It’s nice to have someone back up your story for you. Even better, when the independent source is funded by more pockets than just your own. “No dear, it was not my snoring causing the house to shake this morning.”
http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/2906682g.html
Napier has 4 roads leading into it – two via mountain passes. Last weekend the Taihape pass was closed by the first winter snowfall, while cautions were issued for the tarred Taupo road. The white capped ranges that surround Hawkes Bay make for a spectacular backdrop to the orchards now fast shedding their leaves.
The autumn colours have been disappointing this year and the apple growers complained it didn’t get cold enough to give apples their rosy glow. So it was relatively warm autumn for Dave and Natalie’s visit.
One cannot visit New Zealand without an obligatory “tramp”. Unlike the gentle walks of Europe a tramp here involves a vertical ascent and a precipice to fall down. Although we were equipped with hiking boots, walking sticks, compass, cell phones, space blankets, parkas, jackets etc. the real needs for the Tongariro crossing are for blindfolds and a helicopter. Although the use of a helicopter is regarded as a bit wussy, as you are supposed to retain your limbs to slow your way down.
New Zealand's active volcanoes include Ruapehu, Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and White Island. The overall activity is quantified by setting an alert level from 0 to 5 for each volcano and currently the Tongariro-Ngauruhoe cones are at level 1. This we interpreted to mean that each of us needed to carry only one six-pack or bottle of brandy for the walk. However in case we ran out of coke, Dave took along some water as well.
The Northern circuit crossing passes between the smoking Tongariro and Ngauruhoe volcanoes and through a few craters. For the unfit it’s a slog that takes about 7 hours. It’s also a full day from Napier as it takes 2 1/2 hours to get to the start via Taupo. Some of us were thankful to survive the walk, others to survive the drive back.
Our blog is linked to Dave’s pictures and his New Zealand album includes this day with his spooked and dieselled old folks amongst the gigantic quarries.
Not daunted by this stroll, our back garden walks to Cape Kidnappers and up Te Mata peak were also easily knocked off. Thoroughly exhausted, Gill and I were happy to pack our visitors off to Queenstown for a few days while we were in recovery.
http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/2906682g.html
Napier has 4 roads leading into it – two via mountain passes. Last weekend the Taihape pass was closed by the first winter snowfall, while cautions were issued for the tarred Taupo road. The white capped ranges that surround Hawkes Bay make for a spectacular backdrop to the orchards now fast shedding their leaves.
The autumn colours have been disappointing this year and the apple growers complained it didn’t get cold enough to give apples their rosy glow. So it was relatively warm autumn for Dave and Natalie’s visit.
One cannot visit New Zealand without an obligatory “tramp”. Unlike the gentle walks of Europe a tramp here involves a vertical ascent and a precipice to fall down. Although we were equipped with hiking boots, walking sticks, compass, cell phones, space blankets, parkas, jackets etc. the real needs for the Tongariro crossing are for blindfolds and a helicopter. Although the use of a helicopter is regarded as a bit wussy, as you are supposed to retain your limbs to slow your way down.
New Zealand's active volcanoes include Ruapehu, Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and White Island. The overall activity is quantified by setting an alert level from 0 to 5 for each volcano and currently the Tongariro-Ngauruhoe cones are at level 1. This we interpreted to mean that each of us needed to carry only one six-pack or bottle of brandy for the walk. However in case we ran out of coke, Dave took along some water as well.
The Northern circuit crossing passes between the smoking Tongariro and Ngauruhoe volcanoes and through a few craters. For the unfit it’s a slog that takes about 7 hours. It’s also a full day from Napier as it takes 2 1/2 hours to get to the start via Taupo. Some of us were thankful to survive the walk, others to survive the drive back.
Our blog is linked to Dave’s pictures and his New Zealand album includes this day with his spooked and dieselled old folks amongst the gigantic quarries.
Not daunted by this stroll, our back garden walks to Cape Kidnappers and up Te Mata peak were also easily knocked off. Thoroughly exhausted, Gill and I were happy to pack our visitors off to Queenstown for a few days while we were in recovery.
Re-invigorated by the sights of the sounds*, the crisp south, wanaka beer and was-gij’s, Dave and Natalie returned to face the nephews, tackle go-karting, the local cycle and wine routes and a couple of easy rounds of golf.
Now that the sensible have left, life has returned to the surreal. It’s been back to work for all of us; Roisin in the elephant house, Gill catching up her swopped out hours, and Ary and I doing the work of ten men or half a woman.
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PS: It takes a writer to describe the sight of a sound*:
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2 comments:
Hello Guys
Trevor Watkins has finally found your blog, and read parts of it! How so, you may ask? Well, I spent a fair part of today setting up my own blog, so now I'm interested in all things bloggy, and yours was the nearest to hand. It beats emails (I think. At least you can FORCE emails down unsuspecting readers eyeballs.)
We have had our own share of "Visiting kids induce heart attack in elderly parents" syndrome down here too. First Meg and Dave (her swain) visited and decided to walk to Gamtoos Mouth from JBay, a distance of about 7 or 8 kms. Being new and ignorant, we set off at high tide along the beach, trudging through soft damp sand that came up to our ankles. After about 5km of this we were exhausted. Then my phone rang and a Jhb client wanted me to solve some problems. So I hotfooted it back along the still soggy beach, pausing not at all. Next day we all had elephant calves.
Then Dylan came down and we decided to sponsor a surfing lesson for him. In a moment of insanity, he persuaded me to get a lesson as well. I got to spend two hours in heavy surf doing about 200 press-ups on an ironing board without legs. All this so that I could stand for about 3.5 microseconds on a wobbly board and scream "I'm the Man!" I could hardly walk for 2 days, and could not use my previously damaged left arm for a week.
Now I setup blogs for fun (except for the daily run and morning swim, and volleyball on the weekends). I haven't started kite-surfing yet.
It's wonderful to be young - its just I can't remember it exactly.
Lotsa Love
Trevor
Oh, by the way, my blog address is http://sketchesbyboz37.blogspot.com/
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