On this Sunday morning 16 keen trampers met for the trip across to Papamoa for the Summerhills Park tramp. Despite the appalling weather the day before, it looked like we would get most of the day in before the rain which was forecast for the afternoon.

The Summerhills park was very well set up with toilets and large carpark areas. The path from the carpark was steep and there was a bit of puffing on the way up, but the track was nicely made and wide with several lookouts where we could catch our breath and see some magnificent views. It was cloudy this day but on a clear day you can see through to Whakatane. 

As we reached the top the wind hit us and it was pretty blustery. After each of us found a sheltered spot we regrouped, and those who were keen on some more exertion moved across the farmland to a bush area while the rest went back down to the carpark. 

Once in the bush we were out of the wind and it was an easy walk through it, coming out at another carpark on the other side of the farm. Here we read about the park and the family who had set it up as a recreation reserve for the public, with many walking and biking trails. The total area is much bigger than the walk we did, with 126 ha in total containning many biking tracks as well as a track for walking around the whole park.

As the rain had begun by this time we decided to head back to the vans, crossing farmland and even seeing some new lambs. We stopped for lunch near the summit where we enjoyed views of the coast back to Mt Maunganui and Tauranga. The wind was still blowing so we didn’t linger for very long, but by the time we were back at the vans the sun was out. 

We then headed for the Welcome Bay Hotpools for a dip. The pools were very smart, and we enjoyed a soak in the sun while we watched the clouds build again. After an ice cream we headed back to Hamilton in the rain thankful to get our walk in during the brief period of fine weather.

Thanks to Brenda for organising and to Dianne, Ron and Carol for driving.

Catherine