Wednesday 26 March 2008 - In Search of the Dunham Ripper

It’s many years since I was a member of the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA), but when I received an email last night from John about one of their walks today I decided to take advantage of a bit of exercise whilst the DP was busy at work, especially as it was only a 10 minute drive to the start.

Despite wet weather it was a jolly bunch of 17 walkers that set out soon after 10am from Dunham Massey under Peter’s brisk leadership.
He assured us that the Dunham Ripper would indeed be found.
The group turned out to be dominated by early retirees who get very regular exercise – the pace was certainly more than reasonable (if reputedly much slower than on their longer weekend walks).
The forecast of worsening weather proved inaccurate; it was one of those days when overtrousers donned at the start stayed on, but those left in bags stayed in, if you can follow that. (The weather actually improved significantly during the course of the day.)

We zoomed off past a herd of fallow deer before crossing an area of lush green grass and randomly placed sand dunes where we were sternly paused by some gaudily dressed gents chasing a small white object.

Soon afterwards Peter wanted to show us an ancient school but was foiled by the adjacent roadworks; John wanted to visit the nearby micro-brewery to sample the ‘Deer Beer’ but was foiled by Peter’s feigned deafness.

John and I seemed to be lagging behind by the time we reached the Bridgewater Canal for the second time, at Agden Bridge.

Bombing on at a rapid pace we left the canal at the bridge at Oughtrington and headed through woods then suburban streets to reach the centre of Lymm, where one of the group demanded to be placed in custody as he was feeling a bit tired.

After marking down the leader for going too fast, the throng proceeded to lunch at 12.15 (a bit early?!) by the well fed Mallard population of Lymm Dam. 20 minutes was all we got, before rushing off down ‘The Bongs’, by the waters of Lymm Dam where a cormorant was enjoying a thorough wash, in a southerly direction, to be halted only by the thick blue line of the M56 motorway.
Luckily Peter had reccied the route and managed to avoid the ankle deep slurry in which the track past Broad Heyes Farm immerses unwary victims.
Having lost more points due to the bogginess of his route (rather unfair, I thought, as the slurry had been cleverly by-passed), Peter then imposed a ‘single file’ restriction at frequent intervals during the walk across fields which returned us to a selection of canalside hostelries, all of which were ignored.

His ‘leader’s score rating’ had now been reduced to nil, so he tried to bribe the throng into recognising that he had some skills by producing a large packet of liquorice allsorts and sundry other goodies. Very nice, but, he was told, only a pot of tea for 17 on his tab at the end of the walk would remedy the position. He responded by threatening to use his ‘delete’ button on any troublemakers, in his role of Membership Secretary of the LDWA.
We continued, in sunny weather, striding on past flapping lapwings to complete the circuit.

And where was the Dunham Ripper?
At least Peter found that, just around the corner from where the walk had started 5 hours earlier; he had the last laugh as it seemed that he had taken us by rather a roundabout route.
Here it is, a frame saw that has been ripping into tree trunks and converting them to planks since around 1860. It’s powered by a waterwheel below, through a series of belts and shafts, and is still in fine working order.

And so we adjourned to the same excellent tea shop that Sue and I enjoyed following our return from New Zealand nearly 2 weeks ago, for more of the same, before admiring the National Trust property and returning homewards.

The route is shown below. It’s 23 km with only 177 metres of ascent, and took us a brisk 5 hours, including stops.

An excellent day out. Thank you John for letting me know about it.

Tuesday 25 March 2008 - The Outdoors Station

It’s high time I provided a link to The Outdoors Station, and you will now find one on the right of the screen under ‘Useful Links’.
This is Bob Cartwright’s ‘hobby’ activity when, together with Rose, he is not busy running backpackinglight.co.uk – the source of high quality lightweight gear and advice.
Together with ‘blogfather’ Andy Howell, ‘Podcast Bob’ (pictured) is a prolific producer of podcasts relating to the outdoors, including a ‘Podzine’ with excellent weekly competition prizes.
There is a recent podcast – ‘Outdoors Show Special – Bloggers!’ in which (about 22 minutes into the podcast) Sue and I are interviewed by Andy. Not exactly ‘fame’, but still something we are not used to happening whilst we enjoy a drink with a few friends!
The podcasts are easy to listen to or download and cover a plethora of subjects.
Enjoy…

Monday 24 March 2008 - Shutlingsloe

I have written about a previous walk up Shutlingsloe (see here), but today’s stroll was completely different.

