About a week out from the event, I started receiving a healthy volume of calls from prospective trampers. Many and varied tramping experience, from a fair bit, to absolutely none, but keen to join in.
We'd been eagerly watching the long range forecast. Knowing that if the weather decides not to play ball, we might be lighter on numbers than we hoped for. Sunday the 6th of May, duly rolls around, and we're granted a perfect cool morning, devoid of any dark imposing clouds, thankfully!!!
Committee members there early to greet the newbies. The parking fills up fast as club members and newbies arrive. All present and correct, with 25 newbies in tow, I do the usual sort of pre-amble, and we break the sizeable group into 5 teams with a leader. Each team heads off onto the newly re-aligned, re-gravelled, 2 lane highway, or it is as far as Dacre Cottage. If you haven't been on the walkway in the last few months, next time you visit, you'll understand what I mean.
Only a small separation between groups, but enough to keep tabs on the groups. My group cope well with all of the new steps. As soon as we reach the ascent to Karapiro Bay, we're blasted by a brisk wind. All groups meet up at Dacre Cottage for a quick morning tea. No loitering though, so each group heads off around to Still Water for early lunch.
Not long after we arrive the Auckland Tramping Club walk past en masse! I counted 27 of them.
Lunch devoured, we head back around, on the sand this time, with the ideal low tide at 1.04pm. Reaching the sand bar, we head back into the sheltered bush for the return trip.
A very successful event, with a delightful bunch of newbies. We hope they return soon for other tramps!!