A Day in Palmerston

So we ended up heading up to Palmerston North, a town about minutes away for the day.  The main reason is there is a very popular set of walking tracks there (actually they have 10 very popular ones).  We only had time for two this day and were happy to get them in.  The weather threatened rain most of the day on us, but we had a great time.  We started off on the Manawatu Gorge Tawa LOOP walk.  You can walk this one of two ways.  The loop takes about 2 hours while the gorge take 3-4 ONE way.  We opted for the shorter version as we didn't start till noon lol.  Anyway, the walk itself is great.  It starts off passing streams and the gorge/river.  Then you climb up for about an hour to a popular art sculpture that represents a famous Maori chief/explorer.  You also can walk down and see the "Big Slip" that happened a few years ago.  By big slip I mean "hillside is gone".  From there it is literally all downhill.  We only saw a few people on the track so we hear a lot of birdsong and nature sounds which was great.  There were some amazing trees and bush life to see, check out this quick video HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk5He0tD9EE) We really enjoyed it.

(Posing for our start photo, all chipper at the start)

(This is the Manawatu River.  Apparently its normally more blue but the overcast sky makes it green-ish)

(Some small streams feed the river that we had bridges to cross over.  Great start to the hike)

(Cec is also prety chipper to start our Tawa Loop hike)

(This is one of the viewpoints looking out onto palmerston north from the top of the gorge)

(This is the chief Whatonga, immortalized for helping to settle the region.  Props to cecil for the cool perspective in the photo)

(Looking at the river and the "big slip" which is directly in front.  See the area without any trees?  That "slipped" off and had to be repaired.)

(The Tui were very active.  This guy is all poofed up protecting his territory- LOUDLY)

After our Tawa Loop walk, we headed out to Omanawatu walkway.  Its a 10K sirt path that goes right along the gorge.  It looked like a really great place to bike.  However, bikeless, we walked just about 45 minutes up then turned around and went right back.  The wind farm was always in view which is cool to watch them spin.  It also is a prime habitat for fantails and small tuff birds who were flitting around us as we kicked up bugs.  After that we headed into town and ate at Cecil's favorite restaurant called "Arranged Marriage".  It is a south Indian restaurant that apparently is pretty authentic.  He got Dosha and I got the Kiwi's favorite dish, butter chicken.  It is like my favorite thing to eat here.  Then, we headed home after a nice day of tramping.

(Ready for walk #2!)

(This one was much more flat and right by the river.  See a quick video HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLTpu5cPhEw )

(Amazing photo #1 of a Fantail catching flies.  They are so fast it can be hard to photograph)

(Amazing photo #2 of a fantail.  Notice the eyebrows, they can look like they are glaring)

(Cecil enjoying his reward for all the hiking at the restaurant.  It was so dark in the place the photos turned out like crap but it was tasty!)

Bushy Park, Skiiing, Dinner with friends x2

The last few days have been a busy blast!  We have been mostly hanging out around our house with one notable exception.... but more to that later.  It still winter here and its been chilly.  The afternoons are pretty nice when the sun is in full swing, but the evenings and mornings are cold.

One thing we had been trying to fit in was a trip to a local wildlife preservation area called Bushy Park.  They have predator fences and quite a few short trails around the area.  We managed to walk most of them on our trip.  Nice paths and signs too!  It was nice to walk through some native bush in the area we live in. There were also a ton of Saddlebacks and Wood Pigeons.  Both of those birds have been somewhat rare in our travels.  Here it felt like there was a convention.  Pretty much everywhere you looked were crowds of birds on some of the trails.  The wood pigeons are pretty interesting birds too.  When flying they make this "woosh woosh" sound and it is LOUD.  In this vdeo about 50 secs in you can kind of hear it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7B77OwYP5Y).  In real life its much more intimidating sounding.    Anyway, we had a GREAT time and afterwards a great dinner (more on that later).

