We had a great bunch of people for this year’s open day—twenty-six newbies, and some experienced trampers and some not so experienced. The newcomers leaned slightly toward the younger end of the scale again for the third year running.
The weather was perfect for a coastal cliff-top walk, with overcast skies keeping the temperature down. It was high tide, so no cheating and walking along the foreshore this time, but when the views are this spectacular a few gentle climbs are worth it.
We started at the southern end of Long Bay Beach and walked to the Okura estuary return. On the way back we varied our path, taking in the slightly hidden Ecology Trail with the magnificent, massive old puriri trees towering above, providing shade for the last part of the tramp.
It was an interesting walk, with a lot of social interaction among the group. This is always good as it tends to promote high new-member retention, which is proving to be the case this year as we’re nearing April and seeing this year’s newbies tramping with the club weekly.
As always, this open day was lots of fun. For me, it was very rewarding seeing all the keen new faces and helping them on their path to becoming members.