Windy Point

I am sitting on a comfy seat at Windy Point, the furtherest point on my walk along the Manawatu Gorge track today. As I sit here I am aware of the beauty around me, and also that my 'training' walks are nearly at an end.

This time in five weeks I will be in Paris. Here it is approaching midday Saturday, but there it will be more like midnight Friday. I hope I will be sleeping soundly after a busy day exploring the streets of Paris -and that I am not lying in bed wide awake jetlagged.

This time in six weeks I will have started walking the Chemin from Cluny.

But for now I am sitting in this Beautiful Spot in the sunshine. I can see Ashhurst nestled on the plain at the end of the gorge I began from, and I can see Woodville through at the other end. Across from me on the other side of the gorge, the hills are covered with gently moving wind turbines. The sound of cicadas is loud in the air, and just a few birds can be heard singing.

I've typed this on my iPod Touch for practice. I'll blog it later and add photos when I get home.

Sent from my iPod

I composed this at Windy Point on the "Notes" app on my iPod Touch, then sent it to email- just to see what would happen- though I knew I had no wifi up there. As soon as I arrived home within wifi range, the e-mail clearly sent itself. So that was a good lesson learned: I can compose e-mails and they will sit there until I am in wifi reach, then send themselves....

All these photos of Windy Point have been posted to the blog back at home. There's no camera on my old iPod Touch, so for photos I have to wait until I find a computer where I can download photos from my camera- hence there won't be heaps of photos posted en route on the Chemin...

Sign for Windy Lookout- it's a very brief diversion off the track

Looking down over Woodville and towards the hill country of the eastern part of the Tararua region.

Looking back towards Ashhurst on the Manawatu Plains.

Wind turbines on the hills on the other side of the river.

The comfy seat where I sat and composed the blog post on my iPod Touch. I nearly left my camera behind here!

I always love seeing this cabbage tree on the lookout, and enjoy seeing what kind of cloudy skies will figure behind it in a photo!

Out 'training'

I was looking forward to this weekend and my planned 20km walk, up one of my old 'training' roads, Kahuterawa. I left home early, and was rewarded with the sight of a spectacular sunrise. I hadn't gone far walking when I heard a rooster crowing, and I was instantly reminded of walking with Lyne and Denis one Camino morning in 2008 as we left Molinaseca, when there was a chorus of roosters from either side of the road.

There were many signs of spring as I walked- see my Nomad blog for more photos- and I remembered how much happiness it brought me seeing the seasons change as I walked in 2007/8- both training for, and walking on, the Camino. Once I reached the higher parts of the walk today, the river was my companion- sometimes I was high above it, and sometimes low down near it. But always I could hear it flowing. And there was plenty of birdsong in the bush. My feet were sore by the time I had finished 20km, but I enjoyed being in the countryside so much....

Kahuterawa Rd- springtime

 I have begun 'training' for a couple of Chemins in France next year... and today took a 20km walk up my old training haunt- Kahuterawa Rd. I had walked the first 4km last weekend, so mostly walked swiftly up this part of the route, without taking photo breaks- but I couldn't possibly pass by without taking a photo of this handsome rooster. His crowing was apparent from well down the road.

Once you pass beyond the Green's Rd intersection, things become more isolated and 'wild' looking, and the river keeps you company as you walk.

It was calm when I started out, and so I was able to take a photo of some young pine cones: the past two weekends it has been too windy and they were moving too quickly for a close-up...

This shot is taken from the bridge at the top end of Kahuterawa Rd, where the Sledge Track starts, and where this bridge leads to Burton's Track. It marked about 10km of walking, and I had a 10km return trip ahead of me. I sat at the picnic tables and had 'lunch' at about 10am (!) then rewarded myself with a chocolate treat, before heading back down the road.

Drizzle started as I left, and a kind elderly man stopped to offer me a lift. I think I know who he was- a man who has done a lot of volunteer work to open up the tracks in this area for people's recreation. But I didn't want a lift- I am likely to encounter far heavier springtime rain on the route from Cluny next year, and I was 'training'. The man understood. I love the sense of 'mystery' in the hills when their tops are draped in cloud like this.

 I was excited to see some clematis growing against a rocky outcrop on the roadside where I could get a close view of it. (Mostly it is higher up in the trees.) I was reminded of all the spring flowers I saw in 2008 when I walked south from Le-Puy-en-Velay. Somehow, the northern spring seems not at all far away.