It’s a favourite short walk of mine, featuring lovely Peak District scenery after only a short drive to just beyond Macclesfield.

Following yesterday’s more sedentary activities we decided on this excellent 11 km circuit in the Peaks. We parked up in the busy lane by the Leather’s Smithy and set off at 2.30 through throngs of folk too intent on controlling their dogs and children to notice the tufted duck and the dabchick (little grebe) that were busy lunching in the cold water of Ridgegate Reservoir.
Beyond Trentabank we enjoyed the snow laden woodland as the path led us steeply up to disgorge us on the open moor below the 506 metre hill. The picture above shows Nallo Lady striding out towards the summit, reached in fine but blustery weather after just half an hour from the car.

With fine views in all directions, we lingered here whilst others puzzled as to the route down.

It was Bank Holiday Monday, a day when not everyone you see ‘on the hill’ is familiar with the terrain.

The initially steep descent to the east of the hill soon eases and we quickly reached the tarmac lane which leads to the Crag Inn. No time to dally here; just beyond the Inn a field is entered and a good path contours round to join another lane above Lower Nabbs Farm. By now there was a more bitter feel to the sharp wind, and dark clouds were invading the wintry panorama behind us.

Soon after turning right at a minor road, our route carried straight on where the road bore left. We headed on up to Oakenclough, then left over the top to emerge with long views west over the conurbation of Greater Manchester, with Winter Hill’s tall mast prominent in the distance.

Dropping down the boggy ginnel to The Hanging Gate Inn, I noticed that stone chippings had been laid over the wettest places since I was last here. The late diners in the Inn (it was after 4pm) stared blankly as we passed their window just as the bitter weather deteriorated into a snow shower. I was slightly envious of them. Emerging at another narrow lane, we turned left and after a couple of hundred metres found the ‘G’ signs that mark the route of the Gritstone Trail. Turning right onto this descending path we were disappointed to see a killjoy ‘No Sledging’ sign above the enticing slope.

The trail back to the car was an excellent and varied path – the ‘G’ signs being followed all the way, suddenly depositing us at the end of Ridgegate Reservoir, in view of the car, at 4.40, well in time for our appointment with Alan and his large teapot, just 2 minutes down the road in Langley.

Here’s the route, for which you should allow 3 hours (we were brisk today). It’s 11 km, with about 500 metres of easy ascent.

Sunday 23 March 2008 - Braised Five Hour Lamb

Today we enjoyed one of our easiest and favourite main courses, and are delighted to share it with you…Enjoy!

Braised Five Hour Lamb with wine, veg and all that (to serve 6)

This is a very easy meal, oft repeated as a Sunday dinner.

Ingredients:

1 large leg of lamb
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
6 rashers of thick streaky bacon
3 red onions, peeled and quartered
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 good handfuls of mixed fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, bay)
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 large carrots, scrubbed and halved
3 parsnips, scrubbed and halved
1 bottle of white wine

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3. In a large casserole pot or a deep seated roasting tray, fry the well-seasoned lamb in a couple of tbsp of olive oil until brown on all sides. Add the bacon, onions and garlic and continue to fry for 3 more minutes. Add the herbs and veg, pour in the wine and an equivalent amount of water, bring to the boil, and tightly cover with kitchen foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 hours until tender, seasoning the cooking liquor to taste.
To serve, pull away a nice portion of meat, take a selection of veg (you may need to dig deep for the onions and bacon) and serve with some crusty bread to mop up the gravy.

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver's excellent book - 'The Return of the Naked Chef'.

In other words, and with the assistance of a trusty Swiss Army Knife:

Capture one of these:




Using the knife, amputate a leg,
and trim it to look a bit like this:





Put the leg into a big casserole dish with the other ingredients and cook for 5 hours to arrive at this…

Don’t forget to bake some fresh crusty bread to absorb the juices that aren’t shown in the photo due to a minor technical problem.

Saturday 22 March 2008 - Icy Lakeland Fells

Being Easter, it was appropriate that hot cross buns should accompany our coffee at the Apple Pie Cafe in Ambleside, prior to striding off up the hill (the wrong way, in mine and Jenny's case!).

