Tonight the Keas explored how to read weather maps/ forecasts and then created their own maps, trying to find ways showing/ drawing wind and rain etc.

We are at full capacity in the Cub Section! Luckily it was a fine night so the session was spent outside – playing fun games and doing activities to prepare the Cub’s for the upcoming Turere Overnight Tramp.

Like the Keas, Brooklyn Scouts (10 -14 year olds) also started the year operating under Covid-19 red light traffic settings. Youth over the age of 13 years and 3 months need to be vaccinated, as do any Adults entering Scouting Facilities. We’re aiming to hold our section nights outside, to make the most of summer weather and daylight (and mask wearing is optional when we’re outside)!

We started the year with a cooking activity – making porridge, instant noodles and hot chocolates – in preparation for our overnight Group tramp in two weeks.

Operating under the Covid-19 red light traffic settings our Keas (5-8 year olds) got to spend most of the night undertaking fun activities outside the hall. They did get to use our newly refurbished hall at end the session though. They thoroughly tested the improved acoustic performance – with an energetic Kea Yell!

We had a great time on the walk.  The weather was kind, with warm winds, not too strong, and cloudy skies but no rain.  All trains had been cancelled.

We arrived at Paekakariki about 11am, having left my car behind at  Pukerua Bay, and parked Gary’s car in the Paekakariki station carpark.  We walked down the platform and over the railway crossing to get to the start of the walk, which is just south of the town.

Then, we took our time to walk the length of the escarpment, stopping for lunch at a convenient place about halfway, where there was a table, and an information board about the building of the railway and its tunnels.  We could see the workers on the track below, where they were dealing with the railway track maintenance.

All along the track, there were wonderful views over the ocean, and in many places the track passed through short sections of forest trees, where we could hear the birds.  Above us on the hills were many sheep.

The track itself wanders up and down the sides of the escarpment, sometimes near the top, and other times well down, in one place right next to the railway.  There were steep sections, with wooden staircases, and long sections of mild inclines on a narrow, well formed track.  Several other groups were also on the track, and we stopped to let them pass.

Towards the end, we walked past the now redundant Muri station, where we crossed the railway on a level crossing and made our way back to my car.  I then drove Gary back to Paekakariki to recover his car, whist Charlotte kept the youth busy visiting the local grocery shop.

We thoroughly enjoyed our walk.