Kauaeranga Valley campout

Thirteen BOP Naturists had a great time camping in the bush in the Kauaeranga Valley, inland from Thames. We took over a corner at Catley’s campground, using the campervans as screening. We were well protected from anyone else who might turn up and some of us donned club uniform within our ‘circle’ as the weather dictated.
After Happy Hour and dinner on Friday night, we sat around the fire until it started drizzling. The next day dawned warm and mostly sunny, so ten of us decided to do the Wainora Kauri walk (3-4 hours return) – but they forgot to tell us in the brochures that it was a ‘stepped’ walk! I counted them on the way back and there are over 700 steps on the track (one way) so you can imagine that going up was pretty hard work! On the way up we had quite a few rest stops finally coming to a lookout with a great view of Table Mountain, which reared up in front of us. Just around the corner there was another lot of steps (downhill this time) to the first Kauri. We returned after taking some photos to prove that we were there.
We did a short walk and wandered down to the river in the afternoon. Some brave souls had a ‘swim’ – well a quick dip anyhow. As ‘Happy Hour’ dawned, a shower of rain came through, so we had it under the awnings but by dinner time, it cleared and then the stars came out. After dinner we all sat around the fire chatting, with Rok providing some mellow guitar music in the background. Magic!
The next day, Lyn, Ray, Rok, Col and I decided to punish our bodies again. After breaking camp, we drove to the end of the road and headed up towards the Pinnacles hut. On the track was the scariest swing bridge I’ve ever been on (mind you all swing bridges are scary for me). Putting my vertigo aside, I was encouraged(?) by the ‘team’ to use it or get my feet wet. Fortunately we all made it but the prospect of going over it again, made the return walk a daunting thought for me! I always hate ‘team building exercises’! After an hour or so, as the track changed from a bush walking track to a tramping track, we headed back to our vehicles, just as the heavens opened and dumped the heaviest rain of the weekend on us.