Despite a few initial problems with Andrew's GPS, we were soon warming up, despite a headwind, on the ridge leading north to Red Screes.

A good deal of 'catching up' was being done....

My leisure time has involved some experimental baking recently, so some testing was required. In the shelter of a wall, we tasted a batch of flapjack (not one of my signature recipes), and various comments ensued:

"Not enough glue!"
"Where's the chocolate?"

"I can't see any caramel"
"A lack of shortbread..."

Perhaps next time, a batch of the usual caramel shortbread would be better!

Behind the wall, additional windproof layers were pulled from rucksacks. The forecast indicated severe wind chill, and we were just about to experience the worst of it. Nearly at the summit of Red Screes, the temperature did indeed feel like the estimated minus 18 degrees C, with cold fingers, and even cold teeth.

Some fun was had by Martin and Richard who tested the strength of the ice. Although some cracking was heard, there were fortunately no wet feet.

The views down the Kirkstone Pass to Brothers Water were lovely, with sharp contrasts between sunlit fells and lakes, and those shrouded in grey cloud and snow showers, which were sweeping across frequently.

Our route continued towards Scandale Pass, over snowy grass, then an icy path next to the wall. Jenny managed to lose a leg down a hole, retrieving it with Richard's help.

At the pass, the sun made a very timely appearance as we sheltered on the leeward side of the wall to have lunch.
Dove Crag was our final objective. There were slate grey clouds with sunlit snow in one direction, and in the other, sun on Windermere creating a ribbon of bright water, with another on the distant sea of Morecambe Bay.

The grey clouds finally caught us up, and snow fell heavily for a few minutes, disappearing as fast as it had arrived. With Ambleside in our sights, the descent was slowed only to accommodate Richard's problem ankle and two episodes of cramp for Andrew, the first being on the top of a large stile, from where he couldn't move for some minutes!

Today, I was struck by the significant number of people on the fells in jeans. OK, all precipitation was falling as snow, not rain, but maybe the message isn't getting out as it used to (or less of the population are being well prepared by Scouting!).

The journey back to Manchester was strategically delayed by a visit to the superb Doi Intanon Thai restaurant in Ambleside, where the hot chillies were an ideal antidote to today's chilly wind.

Thank you Andrew for chauffeuring duties.

Here's the route - it was 15km with about 1050 metres of ascent, and took just over 6 hours, including about an hour of stops.

Friday 21 March 2008 - Good Friday

After a bit of exercise beside an unusually choppy waterway, Nallo Lady and I enjoyed the afternoon on this Fine Spring Day with two of our Best Friends, Andrew and Kate.

One of the Lovely Things about coming home after a Long Trip, as I think I may already have commented, is the pleasure of catching up with your close friends. Kate even lent me her bike for a while - luckily I retained possession of the camera!

Thursday 20 March 2008 - A Short Walk (or two) Around Marple Bridge

This is yesterday’s walk in the sunshine with no working camera, actually repeated today in light drizzle but with a camera (my archive footage was buried far too deep to be located).
At just 5.5km, the walk is a reminder of the days when I stumbled around here with one child in a papoose and another in a push chair.
I parked in Brabyn’s Brow CP next to the Midland, now a Bistro pub (actually very reasonable food), then strolled up the road, turning right down a footpath immediately after crossing the railway bridge by Marple Railway Station. [NB This walk is easily accessible by rail.]
Yesterday I’d forgotten that I was back in the UK, on a morning that had been frosty, so a brisk pace was needed to counteract the fact that I was wearing just two thin layers! I soon found a patch of mud that sort of justified using the Asolo boots for the first time since the Tongariro Northern Circuit walk.
The path skirts around a tennis club and heads up to cross a dirt lane before reaching the Peak Forest Canal at lock number 7. This is half way down a flight of 16 locks that allow the canal to descend 65 metres, originally built for the purpose of transporting limestone from the quarries of the Peak District. The canal is now tranquil, with the railway system and the A6 road being used instead to transport the ever desired limestone from the quarries.

The woodland was full of sound, with Great Tits, Blue Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Thrushes, Sparrows and Wood Pigeons all noisily going about their business – lovely.

