What I have been up to so far this year?

It has been a while since I posted anything on the Blog, so assuming anybody actually reads this stuff, here is a quick run-down on some of the things I have been up to this year…

Tararuas FP

Back in February my friend John and I spent a wet and windy night wild camping on Mt Holdsworth in the Tararua FP.

Whakapapa

Another trip with John, this time on the motorbikes. We camped at Whakapapa and did a number of walks in the Tongariro NP. Very much a last hurrah as within a week or so we were in full on lockdown.

Kaitoke Regional Park

We had just come out of level 4 lockdown and were allowed to venture slightly further afield so Neena and I drove the 40-minutes or so to Kaitoke Regional Park. It is a very beautiful area and is where some of the Rivendell scenes from Lord Of The Rings were shot.

Belmont Trig

A walk to Belmont Trig starting and finishing at Cornish street. The whole loop takes about 4 hours and is one of my staple walks. The trig itself can be a super windy place but on this day was behaving itself.

Red Rocks Seal Colony

It takes about an hour walking along the Wellingtons wild and rugged south coast to reach the seal colony. The start of the walk is close to where we live, so we visit Red Rocks a lot.

Rotorua

Freedom. At the end of June Neena and I spent 4 days in Rotorua. The first thing you notice on arriving in town is the smell of rotten eggs which is due to the various geothermal vents scattered in and around the place.

We stayed at the swanky Princes Gate Hotel. Swanky for us anyway - the NZ tourist industry has been decimated, so we thought we would do our bit and splash the cash.

The weather was pretty horrible but we got out and about anyway. On the way back to wellington when driving over the desert road we ended up in a blizzard, which was fun.

Wellington Botanical Gardens

Another favourite place. The gardens are extensive enough that you can loose yourself in them and always find a nice quite spot. There is also a very good cafe.

Zealandia

Just a couple of random images of Zealandia which is a fenced wildlife reserve located in Wellington and where I do the odd spot of voluntary work.

Mountain Biking

This is something I have done on and off since I have been in NZ, but a nasty accident and some dodgy knees had dented the enthusiasm somewhat in recent years.

To cut a long story short, I recently brought an e-mountain bike and the enthusiasm has returned. The electric assistance means that my knees no longer suffer going uphill and I get to do more of the fun downhill stuff. My old propensity to crash has also returned and I have already had one big off, so need to remind myself that I am no longer sixteen and ride a bit easier (probably not though).