Taranaki Falls

When lockdown was over and we were in Level 2, the Chateau Tongariro was advertising special deals to stay- and I decided to take advantage of their offer. The weather was brilliant, and I was able to walk the Taranaki Falls track, perhaps my favourite New Zealand track as it has turned out beside the Hooker track in Mt Cook National Park.

The track started not far from the Chateau itself. It was a loop track, and by accident really, I took the lower of the two tracks first, which in hindsight I am quite pleased about. It descended at times down to streams, and so the views up higher came as a delightful surprise.

 It wasn't long before I was noticing icy deposits near the path.

 You could look back past the alpine scrub to see the Chateau.

 The stream that I walked alongside in places had icy stretches in the shade. The patterns in the ice were quite beautiful.

 Then all of a sudden I found myself climbing a little out into more open alpine scrub. The three young men in this photo were from France- so had obviously been with us through lockdown.

 Up high I came across a stream that was pretty much completely iced over, and frozen into stillness.

 The Taranaki Falls came into view, and were stunning.

 The white 'circle' around them was ice, as you could see when you went closer. Not a pool to plunge into midwinter!

 I sat beside the waterfall on a rock for ages, just soaking in the unbelievable sunshine and blue skies, listening to the sound of the water falling.

 But then came the return loop. There was a bit of a climb, though not unduly harsh, and soon you were seeing the stream away from the falls from above.

 And above on high you had views of Mts Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu, and also in the distance, Mt Taranaki.

 Later, back in the Chateau I could relax in deep armchairs and enjoy the art deco windows...

 This view of the sunset was from the terrace of the Chateau building, right beneath my window.

 Next morning I drove home via the road near Rangipo and over to Turangi. There was a frost, and the drive was somewhat scary in places with icy roads- but it was so worth it just to see this icy spidersweb- a first for me!

a longer circuit

Today I decided it was time for a longer circuit again, and the forecast promised good weather all day. We are getting near the end of daylight savings time here, so the sun wasn't up when I started walking at 6.45am- but you could gradually see the sky lighten over the hills to the east. It reminded me of the joy of mornings on the Camino to be walking at dawn.

I've set up my iPod Touch so I can see the weather and temperatures in places like Paris, Dijon, Le-Puy-en-Velay and Geneva, and at the end of last week I was a little surprised to realise the temperature in that part of the world was up in the high teens and early 20s already. I actually quite like walking when it is cooler, and carry some extra layers for that, so I was pleased to see the temperature in France is due to plummet again, even if the locals don't want that! Today it was quite warm walking up along Green's Rd where this photo was taken- around 23/24C, and I drank plenty from my two water bottles.

Around town, you can see that autumn is beginning, as the deciduous trees are starting to change colour. But in the countryside, the changes are more subtle. One thing I noticed today was fewer wildflowers than on my last walk up here- and more seedheads.

I arrived home carrying a slight injury today- maybe I will try swimming for a few days this week instead of walking...

Flowers out of Rock

I wrote this paragraph some weeks ago as I reflected on my reasons for walking again- (and it is posted below in Moments of pilgrimage).

The memory of seeing a flower bursting forth out of rock

and the celebration it wrought in my heart

seems like a reason to walk again

as if somehow this healing is important for more than just me.

The day in my mind about which I wrote these lines was a special day, a healing day- just after I had taken a rest day in Estaing to recuperate a little from blisters. I knew renewed joy as I walked more freely in the welcome sunshine, past spring flowers, until suddenly I saw some flowers growing so improbably out of rock- and it seemed like a miracle.

This weekend I did my first 20km 'training walk' and I knew a similar joy. I was retracing a road near town that I had walked along many times in 2007-8 as I trained for the Camino.  And suddenly I saw some spring clematis spiralling down in front of a rocky road cutting. It was a sight of beauty, another wee miracle to be thankful for. A sight of beauty to hold in the memory of the heart and soul.

Native clematis in springtime on Kahuterawa Rd, near Palmerston North

And I think these flowers are kind of like an arrow- the joy they bring shows that walking in the countryside is the right thing for me to do...

Town and Country

Some photos to share.... first lot are from last weekend's frosty morning walk up Kahuterawa Rd- and second lot are of the Palmy Clocktower at night. (Click to get larger versions.)

 

I don't know what it is about this particular landscape- but I always love it when I round the corner and see those hills in the distance, and usually some animals in the foreground by this shed.

 I was amazed I managed to capture this spiderweb. The early morning sun was behind it.

 Looks kinda cute the way these two are facing me- but the reality is they were staring at me making sure I wasn't a threat.

Always love the colours of the sky behind this letterbox, contrasted with the colours of the soil, and its pattern of erosion. It's like finding 'old friends' walking up this road again.

And now for some more night-time Clocktower photos. No explanation needed!

Off to Okains Bay

I joined my friends in Christchurch for a couple of days, and saw signs of earthquake damage at their home, largely due to soil liquefaction. Here is my wee doll Arohanui checking out their garage which has to be demolished and replaced.

Soon it was time to be off to Banks Peninsula for camping at Okains Bay. 

It took no time at all to sink into that relaxing feeling.... These next three photos from the sunset that evening.

 

These two oystercatchers are part of a group  of three I saw often along the beach. I think that one is a juvenile. Certainly, one of these three was very belligerent, perhaps protecting the young one. I am much further away than you might think, as this camera has an excellent zoom, but I was dive-bombed several times on various occasions, and saw the same happen to others who inadvertently strayed too close!

It was a peaceful time of evening to take out a flounder net, but I think their efforts only scored them crabs this time....

Christmas Day- Celebration

I spent Christmas Day with friends. No people photos, but here are a few photos that show our lovely celebration meal.

Camino Reflections

I was inspired by Johnnie Walker for this. He did some reflections on the Camino, using his own spoken commentary with photos. I have done much the same thing here about my walk in 2008 from Le-Puy-en-Velay in France, to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northern Spain. (These reflections are already on my Camino blog in a longer written form, and I have just edited them down a bit.)
You can see it on YouTube here.