Following the intrapid walk under the influence of the unusual signpost, I had another good outing the very next day (Sunday 4th July). …
There were some distant clouds visible on norther horizon but otherwise fine still morning. I decided to have another longish walk and packed some lunch, jacket and water bottle in my day pack. I wanted to go up to the Rocky Knob, my favourite walk destination, for the first time in 6 months or so.
My walk that day, as many other ones, started at Otari Native Botanic Garden. The rocky gardens and green looks very different in the morning sun,and the hills behind, my destination, looked brighter and beckoning. I went down to still frosty picnic area, crossed the low bridge over Kaiwharawhara stream, and started walking up the Blue Trail. Walking under the dense forest canopy, track was dark and the air cool, but the spots of sunlight told me the day was nicely warming up. Soon I reached the highest point of Blue Trail and took an alternative route that brought me up to the familiar crossroad in a stand of pine plantation. 
A two minutes walk uphill brought me to the edge of open farming country. The regular track follows the farm access road, but my regular route goes straight up the slope to the rocky knob. I don't think its common, but the prospect of great view on top of a hill on a fine day has a strange effect on me, not unlike the effect of carrots dangling in front of a horse 😀 Though the hill looks big from this angle, it was only 10 minutes before I got to top. There I took a few pictures (see them in my photo album), and took in the views.
It was remarkably warm for winter, with only sight breeze. After some photography-ing, I walked further 5 minutes to a slightly higher and flatter peak north. There I sat down, ate my lunch, and had a lovely nap under the sun. :zzz:
Unfortunately soon it became somewhat breezier and tool cool for an extended snooze. I packed up and took a shortcut an went straight down to the new route I discovered only a day before. Then I followed another shortcut I knew of, which took me from the basic stile down to the Blue Trail less than 10 minutes from the bottom. It was still quite warm when I got home. I had the second lunch of pea and ham soup and toast, and enjoyed the warm afternoon sun.
I enjoyed tramping along with you! You wrote:
Tell me what temperature a normal winter is, and what it was like for your hike. You also wrote:
This reminds me of the hobbits "second breakfast" in Tolkien's works. BTW I am a fan of split pea and ham soup. :yes:
Our winter is relatively mild, but normally still cold enough to be wrapped up with longs, say a maximum temp of 12 degrees Celsius. On the day of this walk, I was walking up the last leg to the hilltop in my T-shirt and wished I had shorts on. 🙂 At lunch on sunny hilltop, my Suunto watch, place in my shadow, said 23 degrees. When I came down below the bush line it was 17-8 degrees. Official maximum temp reading at met-office was something like 14 degrees, I think. Originally posted by debplatt:
It's good, isn't it. I presume you've seen my extremely simple recipe? Actually I had the second lunch sitting out on our balcony in the afternoon sun in my shorts and T-shirt 😀
NZ weather tends to be a bit pessimistic about the temperature, this is not a bad thing…
Welcome back, DH. So you found the Oz too hot?Originally posted by darkesthour:
I can't stand heat at all and quite like the temp range we have around Wellington. Most of us turn to T-shirt and shorts as soon as the temp goes into 20s.
Coming from the UK, 20 is hot
Ttfn
20 degrees is just right for me. Unfortunately I don't think we'd get there today, or any time soon. :(I'd better go do some work. Thank you for stopping by, DH. Bye for now. 🙂
No crocodile, no snake, no venomous spiders, I understand why you walk here !! In France we have thousands of kilometers of Long Distance Footpaths ( http://www.gr-infos.com/gr-en.htm ) Cordes is on the GR 36 ( http://www.gr-infos.com/gr36e.htm ), I did some … Just Have to buy again all the equipment .
We have Te Araroa, which goes the length of New Zealand all the way from the northern tip (Cape Reinga) to the southern end (Foveaux Walkway). Tinakori Hill top, shown in my photo album, is a part of Te Araroa.
Fantastic trail !! My ultimate dream is to walk in Mongolian steppes; but this trail is a new challenge and easier to organize in an "occidental" country ! It seems to have discontinuity though "Bulls Bridge To Feilding Summer Route" is now closed in "Manawatu" part. What does mean "Te Araroa" ? "The Trail" ?
Yes. Te Araroa started as a dream of one guy called Geoff Chapple, to have a walkway that covers entire NZ. He then followed up his vision by walking the length of the North Island himself and posting the reports on Internet. Such a visionary.Originally posted by arduinna:
It may be more fitting on a horse back? The first image that come up in my head when I hear the word Mongol is horse riders.
