To continue the weekend activity theme, this weekend I spent time at my Northland house.
The tenants we have there have become friends and, as we have lots of room (a separate two bedroom living area at the rear of the house), they encourage me to come up any weekend I choose.
I bought a car from them and leave it there.
Rod drives into town to collect me from the bus on Saturday mornings and drives me back on Sunday evenings. This weekend I stayed through until Monday as it was Auckland Anniversary weekend. Magic.
On Saturday Rod and I walked around the bay and up a few hills. The views from the track across Whangarei Harbour are pretty special.
On Sunday we did the Mount Manaia walk.
Having done the "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" midday walk on Rangitoto and Waiheke recently I decided that 9AM should be the latest we headed out. As it turned out 7AM would have been better.
It was hot but the walk (climb) is great and the rewarding views from the top make it all worthwhile.
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| View from top of Mt Manaia over McLeod Bay where I live |
To get to the top requires walking/climbing over 400 metres.
After the massive storm in 2011 which washed out a lot of the track an expensive (and very worthwhile) rebuild has put in a bridge across a new ravine and over 1,000 steps.
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| Here's 39 of them - 961+ to go (literary allusion for Richard of RBB) |
The geology at the top is impressive, weird and interesting.
There is an exhilarating natural viewing platform about three quarters of the way up where you can walk out to the edge of a flat rock and look out. "look out' is apt as there is a 300 plus metre drop off at the end of the downwardly sloping rock. It is one of those 'funny feelings in the goolies' places which I've experienced when parachuting, parapenting, climbing scaffolds or looking over the cliffs of Mhor.
This was a great walk and one I like to do every month or so.
The thing that 'gobsmacks' me is that it is on my doorstep. To get to the start of the walk it is a simple walk along the road, up the hill at the end of our road for about a quarter of a mile.
Admittedly when arriving at the start of the walk which shares a carpark with the Maniaia Club of which I'm a member there is always the internal debate - 'nice cold glass of wine or beer or a mountain climb?' - that goes on but at least I go walking during the day and not the evening which makes it easier.
After the walk, when I got home I changed into my swimming gear and stepped into the water at the end of our drive (across the road) and luxuriated in cooling (but not too cold as I am a wuss), refreshing and beautifully clear water for about a half an hour pondering why on earth I don't live up here all year round.
3 comments:
1,000 steps!
Yes but they only represent about 25% of the climb.
The steps are just to get around the really slippery bits.
Rest assured when we do it together there'll be some real climbing to do.
The view is worth it!
I think you just found the incentive Robert.
I'll take up a chilled bottle of Hawkes Bay Chardonnay (one that's not too salty).
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