West Coast Wobble – February 17 2008
John’s Wobble
By Auckland section legend, John Salisbury
West Coast Wobble – Little Huia to Destruction Gully
Nine tough souls, some new to the wobble experience, braved warm weather and fragrant breezes to discover the scenic delights of this remote stretch of the Manukau Harbour. Starting from Little Huia, the coast is traversed, or wobbled, along the wave cut platform and across a series of guts which the sea gently laps in & out of.
Minor inconveniences like scraped hands & knees dwindle into insignificance when momentous decisions have to be taken. Should you climb sideways along the water level, ignoring the explosions of spray at the closed end of the gut and the ever present chance of falling in? Or simply swim across with the tide playfully sweeping you into the gut and out into the harbour (remember those shark reports)? Or even scramble up and over a loose traverse 10 meters above the lapping waves, with stones rolling away from under your scrabbling feet? Oh the joy of free choice!
After several of these brief encounters of the wet kind, lunch was taken & the opportunity to dry out gratefully grasped, then off again to more of the same, a growing gannet colony & single disgruntled seal. Once at the gully, we went to look at the start of the other section to Whatipu, where a keen participant availed herself of the chance of total immersion for the final time.
A quick sortie up the gully and trudge down the road brought us to the cars, then survival was celebrated with ice cream at the Huia Tea Rooms. A grand day. The scars & memories will linger until next time
John Salisbury – leader
Victims – Janet, Spencer, Amanda, Linny, Nadia, Dave, Colin and Jane