Originally posted by arduinna:
The Long Pathway: te = the, ara = path or passage, roa = long. Adjective comes after noun. Isn't it a bit like French?I don't know the reasons for those particular section being closed or not through. It could be temporarily such as landslide closing the section. Or through a private land, whose owner no longer want the trail to go through his land, and in process of re-routing.
Originally posted by mimi_s_mum:
Yes I can see "(Sections on private farms are closed June to October.)", because of farmaing or cattle problem ? Do you have "transhumance", you know when the sheeps move to summer pasture ?
Originally posted by mimi_s_mum:
:confused: Now that you tell me that, yes it seems that it is the most often like this , we say "La maison bleue" for "the blue house" … But you cannot generalize :"Nos tendres années" for "Our tender years" (it's for more poetic situation, but it seems that "tender" feelings are placed before the noun as in English : "lying in the sweet grass", "from his earliest days" … And unfortunately as I am writing you , it becomes less clear, don't you say "a large house" when we say "une grande maison" ?? ("large" = "grand" and "house" = "maison" ) The adjective is before the noun in both case ! :faint:
Originally posted by arduinna:
Yes, that'd be for lambing or carving. The farmers don't want new born or young lambs and and carves disturbed by passing walkers and separated from their mother. That would be a temporary closure.
http://mongolderby.theadventurists.com/index.php?page=feesA chance to put yer money where ya mouth is 😆
You can follow the progress of the individual riders on a website, most do it for charity, its a really cool race
Originally posted by arduinna:
You haven't experienced the Mongolian steppes unitl you've explored it on horseback (she says, as if she knew what she was talking about. :P)
It is an awesome thing to do if you have bucket loads of money and can ride very well, guess i fail on two points there 😀
This conversation reminds me of the doco/reality show about Julia Roberts spending time with a mongolian family. Now I know the costs involved, I realise even a celebrity like her had to made a doco to pay for her expenses. 😀
From the site linked above:
:eyes:
I'm thinking how sore my behind gets riding a bike when I'm not used to it. I can't even imagine the pain of riding 1000 miles… Well I guess if it doesn't kill you, you'd have an iron butt by the end. 😀
Maybe you have to pay more for a saddle? :confused:
Originally posted by darkesthour:
Imagine having paid all that money and traveling all the way over to Mongolian steppe, only to find you can't squeeze your derriere in it. 😀 :p
Pommels $20 extra…
It would be a nuisance if it didn't fit, them little Mongolian ponies are pretty small
Originally posted by darkesthour:
I didn't catch that. That is cool. 😎
I suspect that would have come out of petty cash, they dont get richer by spending their own money 😆
Originally posted by debplatt:
Wonder if they provide proper saddle? The saddles used by the Mongolian riders I saw in Julia Roberts doco looked pretty flimsy.
Or BYO?
The ones on the site look like western saddles without a pommel…
Or it hangs off the horse like a pair of clowns trousers 😆 I better go, the washing needs to come in… TTFN
Thanks for the chat. I'd better go, too. :bye:
:sst: Sorry for all the stuff, but "My ultimate dream is to walk in Mongolian steppes" was meant on foot :irked:
But it looks so fun! I can see the guy above is not going to get a sore behind. 😀
Depends which way he falls 😆
Originally posted by debplatt:
Oh, yes. I wish!
Originally posted by mimi_s_mum:
I love Mongolian horses. I was watching a National Geographic documentary on them once, and they said that these horses appear to be close to the "original" horse before people started breeding them for specific characteristics.Originally posted by mimi_s_mum:
Thanks! If only I had been over there to take the photo myself. Wouldn't that be great?
Originally posted by arduinna:
As far as I understand, traditionally and historically the steppes were traveled on horseback. I thought you were big on history, Olivier. Don't you want to ride those Mongolian horses and follow the steps of Genghis Khan and his warriors?Thanks for the picture, Deb. Love the landscape and colour of sky. 🙂
I would rather do it on a motorcycle, I dont really like horses 😆
:chef: TTFN :bye:
Would you find petrol stations on Mongolian steppes?
No, but maybe on the ladders
:confused:
steppes… ladders 😆
:doh:
They are the best…I gotta go, TTFN
Are you stairing at me? 😆
I can handle lame jokes :p
The jokes get worse 😆