I saw no canal boats; maybe the locks are closed – there was certainly a problem at number 2 lock, where a large tree (sadly sprouting a fine set of buds) had been blown into the water near the entrance to the lock.
It was very tranquil on the pond before number 1 lock, where a solitary Mallard and a solitary Moorhen had the canal basin to themselves and a Blue Tit chirped noisily in the background. (They were still there 24 hours later!)
Here the towpath crosses over the canal and proceeds under a railway bridge to reach a splendid aqueduct, opened in 1800 to span the River Goyt far below.
This is part of the ‘Cheshire Ring’ waterway system – an amazing feat of engineering over 200 years old that has stood the test of time. These days the aqueduct has a fine view of the nearby railway viaduct – another fine old structure that is still in use.

Across the viaduct the towpath heads towards Romiley Tunnel, whilst I headed steeply down a footpath to the left, turning left on reaching the river. Looking up, I spotted that the 200 year old aqueduct had been stapled together to maintain its integrity!

Passing under both bridges and up a grassy, sometimes boggy, path through three fields I emerged at a lane. Yesterday here, I met three finely attired gents who could have been auditioning for ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. Today I saw nobody on these paths. There’s a fine view of the railway viaduct.

Leaving some Carrion Crows to rummage in the horse manure, I turned right down a lane with fine views of the hillsides around Marple (yesterday they were fine – today it was a case of Peakland mizzle, so no image here), past a house, to reach a farm. A faded sign pointed me straight on through the farmyard, along the Midshires Way.
Pied Wagtails fluttered nearby as I strolled on, pleased to see that there was none of the oft-encountered slurry here today. I bore left, over a stile to a footpath that leads on past a small sewage farm to rejoin the River Goyt.
It’s a delightful woodland section now to Compstall. At present the bright yellow flowers of freshly sprouted Lesser Celandine are a delight, and Chaffinches are particularly active in this area. Today a male Pintail floated serenely down the river.
Beyond a weir, the main road at Compstall is reached all too soon.
A right turn over the bridge took me past The George (Robinsons, but too early to take advantage…).
A lane to the right is signposted to Brabyn’s Park and normally I would complete the circuit by walking through the park. But a sign indicates that the ancient iron bridge over the Goyt is being renovated and the path will be closed until 30 May. A stroll down the lane confirmed this – it would be an enterprising fellow who could get past the renovators’ barricades.

So I returned, past a field of newly born lambs,
happy to spend the last 15 minutes strolling along the road past the Northumberland Arms, The Spring Gardens, The Windsor Castle, the Ludworth and Mellor WI (and here I was, thinking I was in Marple Bridge!) and the Norfolk Arms, before skirting the Midland and reaching the car after this 1 hour 15 minute excursion, ideal for a short stroll, and for small children, subject to access to Brabyn’s Park being restored.

Here's a map - the route goes clockwise and given the above description, is easy to follow:

Wednesday 19 March 2008 - Riley's Reprieve

Another bright and sunny day, so I enjoyed a short walk from Marple Bridge. Sadly, whilst I have recharged all spare holiday batteries, the one in the camera was dead, so no photos I’m afraid from today. Instead, a holiday snap – sunset on 26 February from the Mangatepopo Hut, in the shadow of ‘Mount Doom’.
Sadly the DP couldn’t join me as she had a meeting at the local PCT (Primary Care Trust) office re possible part time contract work. So I dropped her off at 10am, expecting to see her in the early afternoon (it’s a short walk away) after I’d returned from my stroll.
But it seems that when it needs to, the NHS can actually do things quite quickly, and that is indeed my experience on the medical front.
It was nevertheless something of a surprise to return to find an email from the DP, indicating that she was ‘at work’ and would be back tonight.
Brilliant – so I can resume my ‘Life of Riley’!?
I do recall immediately re-employing someone a few years ago when she appeared in our reception after unexpectedly returning from abroad, but even then it took a day to sort out her contract. Sue seems to have been set up on the PCT’s email system and put to work ‘within the hour’. Amazing! But she has to finish early tomorrow as I am actually doing a bit of work myself in the afternoon (for Rodney and Christine – met on the plane from Singapore to Christchurch when Sue and I couldn’t get seats together – it’s a small world, I had met them before, 10 years ago); she needs to come with me as ‘payment’ is by way of a meal for both of us.