 This is a view approaching the Green's Rd intersection from the uphill end of Kahuterawa Rd: it's not so often I reach it from this direction, and the gnarly old macrocarpa stand out from here.

 One of the things I loved last time when I walked along this road many times to 'train' was that I saw the changing of the seasons- from spring to summer to the beginnings of autumn (when I left NZ to go and walk in the French spring...) My heart already is singing with the thought of the changes I will see in the countryside, and I was glad to see so very many obvious signs of spring. There were only glimpses of sunshine this morning, but the light brought these tiny little leaflets to life.

And the lambs- they always announce 'spring'!

The journey to Cluny

The journey to Cluny has begun! During the week I contacted the travel agent to check when the Earlybird fares would be here for Europe in 2012- and this morning I took my first 'training' walk- up along Kahuterawa Rd, with my 'proper' walking shoes and socks on...

Almost as soon as I stepped back onto that rural road, memories came back of the many steps I took along here as I trained in 2007-8 for my Camino from Le Puy. Back then, I didn't know how very appropriate this kind of walking was- but the hills and the tarmac were indeed what I needed practice on. This time as I stepped out I was reminded of how I had watched the seasons advance and change during my training months- and this morning I could already see signs of spring. But the 'new' factor in the walk this time was that I found myself recognising how very similar these landscapes were to the hills of the French Basque country.

Kahuterawa Rd reminded me of the French Basque country

There were soon plenty of reminders though that despite my idle daydreams, I was definitely on New Zealand soil.

The sight of many pukekos was one of those reminders, especially near swampy ground.

And soon I saw some native clematis in flower, announcing a kiwi spring.

Grey skies kept me company for most of my walk, with a hint of drizzle in the air- again not so dissimilar from Basque country weather. And I found I didn't care at all if it rained. I was enjoying slight wildness in the wind with just a merino jersey to counter its bite. I sat on my raincoat at the intersection with Green's Rd, and it seemed like I was born to be here in the outdoors with the wind whistling around my ears.

My thoughts turned to walking the Camino. But at the same time, I was reminded that one of the lessons I learned walking the Camino was to live in the present moment. So rather than dream about the old pilgrim churches I might walk past in the French countryside, I made sure I listened for the sounds of the local birds, and looked for any signs of the season turning into spring...

Turitea Walkway

Well, it surely does help to keep one sane if we keep having lovely winter days like this in the weekends. Another Sunday, another lovely walk - this time along the Turitea Walkway, which starts on the edge of Massey University grounds.

 The walk starts off along a track that passes through bush, near the Turitea Stream.

Later it emerges out onto farmland, and you get some great views across to the northern end of the ranges in behind the city.

 I saw quite a few people out walking their dogs. This lady is wearing a t-shirt, same as me- always makes it feel less like winter when you can do that!

I walked as far as this picnic table, just short of Old West Rd. The reflections in the pond were so beautiful in the sunshine. This is a pool where I look for some ducks with ducklings in the springtime. But today I used the view here as a place to practise my landscape-sequence ready for some 'stitching' efforts- as part of my night class 'homework'. Here are two of the landscapes I 'stitched' once I got home, and I am quite pleased I got them to 'match' up pretty well.

It was time to head back along the walkway for the car, and I decided to put the camera away and speed up the pace. But then along came this fungus beside the path, just begging to be photographed.

As I drove home, I noticed one of the magnolia trees in the Esplanade was in full flower. Ahhh well, if we have another fine day next weekend, I shall have to go and explore there...

Back to the Manawatu Gorge

When I broke my wrist last year, there was a long descriptive paragraph came back from Radiology that the Dr sensibly translated at the time as 'nasty'.  But with good hospital treatment, and lots of hard work from a wonderful physio, my hand is pretty functional again. Surprisingly, what has taken longer than I expected, was getting my confidence back with certain physical activities. My brain has kept on wanting to protect my arm from further injury...

However, today was the day for me to get over another one of those heebeegeebee moments and head up onto the Manawatu Gorge track. I walked this track lots early in 2008, when I was preparing to walk the Camino. (From road level, you climb up onto a ridge, so that is good aerobic exercise.) There are new signs along the track now, so now I know it is 10.1km long- I never realised it was quite that far. I seldom walk the whole track in any case, as it isn't a loop. Usually I walk in for 1, 2 or 3 hours, then out again.

