Twelve trampers gathered at Kaiuma on a bright sunny day for a couple of very pleasant days tramping. We set off at 9am, heading for Kaiumu Saddle by 11.30am, where we ate an early lunch.
A pleasant down-hill through bush and over farmland ensued to reach the bay at 1pm, coinciding with the king tide inundating areas of the track. Some trampers walked through the water, while others did a tricky manoeuvre negotiating along the fence wire to avoid getting wet feet.
By 2:00pm, we reached our destination at Nydia Bay Lodge. Here, we settled into very comfortable accommodation for an afternoon of relaxation and activities such as swimming, quizzes, yoga, dancing, and table tennis, at which David was clearly a pro. Steve encouraged some of us into Acro-Yoga, surprising us with this acrobatic activity requiring trust between participants.
The evening was topped off with a lovely shared meal of tortillas with multiple delicious dishes that Leah had prepared. The Volunteer Camp host joined us for the evening.
Rod roused all at 6am with a loud thump on the cabin doors and after breakfast, tidy-up and group photo, we set off just before 8am for Duncan Bay in cool, overcast conditions. The first 30 minutes was the return to the turnoff to Kaiumu, then around the shoreline, and eventually on up to Nydia Bay Saddle. It was cool and breezy here, so we continued on to Ngwhakawhiti Bay where we had lunch. We spotted a stingray cruising close to the shore.
We reached Duncan Bay in time for some to have a swim, before a pleasant boat ride back to Kaiumu. Most chose to sit in the top deck in the new Mail Boat catamaran, enjoying the scenery. The boat proved to be much faster than the old mail boat. However, after a number of stops around the Sound, we reached Kaiumu – and our cars – two hours later.
Both days’ walking were made pleasant by the recent rain which made the bush fresh and the ferns lush. There was a mixture of regenerating forest and old established forest, with some very big red beech trees. We also traversed a small patch of mature pine forest on the first day.
Many thanks to Leah for organising the trip and for the preparation of the wonderful shared meal we all enjoyed in the evening.
Participants were: Leah Parker, David Cook, Rodney and Carole Lewis, Theresa Magrane, Steve McGlone, Eva, Marie Lenting, Rita Bourn, Anna King, Lucy Patchett and Kath Ballantine (scribe)
