met at 7.40am at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club, paid their $60 each for the return
trip to Motutapu and then headed to the jetty where the “Auckland Sea Shuttles” boats leave from. We
met Steve (the owner) and Glen who drove 25 of us on calm sunny waters out to Home Bay Wharf on the far
side of Motutapu.
We began with our circle introductions in front of Reid House, the only remaining
farmhouse on the island, built in 1901. Christine gave a brief introduction to Motutapu Island, including
its existence long before Rangitoto erupted 600 years ago, its centuries of Maori settlements,followed
by European ownership with many homesteads and farms being established. During World War 2 Motutapu became
fortified to defend Auckland. Since 1992 much work has been done to revegetate parts of the island, protect
historical sites and to reintroduce NZ native wildlife since Motutapu became pest free in 2011.
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After prayer, we set off up the Rotary Centennial Track for a 35 minute walk to Northern Junction, spotting
Takahe and three Brown Teal ducks on the way. Morning tea was enjoyed here as we sprawled on the grass
in the sun. We then explored the surrounding WW11 military sites, many concrete emplacements and storage
structures, before splitting into two groups. Barbara led 19 walkers to Billy Goat Point, the northern
most point of the Island while Christine led the remaining six on a track towards Sandy Bay. We hadn’t
realised that this track led us right through the Outdoor Education Camp which is private property. While
the managers weren’t happy with us “trespassers” it was interesting to see the various cabins and activities
for campers. We exited the Camp and enjoyed a grassy track winding along the shore to Sandy Bay. Here
we found shade while looking out across the water to the North Shore beaches. Meanwhile the Billy Goat
Point walkers returned via the Pohutakawa Track and joined us at Sandy Bay for lunch. After lunch we
headed back along the grassy shoreline track to the bottom of the camp and found a road that led us to
the top of a steep hill. It was an hour and a half walk over the grassy hills with flourishing vegetation
and sea views to reach the causeway that joins Motutapu to Rangitoto. We were picked up from Islington
Bay Wharf at 3.45pm, returning to Okahu Bay about 25 minutes later. We were fortunate to have wonderful
weather as we explored this fascinating island.
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