Gaire and the March Girls.

Gaire March 16^th 2008

It was the first time that any of us had walked the hills behind March Girls at Gaire and I don’t think it will be the last. The local community although sparse were friendly and we all had a good day. We started off parking at the March Girls and then we made contact with a local family who allowed their son to be our guide and show us the hills behind his house.

The first climb was pretty solid and had everyone resting at the top to catch our breath, except our guide and his dog that were keen to press on. So on we went and the views at the top were fantastic, in one direction we could see Mt Diamond and the cliffs of Varirata behind. Towards the North West we could see Taurama, Bootless Bay, Pyramid Point and Moresby. In the opposite direction we could see the Magi Hwy heading down to wards Gaba Gaba and Kwikila, but framing all this was the blue Ocean and the reef break some distance out from the shoreline.

There was quite a variety of terrain for us to wander through, from open grasslands to closed in woodlands, and the steepness of the track ranged from undulating to very steep. Our guide ensured us that there was a path, and there certainly was after we had all made it from one valley floor to the next.

Meanwhile, the Guide and his dog kept on going up and down the hills until we reached the combined Digicel/BMobile tower of Gaire. From here, it was a stroll along the black sandy beach and to the March Girls. Nearly all of us decided to take a plunge in the ocean as we had been viewing it from a distance all morning and it was warm and hot out on the track, unfortunately there were stingers in the water and the dip in the ocean did not last.

But there were cold beverages to be found at March Girls if you knew the right way to ask and despite the 8-ball table having two number 10s we were all kept entertained.

A good walk, a good day.