I had my camera with me, since I am doing the 365 challenge this year where I take a photo each day. And I had been thinking it might be time I added another landscape photo into the mix... but as it turned out, I got quite distracted by the fungi along the way.

Even these dying ones look rather beautiful.

Today I only intended to walk to a certain log that is my 'one hour' marker. It took me one and a quarter hours. I don't think I was walking more slowly than normal- I think it was all the 'photo opportunities' I kept taking...

This is the view down from the first lookout, to the White Horse Rapids below. (I never knew they were called that before- but they have new signs up along the track now, so now I know!)

I have never before seen as many drupes, mainly from tawa, as I saw today. There is a lot of work being done in this area to restore biodiversity, and getting rid of possums and other predators is one of the strategies being used. Maybe that is part of the reason for the abundance of fruit.

 

In places, there are quite a few tree ferns along the track, a part of our native bush I love.

 

And there were many tawa standing along the way, tall and straight. 

I so much enjoyed being back in the bush today, and won't leave it too long before I head up there for a longer walk. I have to say, as I am just 'getting back into it', my body gave me a wonderful buzz of endorphins today as well, with the steady climbing. Two incentives to get back there!

Okains- Morning 4- the top of the hill

Bit shocking really that it took until the fourth morning in camp before I finally climbed the 'Big Hill'. But this morning when I peeked out at the beach, it was great to see that the mist had cleared.

Here is the view from near the top of the hill, looking back at the other bays I have passed through. Okains Bay camping ground is nestled in the pine trees in the third bay along.

When I reached the top of this hill in 2008 I had fun taking photos of a 'solo' tree up here, and I was keen to see if it still stood. And it did...

On the way down again, I could see everything clearly: the mist was well gone.  Here is a view of the islands the seabirds nest on from above...

...and here is a view of the same islands at sea level in Little Okains Bay, the first bay along.

Now, I know you might all be thinking this trip is a bit of a 'solo effort' as you see no people in my shots. That's pretty general with my blogging- for privacy reasons.  I was sharing the camping ground with a few friends though, and here are a few camping scenes.

I did tend to rise before most of my friends, and by the time I got back from  my morning walks, breakfast would be served....

Okains Bay is a lovely camping ground where you spread out and find your own spots under pine trees. Not all square and confined.

The young lady of our party was about to commandeer this hammock for some relaxed holiday reading.

And here is some of our swimming gear drying off for the next swim. I was the North Island Wimp of the party- moaning about the cold South Island water, but I did get in once or twice....

Christmas Morning- Bledisloe Walk

Yesterday morning before heading off to share Christmas Day with friends, I headed for a walk along the whole Bledisloe walkway from Massey up to Old West Rd.

 As I crossed over each of the bridges I saw gentle morning light on the stream.

 

I know I have put up a photo of this gateway before, but I always  love the darkness of the path and fences contrasted with the sunlight on the hills beyond.

 So very pleasing to see that Christmas Day has started in sunshine!

 These crops nearer the end of the track seem very well advanced this year, with all the tropical warmth and wet we have had lately.

And on my way back I stopped briefly at one of the tables along the way to eat a summer peach and drink some water.

Kahuterawa Rd Walk

When I was training for the Camino, I used to walk on some of the country roads near town, and Kahuterawa Rd was one of my favourites. But since my accident,  I've been nervous of walking in the countryside with just a narrow verge beside the road. A few weeks ago I headed out onto Kahuterawa Rd with a friend: that 'broke the ice'. And today I stepped it up a notch- up as far as Green's Rd. 

 There were a couple of horses grazing, and a herd of cattle were in a paddock close to the road. 

Today these followed a pattern I've seen before. The horses gave me a few seconds glance, then put their heads back down and nibbled more grass. But the cattle seemed to find my presence more alarming, and stared at me straight down the camera lens.

 Summer was rampant: wildflowers grew in profusion all along the way.

Not so many wild flowers in this paddock though: looks like hay has already been cut and stored. 

And finally, another pukeko (swamp hen). The lens (20X) on the new camera certainly helps me zoom in.
(And if you want to know how this walk fits into future dreams, try my new blog!)