(Nice, well marked paths are a super plus)

(Cec hamming it up)

(An upturned silver fern.  The Maori used to use them to navigate by at night, they would flip them up and the moonlight would reflect off.)

(That is a saddleback.  They were loving it at bushy park)

(This is a wood pigeon AKA kererū in Maori.  First off thet are HUGE, second off they are klutzy.  Here it looks all majestic but when it flies and lands it usually almost falls over.  In some ways I feel this is my spirit animal.) 

(When I say there were a lot of them I mean it.  Look at all of them in the trees!)

(This was a view from the wetlands.  Gorgeous)

Literally the next day we planned to go skiing.  Yes, that activity where you slide down a hill, fast, on metal slats.  We drove about 3 hours up to Mount Ruapehu which is right beside Mount Tongariro  The drive up the puka puka's errr..... para para state highway was amazing in the morning.  We watched the fog clear as the sun burned it off.  Even after so many months its still jaw dropping.  Anyway, We got there and had a little bit of an awkward start.  We parked and made our way up to the main building after throwing down a protein shake for an early lunch.  It was SUPER busy so we ended up standing in line to find out we were in the wrong place to stand in a different line.  In between I also managed to fall down the stairs of the lodge (in tennis shoes) with my amazing athletic skills.  I had to sit and make sure I didn't twist my ankle which delayed us another 15 minutes.  Finally, we ended up in the right place and had to get fitted for boots, pants, helmets.  Again, I delayed things with having tiny feet and giant calves.  My boots ended up really uncomfortable but I was determined to try this skiing thing.  BTW, later when I took them off they left bruises on my shins.  We had to wait an hour for our lesson, when we watched a kid literally get stuck on his backpack and literally got hung up on the ski lift!  A ton of great people helped him and held his feet while some guy muscled up and unhooked him.  He ended up being fine but OMG it was scary!  

Finally we ended up in our group lesson which I personally was grateful for.  We learned french fry means go and pizza is stop.  The instructor was soo patient and kind.  I felt like I could actually attempt to move without hurting people.  I didn't quite catch on as fast as cec so I was still trying to stop (vs. slow) where he was able to start learning to turn.  Here is cec is doing a great job at his first time skiing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7__587XVpg).  Anyway, I spend the rest of the day trying to stop and when I finally did I was DONE.   Ironically, here is the video cec happened to be taking, which is actually embarrassing for me as I am going so SLOW but it felt like an accomplishment after a hard day for me (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zNm6_7xsLM)!  Lol, exhausting but fun.

(Good Morning NZ what lovely fog you have as the sun is just coming up to burn you off)

(Did I mention its Lambing season?  Baby Lambs everywhere)

(Finally we made it!  PS its a Maori name, and "Wh" is pronounced as an "F")

(Here is the road up to the ski area.  Amazing views going up Mt Ruapehu)

(Here is the place I fell down the stairs.  Evil stairs)

(Here is the terrifying child rescue in progress.  Were were waiting for our instructor and stuck in skis so had no way to help.  Everyone rushed in and got him but man was that scary to watch)

(Look I almost look like I know what I'm doing!!!)

(Cec getting on the people mover up this hill.  He said it was the scariest thing he did all day.  I walked up as that thing looked above my ability level)

(PIZZA!  Lol, cec got stopping really well right in front of me.  Thanks for not hitting me!)

(We also got great photos of a snow topped Tongariru and Mt Ngauruhoe aka Mount Doom)

(We had to stop at the skiwi sign, after all this was our first time and what better place to learn than Mt. Ruapheu in NZ?)

In addition to our walking and skiing we have had several "social" events".  I volunteered at the local art gallery to help kids screen print tote bags.  This was done to help the kids learn the environmental impacts of plastic bags vs. the benefits of using reusable bags.  As expected, kids are kids no matter where they are from.

