This tramp was advertised in Enews, It was the third year it had been run and it was hoped to attract over a hundred entries. This happened at 130 entries. Great news, as it was a fund raiser to help eradicate the predators in this Kauri forest.

The local SARs (Search and Rescue) people had volunteered to be our safety officers, so at 0830 hrs we started our 21km tramp.

The first 9kms were on a hard-based Pirau Ridge Forest Rd, and as the weather decided to be the 2nd day of summer, it was hot and hard in tramping boots. What a delight to turn into the bush onto the Pukatea Ridge Track, then descending from 350m altitude down 4kms to the Waipapa Stream passing along the edge of some beautiful stands of mature Kauri. On reaching the river we opted to walk down it as the feet were looking forward to a cool-ff.  We stopped by the river for a well deserved lunch and back into the water until directed by the SARs men back onto the track proper. We continued on along this track - originally intended to be a road from Hokianga to Kaeo (abandoned 1930) where we came across the remains of two bridges, so we had some very steep descents/ascents where once the bridges had been. Lucky for us, the SARs people helped us up and down these banks and we finished at the Forest Pools where the organisers had set up a BBQ, tea/coffee/cold drinks/cake/fruit station.  

It was a very successful day, as a fund raiser and a chance to see these magnificient Kauris.

Jillian, Vicky R. Pam, Anne, Rosemary, Harriet, Vicky D and Mick