Tuesday 18 March 2008 - In Search of Silkbody

It’s time to report on our efforts to obtain Silkbody products in New Zealand.
Foolishly, we left it until the last minute, though we didn’t notice any Silkbody products until our last day, when we spent a couple of hours in the shops of Auckland.
The stocks were limited. Icebreaker goods had been seen frequently, and they certainly have a strong presence and a solid reputation in New Zealand, where the poorly paid locals are happy to pay the equivalent of £50 for a long-sleeved crew base layer.
Similar Silkbody products were selling for £35, but we wanted a sleeveless product, and could only find it in white, the wrong colour. We also discovered that Silkbody was based far away in Dunedin in the South Island and that it has only five employees.
So when we entered ‘Living Simply’, one of the listed stockists, we were not optimistic of success. Sadly our fears were well founded, and we received confirmation that we would be unable to get what we wanted that day in Auckland. However, the good news is that standing next to the Silkbody stand was a warmly attired (with the new range of products) lady who introduced herself as ‘Silkbody’. Yes, really, she said ‘I am Silkbody’! She explained that she was Ruth Peddie, Silkbody’s National Sales Manager. We discussed our (Ian’s) requirements and after establishing that the stocks in Auckland could probably not satisfy them, we agreed that Ruth could be contacted directly by email ruth@silkbody.co.nz or phone (+64 3 474 0425 or +64 21 366019) from the UK and would arrange for the desired goods to be supplied by post.
On return home, I discovered that Ellis Brigham and others have joined Backpackinglight.co.uk in supplying Silkbody products, but so far as I can see they all seem to be concentrating on the long-sleeved thermal base layers. EB in Manchester had very little stock when I visited them last week (and even fewer people with a desire to sell any of that stock).
UK prices are the same as those in NZ, but I’m not sure of the VAT/duty implications. Ruth said she would be happy for anyone with an interest to contact her direct, and I would hope that there would only be a nominal (if any) postage charge.
So I commend you to contact Ruth by clicking on the link: ruth@silkbody.co.nz – you do need to be careful with the sizing of what you buy, as it will shrink a little.
Just for the record, it is this review by Andy Howell that has helped to stimulate this (albeit limited) interest in Silkbody.
And the very best of luck – I hope you enjoy your purchases.

Postscript
As at 8 April 2008 I know of at least one person who has successfully, and very efficiently, obtained a Silkbody product not currently available in the UK, direct from Silkbody.

Monday 17 March 2008 - Back to Normal

Here we are. Back to normal by the Bridgewater Canal with the old exercise bike and the Bay Malton in the distance. A chilly wind from the north hastened me on today, and it was starting to cloud over by the time I got to this point. Despite the wintry feel, it was nice to see the green sheen of fresh growth in the trees and hedges. The birds are getting frisky – today I watched a couple of kestrels frolicking in the breeze.

Saturday 15 March 2008 - The Outdoors Show

Thanks to the offer of a free ticket and an absence of jet lag, the Dishy Pharmacist and I pootled down to the NEC for our first ever visit to The Outdoors Show.
Others have expressed disappointment, but to me it seemed that there should be something for everyone here. We perused a plethora of gear as we sought a shot of caffeine (what was that about jet lag!) before ambling across to the Cumberland Arms.

Here there was a gathering of vaguely familiar faces, most of whom we had never met before. They were all ‘UK Outdoors Bloggers’, and this was an informal annual gathering. Great to meet you, folks.
We had met Andy Howell (The Blogfather) before and were soon nailed by him for an interview on our recent trip to NZ. This definitely does not afford us celebrity status – so far as I could see Andy was attempting to interview most of those attending the show.
We were also pleased to see Colin and Helen from Stockport Walking and Outdoor Group. Hopefully we will see more of them, and they may give us the chance to relive our Pyrenees HRP trip (two wonderful months in 2003) at one of their evening meetings later this year.

Nervy due to our temporary lack of income and the astonishing rises in prices in the UK during our 7 week absence, we abstained from significant purchases, though I found a fabulous map (IGN Chambeyron val Maira 1:25000 - £2) and the DP bought some socks but then got cold feet when it came to the rather more pricey waterproof housing for her new camera.

It was particularly good to see Darren and Alan again, and to meet Alan’s aristocratic walking companion and erstwhile saviour of Darren, Lord Elphus. I thought he might have set up Julia Bradbury (who was posing nearby) as his daughter Sophie, but no such luck.

