A Weekend of Walks

 Annoyingly, my "order" of 100 2c coins for use as individual bases had not arrived by Friday (they are coming to my work address), so I have been left unable to base the completed Pulp Turkish infantry, or the five Brigade Games Swashbuckling ladies whose painting was completed ten or twelve days ago.

So, with no toys or games to blog about, I have to fall back on my secondary role with the Tourism NZ marketing department!

(WARNING - OVER SEVENTY IMAGES FOLLOW!!)

On Saturday, my wife suggested we do a return trip up the local Mount William but aiming to be at the summit at or about sunset. She herself had done the walk to the summit two or three times during the previous seven days, which I suspected was an attempt to show up how unfit I am in comparison, the next time we made the ascent together!

We left home about 6pm and grabbed a Subway sandwich each to eat at the top of the hill, then headed off. Quite surprisingly (to me anyway) there were a number of cars at the parking spot - I had expected the place to be deserted at 630pm on a Saturday evening. 

After seeing about twenty rabbits on the short approach road (more than I have seen together in 30+ years in New Zealand I think!), we also encountered another imported wildlife species as we commenced our walk - not quite up to the excitement standards of the animals seen by our American colleagues!

We used to tell our kids when they were little that the cluster to telecom towers in this pic were the Fairy Queens Castle!

The sun heads towards the western horizon at around 1950 (taken with the trig point in view to prove we made it to the top) 😀

We started our descent, so we did not end up at the top of a hill in the middle of some fields in the pitch dark!

A strategically placed resting point

Slightly arty-farty view of one of several styles we cross on this tramp

Some images from where the car was parked, taken around 2030 Saturday evening

On Sunday, we headed southeast to Wairongomai, another Dept of Conservation walking site

So, the township didn't last, then!

Hopefully. if you click on these, those who are interested can read some of the potted history

Most of the trails we followed were part of the "tramway" that was laid to facilitate the extraction of ore and road metal from the various quarrying operations. It seemed like it started off as a gold mining operation, but the terrain was too tough and profits too low and that company went bust. It was then used to bring out rock and gravel for use in road building in the local district, but the quality wasn't great, and it had to be sorted into different grades, prior to use, making the whole endeavour economically unviable, and operations completely ceased in the 1920's

One of the trucks used to transport ore and road metal along the tramway

The "highlight" (and I do use the word advisedly!) of the walk is Butlers Incline - about 2km up at an angle of 40-50 degrees I would think - at some points, we were virtually climbing it, like a ladder!

There are probably far too many images of this to be honest. but it made quite an impression on me!

Having Ruth in the picture helps give an indication of the gradient!

Finally, at the top (we stopped halfway up and ate our lunch - really, it was just an excuse to take a fifteen-minute break!

The machinery used had travelled a long way.....

...... and ended up in a remote corner of a distant land

Our route back down had a warning that it was VERY steep and should only be attempted with extreme caution...

....the path at one point crossing a spine with probably 100 feet drop on either side...

.....and again, I use my dear wife to give an impression of the incline 

The path she had just descended

Health and Safety gone mad - it's a 50-foot-long tunnel with no obvious threat to life and body!

I thought the comparison of late 19th century views with those of our own times were quite instructive - the idea that man was taming the natural environment and creating productive infrastructure where previously only a "bleak mountain" of birdsong and rustling trees had existed!

The valley through which we had just walked for 15km

The last remnants of human occupation......

Today, (a public holiday called labour Day here in New Zealand) we are having a break (hence this post) and had a coffee in this local park adjacent to the main street of Pukekohe

An ancient Joshua tree

Another example of local "wildlife" - obviously used to being fed by patrons of the cafe, she was out of luck with us - her male colleague is out of shot, sitting down watching proceedings.

Now, I will attempt to get into the garage where my painting desk is located, without our car Lulu following me and disputing possession, as she is wont to do! I have 14 of the Perry plastic Dervishes assembled and under coated, ready for my first attempts at painting them up.