What better thing for a tramping club to do than "Walk the Talk"? The 'talk' here is the plight of refugees
and the work Christian World Service (CWS) is doing to provide vital resources like food, education and
medical care through their partners working in the locations where refugees are in desperate need. The
'walk' is the sponsored route that 13 ABTC Members chose to complete as part of their Operation Refugee
challenge (5km, 7km, 14km, 21km) - walking with a purpose and a mission!
We were privileged to
be set off on our way with the encouragement of Malcolm Sproull, the NZ Domestic Partnerships Lead for
CWS. At 9.00am we all headed towards Green Bay on the Manukau Harbour. The various tree filled parks
inspired us as we followed the Avondale Stream which marks the traditional portage route used by M?ori
traders to cross from the west to east coasts of Auckland. The sculptures, history and poetry on display
and our snack stop in Olympic Park became the turning point for the morning walkers who completed their
loop back to the carpark (7km), while the remaining seven headed over the Whau River towards the Waitemata
Harbour. Despite the cold wind across our lunch table at Heron Park we were all energized for the next
leg of our challenge. Some returned to Blockhouse Bay (14km), while the final four completed the full
21km length of our newly named 'Westie Coast to Coast' route to reach the Waitemata beside the Waterview
motorway interchange. This group set an increased pace on their return journey in an attempt to beat
the rain, arriving back at Blockhouse Bay just before 3pm - in their wet weather gear!
Throughout
the walk we all felt we earned the sponsorship so many had generously donated ($1800 at the time of writing
- thanks!) while at the same time experiencing some humility and empathy as we considered the hardship
being experienced by refugees while we were doing something practical to help meet their needs.
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