Waitakere Expedition

So I was thinking that this weekend was going to be a little more easy-going than last weekend, JUST KIDDING!! I definitely had an intense day, but it was Sooooo much fun! I went tramping (hiking)through the bush in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. I went with Sarah Williams for a day of random excursions and intense expedition. We started out by going to Bethells lake to hike and explore a few trails out that way, I have always wanted to walk along the river all the way to the lake and we did that today.


We relaxed there for a little bit and I had fun jumping off the dunes, just to see how far I could jump:) This brought back great memories of family vacations at Silver Lake, MI when I was kid. Then we headed off to Bethells Beach, which is by far one of my most favorite places here. Sarah had never been there, so that was a must do. I am continually amazed at the beauty of God displayed at this place. I was thinking that if earth is this beautiful I can't begin to grasp how beautiful heaven is going to be. I tried to capture some pictures of what we experienced, but let's be honest, I cannot fully grasp the mighty power of the sea, along with the huge rock formations, breathtaking sky, and glory of God around me.



As we walked around and enjoyed Bethells beach, we went into a few caves. We couldn't go very far in because I didn't bring a torch (flashlight). We found fun picture spots and just soaked everything in.




After we spent some time at Bethells beach we went down the road about 20 minutes and began the most challenging hike I've been on thus far in NZ. On the way to Bethells I saw a sign for for Cascades Park and the name of the road was falls rd. So in my mind I was thinking, "Ahh waterfalls, this is a must!" We drove for a long time down a very narrow 1.5 lane gravel road until we finally came to Cascades Park and decided on a trail to take. We went for about 3.5 hours of solid hiking through the bush. It was a whole different kind of beautiful than the beach, but just as amazing. I didn't get any pictures here because we didn't stop much. I didn't know how long the trail was going to take so we made sure to keep going strong. We went up and down a dozen steep slops and found out we had muscles that we didn't know existed:) About half-way through, God blessed us with a short rain, long enough to cool us off, but not long enough to make the trail unbearably muddy and dangerous, it was already plenty muddy as it was. Toward the end of the trek I began to hear the falls and I was getting really excited. Then I saw a sign that said, "Falls 15min Rtn" but then only three feet from it another that said the same trail didn't get you to the falls. Well, I was determined and decided to give it a go, just to see where the trail did go. I could tell we were getting closer and closer as the falls got louder and louder, but then we hit a dead end. The only way we were going to get there was to go right through the water and over some huge rocks. Because the water was getting deeper I didn't think it was wise to continue. If I wasn't responsible for the safety of another person, I probably would have gone for it, but I was only able to catch a small glimpse of what I knew was an amazing and powerful waterfall. Needless to say, I will be back to this place, and I will figure out how to get to the waterfall!We finished up the hike and headed for home. Now at the end of the day, I am exhausted but more in love with God than I was at the beginning of the day. I feel thankful and blessed for the many ways God displayed His love today.