Kia ora is a Māori language greeting which has entered New Zealand English. It means, literally, be well/healthy and is translated as an informal hi. It is also used as a farewell and expression of thanks.
16 hour flight from Los Angeles, 19 hour time difference – meant I left Friday night but didn’t arrive in Auckland ‘til Sunday morning. Yikes, where did Saturday go? EVERY day’s a run day but my first run in New Zealand would be on Colorado time 🙂 Restroom stall change-of-clothes, packing service watched my luggage, then logged 4 miles on NZ’s North Island. Heavy humidity & cloud cover, but no rain. Hung a right outta International, mile+ past Auckland’s Domestic Terminal, then north…running roadside – pasture on the left, swampy waterway on my right. Much of this former swamp’s been drain — ‘reclaimed’ in New Zealand talk. Meanwhile…my CT bestie Dawn arrived via San Francisco. Airport splash bath, taxi to town centre, first night digs at the Grand Millennium.
Luckily, caught a few zzz’s in Economy…’cause my NZ two-island itinerary didn’t include a rest day. LOL> Bags at the hotel, prepaid voucher on Auckland’s Hop-on Hop-off Tour. Double-decker YELLOW bus, four long blocks toward the Harbour.
Rode thru a handful of stops, already afternoon so was super selective with my Hop-offs. Auckland Museum, check – that’s my stop. Walked the perimeter, viewed the War Memorial Statue, then crossed Auckland Domain (city park) to Winter Gardens [self-toured past a local cricket match]. The grounds of Winter Gardens, stunning. Introduced to a multitude of tropical flora native to the Island.
2nd stop – quick hike up Mount Eden. Off a plane for 6 hours now…so why not? 🙂 Short quarter-mile trek UP, long walking path ‘round the rim of an ancient/sacred crater, depression from a dormant volcano. Absolutely serious. WOW, just WOW!
Hotel return, power nap, Sky Tower before night fall. Similar to Seattle’s Space Needle, great view of the harbour. Bit unnerving on the Skywalk, standing high above traffic on see-thru glass. Yikes!
730am bus to Rotorua in the morning – but not before a 10K treadmill trot at the hotel gym (running on NZ time now).
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- Hello from New Zealand!
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- Auckland Museum
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- Auckland War Memorial Statue
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- Winter Gardens
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- multitude of tropical flora native to the Island
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- Auckland Domain (city park)
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- quick hike up Mount Eden
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- volcanic crater depression
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- Auckland skyline
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- Mount Eden summit
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- Sky Tower
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- YIKES!
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- high above on see-thru glass
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- Auckland Harbour Bridge
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- Good nite, Auckland 🙂
Auckland Domain (city park)
Finding balance in 2017 = 2 weekends/month NOT marathoning
After receiving the best possible news ever (NO cancer), unexpectedly suffered a mental letdown. Not sure — is this normal after being hyper-focused ‘bout one’s physical health for so many months? Strange, but true.
Dog-sat my grandpup (while Ash & Tom horseback’d in snowy Estes), binge-watched a bunch of documentaries on Netflix – plus logged a lotta miles [’cause every day’s a run day]. Lotta miles = happy endorphins, soooo [luckily]…Sunday afternoon, dark cloud passed & found myself refocused on the future. BIG potential trip planned — details later 🙂
Sunday next: snow hiking in Colorado’s newest State Park, Staunton State Park in Conifer (established 2013). Hadn’t pre-planned a new hike since my 52-week hike year, when every weekend was a new hike. Researched whether trails were ‘dog friendly’, retrieved trailhead GPS coordinates & backpacked snacks/water for two.
day plan: altitude, thin air, mental reset/fixin’ the head
8300ft base, Ponderosa pine, montane meadows, easy up-n-down trail. Missed the trail split to the Old Mill Site soooo [unfortunately]…hiked an extra mile-half on Border Line trail, return hiked on Scout Line trail.
The trail leading to the old mill site is one of the more challenging hikes in Staunton State Park. The final .9 miles of this trail is hiker-only, a peaceful segment apart from busier multi-use areas. The hike features multiple historic properties, including cabins, an old bunkhouse and remnants of a sawmill.
My take: steep climb in SNOW — no switchbacks & almost a full mile UP. Gradual climb, not a 14er, but still an elevation gain of 782ft. YES! Hike reward: avocado/sprouts sandwich, large flat rock aside a 1930’s bunkhouse. Sunshine & snow, nothing better.
Next weekend, marathoning – winter destination: Michigan
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- Papa dog-sat, while Ash rode the Rockies — LOVE this pic!
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- Colorado’s newest State Park
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- destination: Old Mill Site
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- hike day with #1 pup
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- 8300ft base, just 40 minutes south of Denver
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- steady snow hike UP
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- 782ft elevation gain
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- scenic view…fairly sparse Mill remains
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- 1930’s bunkhouse
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- lunch break: avocado/sprouts sandwich – YUM!
Bro Fest – Jan 2017
After an almost non-existent winter, jeez the season roared in BIG this past week. No longer a question of snow, but how much precip – and will it affect my morning or evening work commute. ‘Bout time, well overdue 🙂
The mountains? Delayed ski resort openings at Thanksgiving ⇨ now resort closures…too much snow. Avalanche closed I-70 (both directions) half-day last week – 15 feet of snow covered a section of highway. Winter season’s arrived. Been driving the Jeep EVERY day since Christmas & absolutely LOVIN’ it! Sub-zero temps all week – crazy cold.
Migrated to treadmill running to log my daily miles. “Every day’s a run day” – haven’t missed since Christmas Eve.
First weekend home this year. Stay indoors, hunker down with the pup? Heck, no – layered UP & local-hiked NCAR to Chautauqua. Sun rose pink on the Flatirons Saturday morning, fave/most familiar trail trek now snow-hidden. No worries, have hiked this route at night – know it like the back of my hand. Boots, crampons, cap & gloves – GAME ON…first snow hike of 2017!
Battled thin air for a mile; lungs ached ‘til I settled into a healthy rhythm. Handful of 14ers on this hiker’s 2017 wish list. Limiting July & August to one (& only one) marathon/month. Finding balance this year.
Love of mountains, love of running. 2017 – all about achieving: BALANCE.
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- temp check: Friday NOON
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- crazy cold AND crazy windy
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- layered UP & local-hiked NCAR to Chautauqua
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- snow on the Flatirons
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- every day’s a ‘hike’ day 🙂
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- not everyone went hiking — someone road-tripped to Colorado Springs to sample ‘Mrs. Manwarren’s Cinnamon Rolls’ (as seen on Food Network’s ‘Diners, Drive-ins & Dives’)
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- LOVE LOVE this face!
the Big Chill: 2017 sub-zero start