We have also had a few people over as well as been invited out.  We had Sarah and her partner over.  PS. here everyone is a "partner" in a relationship.  This can mean marriage, dating, straight or gay.  In some ways it makes it easier as everyone describes a person as "my partner" without the strange not being sure what term to use thing that can come up.  We also had to say goodbye to a few friends who were finished with their time here.  A giant group of 20 of us ended up crashing a Thai restaurant.  I felt bad for the place they seemed a little overwhelmed.... but it was a great night.  We also had some friends from Crossfit over and had a great time chatting about so much random stuff.  Such great days, I'm really going to miss our friends.

(The kids from the school listening on how a tote bag is printed.  Such good listeners!)

(Cec posing with Gary and Padraig, some Irish {Registered Medical Officers aka interns} RMO's who are leaving)

(Cec saying goodbye to Rhiannon {Welsh, not British} and Maeve {Kiwi})

(Group photo guys!)

(Dinner at our house.  Good times!)

Lastly I feel the need to point out I'm learning to knit.  Here is me with all my wool I bought to make a blanket.  I was like 1/4 of the way through when my needle broke and (without my knowledge) It started to unravel.  I ended up having to rip it apart and start over.  I almost cried but now that I have a few days away from it happening its fine.  I can redo it probably better this time!)

(Me and my wool purchase!)

(The needle that caused the problem.  The one to the right it connected but the one to the left the plastic bit broke off and no you can't fix it.  Stupid needle!)

White Island Volcano and Taupo Half Marathon

Cec ended up with a couple of days off so we made a trip up to a place called white island.  Its an active volcanic island a few miles off the north coast of New Zealand.  We stayed in Rotorua as it apparently gets cancelled a lot in the winter due to bad sea conditions.  We got lucky and drove in the morning to the boat dock for a 10AM departure.  Then we had a very rough 2 hour boat ride out to the island.  Cec and I pretty much slept most of the way (due to the sleepy anti-nausea meds).  After we got to the island they put us on a little speedboat and ferried us to the island.  there we were taken around and given a tour.  The bottom line is the island is active and has been mined in the past.  However, now it is just a tourist and scientific attraction.  We were given hard hats and gas masks just in case.  Actually, the gas masks came in useful because of the shear amount of gasses that were not harmful but hard to breathe in.  Tons of beautiful colors from the sulfur and other minerals.  A very, very cool experience.  The pictures are great but for some reason don't really give you the sense of shear eeriness and scale.  We did take a few videos too:  HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

(This is how we spend the 2 hour trip out.  Soooo rough thank goodness for meds!)

(Gas masks help with the fumes!)

(This is the boat we were brought out on.)

(We had a GREAT time.  So many interesting things to look at)

(Tons of features like those steam vents were constantly active)

(The water and mud pools were glimmering with minerals as well.  We were allowed to tast the water in a couple of places an it tasted of blood in one (iron), lemon in another (acid) and sour in a third (minerals like sulfur)

(Here we are posing in front of the center lake of the volcano)

(The wood is from a mining operation that was financially unsuccessful.  The wood has held up well, although the acid has an effect on everything)

(Cec posing in front of some abandoned machinery in the old mining operation)

(I'm climbing onto the speedboat to go back home!  Only in NZ!)

After white Island, we drove back to Rorotua where we were staying and that was basically a full day.  The next day we had hoped to go hiking, however the weather forecast was poor.  Instead, we took an early morning walk along the lakeside and through the government gardens.  We had perfect timing, as the rain came in just as we finished.  Then, we headed to Taupo and picked up our race packets for the half marathon/5K the next day.  The rest of the day we did a little shopping downtown in taupo and grocery shopping.  Then we lazed away the evening.  It was cold, wet and the morning was the race!)

(Government gardens entrance.  At the center is a museum that we have not been to yet.  They have a lot of flowers in the summer as well as croquette courts)

(Even in winter there are flowers, amazing.  You can also see the dutch influence in the museum in the background)

(Then we walked along the thermal zone.  Be careful though!  Watch your step!)

