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!