The Tramping Club Orientation weekend was fantastic. We drove barely 40 minutes out of the city to an almost tropical forest wonderland in The Waitakere Ranges. It was dense bush that was incredibly humid once you were engulfed on the trail, and was made up of bizarre combinations of foliage…think Christmas trees next to palm trees. About sixty students went and we split up into several levels of easy/medium/hikes to get to the AUTC hut. I ended up on a hike with the “Captain,” who is the club’s presidente equivalent. I could barely understand a word he said, as his gruff “born from the mountains” persona, added to the intensity of his Kiwi slang and accent (he does not own a passport and has never left the island) made him quite the personality. We went on a round-about tramp through the NZ bush, sloshing in mud and singing NZ songs.
The hut was fantastic, very similar to the LOJ at Tufts. There was a great feast of burgers and vege burgers that night and then the games began. The tradition of these games became apparent as the night progressed, when reigning champions stepped up to defend records and titles. The games were ridiculous, perfect example being attempting to climb from one side of a table under to the other, essentially a spiderman move that few humans can triumph. So lots of falling off picnic tables for an hour...
The next day we headed back out on non-eventful tramp, save for an encounter with a wasp nest on the trail. (I ran through without getting stung…my two friends not so lucky). The tramp ended on Piha Beach, a gorgeous surfing beach with waves so strong just standing ankle deep is a challenge to stay balanced. There is actually a NZ reality show that follows the Piha rescue team, and we saw them filming in the water.
Twas a great weekend that made returning to the urban-centre difficult, but I enjoyed an eventful week in Auckland as well. On Wednesday I did some exploring in Parnell to a Rose garden and I had my first New Zealand Sign Language class!
I really missed celebrating birthdays at Grandma’s, but I hope you all had a wonderful time!
Me in front of the AUTC Hut!
Stream crossing in the Waitakere Ranges
Piha Beach!
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