(The grey sky wasn't pretty but the lake hitting the geothermal zone was)

(We found a hidden art sculpture walk.  Both the statue and the bridge are war memorials)

The next morning, thankfully, did not start early.  Cec half marathon started at 9:00AM, my 5K at 9:50.  It was cold, wet, windy and slippery.  I was not impressed by the organization as they started and finished in a park (fine), but at a low spot so you basically were standing in cold water.  They also released the people in an odd way.  10K runner, then 10K walker, then 5K runnner, then 5K walker.  So I spent a ton of time trying to pass to 10K runners and not going into the street to do so.  Like I keep saying, poor planning.  Oh, and they were 10 minutes late.  Really?  Its freezing! The course itself was ok, you just had to be careful to not slip on the wet concrete or asphalt.  I even ran in a poncho it was so cold and didn't get hot.  I have been fighting shin splints for a couple weeks, but thankfully they held off.  I think the cold had a lot to do with it.  I waited after I finished for cec and watched half a dozen people falling in the muddy, slippery conditions.  Poor planning.

Cecil: The half marathon trail was on the esplanade along the lake, so that was nice. It was a light drizzle on the first half out, but it really picked up on the way back and became big, slushy sleet/rain. I always pack a sandwich bag with me now because if it starts to downpour, I can put my phone in the sandwich bag and still use it! So I have been training pretty consistently, and I thought I would set my sights on a PR (personal record) and I decided to be ambitious and set my pace for 1 hour 55 minutes, my previous PR was a few weeks ago in the wellington 1/2 marathon and that was for 2 hours 0 minutes. I am not sure if the cold helped or not. Did I run faster because it was cold? or was it so cold and wet that it actually slowed me down. At one point I was 5 miles away and it felt like their was a imaginary ice leach hooked into my skin sucking all the warmth away, or a dementor. But I kept my pace up and did finish with my personal best in the 1/2 marathon! I almost fell  flat on my bum at the end though!

(My selfie before the start.  Its foggy from rain.)

(Cec at the finish.  He's freezing as that coat is not waterproof only resistant.  Yes, his cell phone is in a sandwich bag.  Notice the people in the background coming in splashing the water at the finish line! Cecil: Karen kept on telling me to smile, but I was so cold I just couldn't!) 

Then we high tailed it back to our hotel which was only a few blocks away.  Showered and got warmed up.  We hung out in the afternoon and waited for our massage appointment at the Wareki Spa Pools.  Cec got a sports massage and I got a relaxation message then we spent some time in the thermal silica pools.  Let me tell you what, a GREAT way to spend a cold,crappy day.  Odd that when in the spa you don't feel the cold rain.  After that enjoyment, we went back and changed to meet some friends for dinner.  Ironically, several of our wanganui crossfit friends were up doing this insanity.  We had some delicious NZ beef and even better company.  

(they gave us robes to change into.  Not my best selfie, but im excited!)

(Dinner was great with friends!)

The next day we took a short walk down the lakeside before heading towards home.  We stopped at serveral lookouts in Tongariro National Park that we always seem to be passing at night to try to get some good pics.  How do you think we did?  We also stopped at the National Army Museum and spend a few hours.  Very well laid out museum but sad.

(Walking lakeside we thought this sculpture seemed fitting to summarize the weekend)

(Tongariro alpine crossing covered in snow!  One of the few places on North Island that gets snow)

(Selfie time!)

(The Kiwis were playing with the little but on the ground.  A lot fo them travel to this region apparently to ski and play with snow)

(In a town called Ohakune there is a sculpture of a giant carrot.  We don't understand it, but it made for a fun photo opportunity)

(the museum was actually really busy.  Although it wasn't raining it was bitterly cold.  A lot of people decided to stay inside!)

(Apparent;y during WWI this was the daily ration of beer.... just saying)