| Leader | Mentor | Understudy | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Alan | Jan Bb | Margaret E |
For the Christmas lunch it was decided to have a change of venue from previous years, and instead of going to Hanmer, we would go for a short walk before having a buffet lunch for 56 trampers at the Otoromiro Hotel in Governors Bay.
There were three options available – people taking their own cars, taking the bus to Governors Bay and walking locally, or being dropped off at The Sign of the Bellbird and walking down to Governors Bay via the Crater Rim and Faulkner’s tracks. With some taking cars, we set off with a full bus , including two visitors and our bus driver Alan who would join us for lunch.
We were advised beforehand the track down to Governors Bay could be a bit challenging, and that was reinforced on the way there. Nevertheless 35 trampers alighted from the bus at The Sign of the Bellbird and walking as one group we set off on the Crater Rim track. The weather wasn’t the best at first, with low cloud and a cool wind, but we were soon stripping off when the cloud lifted and we were protected from the wind.
We chose a spot on the side of the track overlooking the city for morning tea, with plenty of dry rocks for people to sit on. After tea it was a short walk before branching off to the right on to Faulkner’s track and heading downhill.
Although the track was quite narrow and overgrown in places and there was a reasonably steep drop off on one side, there were spectacular views of the harbour and Governors Bay, and plenty of zig zags made the going easier. Fortunately, the rain of the previous two days hadn’t made the track too slippery, although there were a couple of areas that had to be negotiated with care.
At one stage we stopped to watch a bird gliding across the valley in front of us. Its movements were reminiscent of a hawk, but the colours on its wings gave it away, and when it landed we confirmed it was a kereru/wood pigeon.
On the lower slopes of the track, it didn’t look like there had been a lot of foot traffic, and although we had no trouble keeping to the narrow dirt track there was shoulder high long grass and bracken fern were brushing us as we descended.
With the sounds of power tools we reached the first of the houses on the hillside, and then it was a short walk down to the main road and then to the hotel.
The rest of the group walking locally had arrived just before us and after a quick change of clothes we headed up to the bar for the cold beers and rosés some of us had been looking forward to.
With the sun shining we were able to sit outside and there was plenty of bench seating either in the sun or under the shade of umbrellas. Before we started eating, owner Jeremy Dyer gave us a brief history of the hotel which he has owned for 18 years.
Founded in 1870, the hotel went through a couple of names before becoming the Governors Bay hotel, named after a former governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey.
Late last year it was decided to change the name to Otoromiro Hotel, to better reflect the Māori history of the area. The name translates to the place of Miro. The Miro is a native tree that covers large areas of Banks peninsula, including Governors Bay and the site of the hotel. The berries of the tree are a favourite food of wood pigeons. The hotel also boasts a small, heated saltwater pool, complete with jets for endless swimming. Jeremy explained how they came across the old water tank and converted it into the pool.
The change of venue proved to be a success, and after an enjoyable lunch there was a bit of time to mingle before heading back to the bus for the trip home. For some it would be the last tramp, while others would meet in Akaroa for the final tramp of the year.