Three-o-clock arrived – the duly appointed time for a ‘Petition Meeting’ concerning the attempt to legalise wild camping in England and Wales. I’ll comment elsewhere on this issue, the meeting on which took place in a ‘Void’ next to the WD-40 Bike Arena.
Sadly the arena commentator had a very loud and very proximate loudspeaker, possibly orchestrated by John Hee to keep his audience awake (several of them had very much enjoyed the splendid Cumberland Ale). Luckily the void was not quite a void, it contained some huge mattresses. John must have soon cottoned on to this and I can only assume that it was his triumph of telepathy that resulted in their removal and recovered the attention of the recumbent forms. The purpose of the meeting was thereby achieved…

[Some poetic licence here, as I now see that John is one of the recumbent forms!]

The DP and I then spent some time admiring the wonderful display of underwater photographs, and regretted we had not made better use of all the activities going on in the NEC’s theatres – numerous enticing talks and films – we missed most of them!

It had been a long day, so temporary lodgings in Solihull were much appreciated.

New Zealand Trip – 21 January to 13 March 2008 - Statistics and Useful Information

This is a 'dummy' entry for the time being. The information will be collated and uploaded in due course.
We do hope you enjoyed the reports from New Zealand and will continue to follow our exploits - we do have some more exciting trips in store...
M & S

Friday 14 March 2008 - New Zealand Blog – Mission Accomplished

Well, it has been a busy time at home since getting back yesterday morning, what with unpacking, sorting through mounds of post, mending wind damage to a shed and our fences, etc, etc.

…But the blog must continue: this will be the last ‘New Zealand’ entry for the time being, but we will let anyone interested know when we have improved the pictures (poor resolution images from a separate memory card were used during the trip) and made minor edits to the text. We will also summarise some statistics – itinerary, cost, recommendations, etc, possibly on a web page within http://www.topwalks.com/, or on the ‘Statistics and Useful Information’ page that will follow this one.

The reason for today’s heading is encapsulated in the following message received tonight:

“Hi Martin & Sue,
Just wanted to let you know how much I'd enjoyed reading your NZ blog. This is the first time I've ever actively followed a single blog for an extended period -- it's obviously more interesting because I know you, and that I'm particularly interested in where you were going -- but I'm going to miss your regular updates from afar. Your last entry took me straight back to when I flew out of Auckland 4 and a half years ago. I remember craning my neck back at the window of the plane, trying to catch a last glimpse of the coast (somewhere near Raglan I think), mulling over the incredible year I'd had there, and wondering if I'd get to return one day. Sigh...
Cheers,
Paul.”

And that was the purpose of the blog. We know others, in particular our parents, have also ‘been with us’ over the past seven weeks, and we do hope it has taken our readers briefly away from the rigours of winter, even though some were peeved not to be alongside us in the Silver Bullet.

On return, yesterday, we kept ourselves going by embarking on an afternoon’s stroll, mainly along the Bridgewater Canal. It was great to see the daffodils in flower, the blackthorn in blossom and a good solid tinge of green in the hawthorn hedges.

But the litter by the canal was quite distressing. We are back in a highly populated area where not everyone cares.

However, it was a nice day and the Dunham Massey tea shop was well up to standard.

As was the beer, later, in the The King’s Ransom, where we enjoyed meeting up with Jenny and Richard. And that is the nicest thing about being back home – we are amongst friends – and whilst we met some very nice people whilst we were away, it’s good to be amongst those who understand our eccentricities.

A text message from Weird Darren (blogger extraordinaire) whilst out walking yesterday offered a ticket to this weekend’s Outdoors Show at the NEC in Birmingham. It was a difficult call, as there is a TGO Challenge reunion this weekend, but we decided on the Show, where it will be good to see Darren again and also to meet some of the other ‘UK Outdoor Bloggers’ who will be congregating there tomorrow.

The blog will continue, and Nallo Lady will also be contributing in her inimitable style, but we are afraid it may be a little mundane for a few weeks…

Wednesday 12 March - a very long day

The time had come to fly back to England. Packing took quite some time! On such a beautiful morning, breakfast had to be outside.

The Silver Bullet was delivered to New Zealand Rent-a-Car, we checked in and completed some last minute shopping.

