The Volcanoes Walk (in reverse)

Date: 5 April 2019
Party: Anna, Elizabeth, Lesley
Map:

Distance: approx 11km
Elevation:

Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Notes: This has been one of our go-to walks since the closure of the Waitakere tracks, and mighty good training for elevation. The Reverse Version, adapted by Anna, took us up the (steep) motorway side of Mt Hobson, and the (steep) Pines side of Mt Eden. Cheers for the hamstring/calf stretch, Anna. Fantastic and different views from both, with the Commercial Bay building now a feature of the city skyline. We also ventured around the back of Mt St John, which was novel, and gives a different perspective on the crater there. We made the most of the Reverse Version of Ayr St 🙃 and refuelled at the Shore Road cafe, planning our May trip to Raglan. Elizabeth has been given strict instructions to have a sore knee checked out and fully functional by then.

Auckland

Waiheke and the Sculpture on the Gulf

Date: 22 March 2019
Party: Anna, Lesley
Map: https://sotg.nz/
Distance: 2km of sculpture trail, then a hike around the coastal track from Matiatia to Owhanake Bay, and across the headland back to Matiatia
Elevation: not much
Time: We took the 9am ferry there and the 2pm ferry back to Auckland, and walked most of this time
Notes: This was such a fabulous trip. It somehow suited the post-Christchurch extremist attack mood - maybe the bright and sunny, normal day was a counterpoint to the shocking events of the week before. Everything also seemed to fall into place on the day. Ferries caught, ferries arriving, weather, sculptures, lack of crowds, and a fantail hovering around while we observed the national two-minute silence to remember the victims of the attack.

The first sculpture was by Euan Lockie, and proved hard to beat (see the hut moored in the water), but we enjoyed most and puzzled over a few.

The coastal track was fantastic; the houses outrageous. There were stairs. There was the bay we went to with Nigel for the ‘Annual Quiz Group Boat Trip’ and the beach Tony was taken to in the tender to ‘stabilise’ his sea-sickness on the trip! It was really, really hot. Anna had a sumptuous lunch, I had a brunch bar. The water was turquoise, and it could all not have been better.