Monday 20 March 2023

Away Days - Part II

Day II, Tuesday 14 March - was the Big Day - by the end of it, my wife's Fit Bit indicated we had walked 28,000 steps, and boy, I could feel it, but how I felt on Tuesday evening was as nought to Wednesday morning, I can assure you!



That is two and a half hours each way (although, in the event, the return was significantly quicker than the ascent)



The first half hour was a gradual incline, on a mainly step-free board walk....


.... although the remaining two hours were a constant series of steps




About the three quarters mark, we emerged from the bush into more open country.



A great view from up here.


The Department of Conservation hut, where you can spend the night, if you have an over whelming desire to sleep in a wooden hut on a bunk bed, halfway up a mountainside!


Just above the hut was this area of lunar like landscape.


The protected wetland area - this would definitely be hard going and reduce movement by 75%!


Fortunately, there was a boardwalk over the marshy ground 



Mount Taranaki, with its summit hidden by cloud.


A short video of the "lunar" area



Your correspondent, experimenting with a selfie, in the manner of Matt at "Wargames in the Dungeon"

(Actually, its pretty crap - looks ok this size but its out of focus if you make it full size!)


And now its time to head back down again....



Back at the motel, a bit of pre-dinner relaxation....


And tonight, its a seafood curry, including a couple of scallops as well as the customary fish and prawns (although no squid, which I have never had or seen on an Indian menu, as far as I can recall......)


Another sunset from a bit further down the coast than the previous evening


Mount Taranaki from a different angle, minus cloud on the summit this time!


And that was us for another evening - back to the hotel where, to my wife's delight, we had Sky TV including the CI (Crime Investigation) channel, so we watched two or three hours of (mainly American) true crime investigations each evening before bed! After four days of this, I have come to the conclusion, most small US police departments need significantly more training, as, they tended to either jump to the wrong conclusion and make the facts fit their suspect, ending up with the wrong person in court/convicted/in the worst cases, on death row! OR they missed investigation steps/evidence that was so basic and fundamental, that the criminal was able to evade arrest for months or even years longer than they should have! Interesting fact - Harry Konnick Snr (yes, father of the singer) featured in one case - and it was not a flattering portrayal.....Joseph Harry Fowler Connick (born March 27, 1926) is an American attorney who served as the district attorney of Orleans Parish (New Orleans), Louisiana.

28 comments:

  1. More fantastic countryside and views

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    1. Thanks Scotty. This was definitely the best scenery of our visit - nothing like being up in the hills!

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  2. Quite a tour, some incredibly beautiful country. I would have used the cabin.

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    1. Thanks Joe - there is a lot of great scenery here, for sure - we even passed a signpost indicating a "Lord of the Rings" film location on the road we travelled from Auckland to new Plymouth!

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  3. Some beautiful looking country 👍

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    1. Cheers Matt, I need to work on my selfies though!

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  4. A hike to elevation, a great "pay off" view, and a fine dinner at a nice hotel (none of this camping business)--thanks for packing us along. This gives me a boost until we can get out and about in this neck of the woods.

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    1. Cheers Ed, I think my camping days are passed, and my wife's never started! Glad you were happy to come along 😊

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  5. Great to see you out and about at last Keith and hope you are enjoying the 'Anarchy' book: I'm loving it. Weather here has just been wet but thankfully nothing to compare to your 'Summer'.

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    1. Thanks Steve...at least we seem to be experiencing a so called Indian Summer here at the moment, although Autumn is often the best season here, in my opinion. The Anarchy book is good, thanks for the recommendation! It feels a bit less about the EIC than the various machinations of the Murghal court, but it's interesting stuff nonetheless!

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  6. "My wife's fitbit", a very familiar term to me Keith although I think she may have traded it in for a smart watch. All I know is that she wears something annoying on her wrist. It looks like you an dthe wife are thoroughly enjoying yourselves.

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    1. Thanks Lawrence...I would never get one, but it does record some interesting information! Walking on Weds and Thurs was not at all enjoyable for me...I need more preparation before I walk 10 to 15 km up and down steep slopes!

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  7. It looks like you had a fantastic break…
    As usual I am envious of the beautiful landscapes you have.

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Cheers Aly, plenty of other beautiful places around the world, of course! I even recall a walk in Sherwood Forest back in 2015 that was pretty nice...saw England's oldest or most famous (can't remember exactly what) tree!

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  8. Great photos Keith. According to the LotR films it is much harder 😁
    I hope the tourist board is helping to finance the figure purchases.

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    1. Thanks Ben, and it was hard enough for me, I can assure you! As to the tourist board, unfortunately not 😊

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  9. Another pretty "stroll" into NZ wilds.

    Your fishy foods sounded yummy too - never had a fish curry.

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    1. Cheers Dai...got to give fish curry a go mate! I actually introduced my wife to the joys of curry in some small Welsh village about 30 years ago...it was about the only affordable place to eat (no Chinese) so she had little choice...she wasn't keen but was happily surprised and has been a fan ever since!

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  10. what is it with women and murder shows? i swear it's almost enough to get one suspicious....

    nice pics of the vacation. I do like the selfie.😀

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    1. Cheers Stew....and I think we had this discussion a few months back re wives and watching "True Crime " shows! I don't mind them but if you watch too many, they tend to merge into one collective memory!

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  11. Two and a half hours and you went from jungly forest, to mountains, to the surface of the moon and then extensive wetlands. Man what a country. You’ve got it all going on there my friend. Glad you are out enjoying it.

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    1. Yes, there is a lot of variety here, for sure, Mr Broom and it's certainly good to ge out if Auckland, which I think is a bigger city than any in the UK, with the exception of London. Over 25% of the entire population of the country are here....and today, I think half of them were on the road going to work at the same time as me...an hour and three quarters to travel 45km, a journey I can do in about 35 minutes when the road is free running!

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  12. Nice shots Keith…I am warming to the idea of a weekend in NP, but maybe not in winter

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    1. Thanks Mark...yes, I would definitely recommend a visit...the S Island is great, but it doesn't have a monopoly on beautiful scenery!

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