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Ten keen hikers piled into the club bus late on Thursday and headed north.
As a first-timer on an overnight hike with the club, I was delighted to find mattresses laid out in the back of the bus. It instantly transported me back to my teenage ski club days. They certainly made the journey more comfortable!
What a great bunch of people to spend a weekend with. AJ did a sterling job driving and faithfully obeyed Google Maps … right up until Google decided to send us down a road clearly designed for mountain goats rather than buses. The last 30 minutes had those of us lying on the mattresses bouncing from one side of the bus to the other. Bob, the water taxi driver, couldn’t believe we’d come that way. Suffice to say, the ferry from Russell to Opua on the way home was a lot more comfortable and quicker.
We arrived at Rawhiti Marae just after 10pm looking forward to a cuppa only to find the gas wasn’t connected. Never mind. Out came 10 mattresses and off to bed we went. I think we all had a pretty good sleep.
John was on the phone at first light and eventually tracked down someone who arrived with a couple of portable gas cookers. Crisis over! Next stop was Urupukapuka island, courtesy of Bob, our local water taxi driver, historian and storyteller.
So sad the cafe wasn’t open. Bronwyn was particularly distressed after realising she’d grabbed the wrong packet of pre-made lunches from the fridge and was now facing the prospect of three days surviving on dry bread sandwiches. Thankfully by the time we finished our leisurely hike around the island, the cafe had opened. Beers, coffee and food all round! I even bought a toastie to have for lunch the next day.
The afternoon back at the Marae was nice and relaxed. A few of the brave or should I say mad went for a swim. Men of course! With a 6am alarm looming (thanks John) most people were tucked up before 9pm.
Poor Mike’s knee, injured on a previous club hike, wasn’t up to the Cape Brett Track, so he sensibly took the ferry to the Cape, cleaned the hut and wandered up to the lighthouse while the rest of us started the hike to the Cape.
Bob shared a local path so saved us going down to the beach. Straight up the hill instead!A few of us, myself included, were a little apprehensive about the Cape Brett hike. It turned out to be every bit as spectacular as everyone promised- and every bit as hilly! Stunning views, plenty of mud to keep us honest, enough ups and downs to make your legs wonder what they’d ever done to deserve this. That final climb… well it was a real effort
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