Auckland's water sparkled beneath the 747 as we climbed into the sky about 1.30pm. The waves of the Tasman sea were long and white on the coast stretching away to the south. It was possible to see Mount Ruapehu above the cloud and Mount Taranaki stood out clearly as a sentinel above the cloud for around the first 40 minutes of the flight. I really didn't want to leave.

The long sunny day provided brilliant views of Australia, from the city of Adelaide next to the coast to the red expanses of Western Australia. Huge clouds only appeared as the plane approached Singapore, which, at dusk, was grey and wet. So we didn't venture out, but we did utilise the (very) few Singaporean Dollars I had been clinging to for seven weeks on a Belgian chocolate indulgence.

Just as the day had been long, the night was long too. Almost the whole of the next leg (about 13 1/2 hours) was in darkness. Back in Manchester, it was just 3 degrees and unpacking awaited....

Tuesday 11 March 2008 - Buying, Beach, Bush and BBQ

It had to come sooner or later - a Shopping Trip!

But we made it as painless as possible, popping down to the posh end of Auckland for a productive couple of hours before adjourning back to the wilds of the countryside.

Our first port of call was Arataki Visitor Centre, on the Scenic Drive near Nikau Lodge. It was full of (interesting) facts about the local bush (forest), bird life, history, etc. Being up at 300m it had good views as well, and we enjoyed these as we chomped through our final batch of blue cheese, pate and tomatoes on the tasty, thickly sliced malted bread that we have become accustomed to here.

On to Piha, where the famous black sand beach reminded us that we are in a volcanic region.

The sand was very soft, so we sank in over an inch with every step as we progressed along the beach as close as possible to the incoming tide with competing currents. The sun emerged strongly as we left the beach by some caves where it became impassable due to a rocky headland, up which a rocky path led us to the airy summit.
This held fine views back to Piha Beach and on to another beautiful and secluded beach, White's Beach. Time precluded a descent 'for experienced trampers only' to that beach.

So our final stroll of the trip was through a delightful palm forest, along White's Track, with Tui singing (and showing themselves) and cicatas chirping loudly in the bright sunshine.

It was good to rejoin the beach, firmer now the tide was receding, below Lion Rock, a 100 metre high 'island' that used to be climbable but is no longer so, due to unstable rocks.

A short drive then returned us to the now familiar palms (Nikau, of course) of Nikau Lodge.

Swimming for those who chose to, more Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, a fine BBQ with Barbara, Jim, Andre and Alesha, then a drive around Auckland to view its sights - mainly nautical - at night. The waterfront has benefited greatly in recent years as a result of hosting the Americas Cup yachting race, and is really smart.

We had hoped to pack our bags today, but hey...

Sunday & Monday 9 & 10 March 2008 - Hokianga Harbour then Auckland...nearly

Sunday
A pleasant morning in Kerikeri, made all the more entertaining by a return of texts with those enjoying a Saturday night in Yorkshire! We hope you didn't have headaches on Sunday morning!

These are the impressive Rainbow Falls:

Then, on to the West Coast and the south side of Hokianga Harbour, to our last hostel, Globetrekkers. The hostel was small and situated across the road from the beach.

Hokianga harbour is well known for its immense sand dunes, across the head of the harbour and these were the first sight on a short(ish) afternoon walk.

The coastal path was narrow and grassy, with splendid views over the waves of the Tasman Sea, crashing into the rocks and sandy coves. Having not had a swim yesterday, it was too good an opportunity to miss and the waves in the middle of this bay were very exhilarating!

Emerging from the pounding surf, I felt like I'd been through the washing machine! The worst part was the sand inside my bikini...

After dinner (not salad!) at the hostel, we witnessed probably our last sunset in New Zealand - a good one, which created some fiery red clouds after the sun had gone down behind the waves.

Monday
Today's walks were to view various kauri trees in Waipoua Forest. This one is Tane Mahuta, God of the Forest, which has a girth of 13.8m!

Then, south towards Auckland, taking the scenic route, including finding a 'Roseberry Topping' for lunch, which gave excellent 360 degree views.

Scenic Drive lead nicely to our final destination, Nikau Lodge, where I have enjoyed a swim in their saltwater pool and we have had a tasty dinner of roast lamb, overlooking the lights of Auckland's outlying districts. Tomorrow is our last full day here before heading back to Manchester - we are sorry that such an excellent trip is coming to its conclusion....