Veronica Loop Track

We have been fortunate and had good weather the last couple of weeks. So I thought I should find time to squeeze in a hike because we really never know when we will be plunged into the damp rainy season, when I find it much harder to convince myself I am interested in embracing time with nature.

I made my way to the Mt. Taranaki visitor center and set off. I settled on the Veronica Loop Track since I had started it once but had to turn back. It is only a 3 kilometer track, but takes a bit of energy, as the first half kilometer is nothing but stairs!

Near the start of the track is the Ambury Monument. This is a memorial to a hiker, Arthur Ambury, who died in June, 1918 when trying to save another hiker who had slipped on ice.

The signs along the way entice you with the promise of a look-out. What I did not realize until after the hike was that to find the lookout, you had to go off the track just a bit, (up more steps of course) along a track leading towards a hug. Clearly I will just have to go back :)

Once you survived the stairs, there were two cute little bridges nestled along the side of the ridge, which led to a walk along the top of a ridge. An impressive view of the valley below was the reward for the climb, followed by a descent into Kamahi and Totara forest, a pleasant way to cool off :)

Who needs a selfie stick haha!

The Leaning tree of Veronica?

Cool Job

Since New Zealand is part of the Commonwealth, it is pretty common to get updates on the Royal Family. Last year's visit from Charles and Camilla was huge news over here, and major events such as the birth of the adorable little Prince and Princess tend to get prime spots in the news list.

Every now and then, we get an interesting tidbit that is not major news, but will make your day anyway.
Today is one of those days; the radio has given an important announcement for the Royal Family.

The Queen is looking for someone with UK Size 4 feet that can break in her new shoes. She needs them to be all ready for her to wear without concern of getting any blisters. The job entails walking the halls of the Palace while wearing the Queens new shoes. Unfortunately details such as whether this is full-time work were not included (who knows how often she buys new shoes!) :)

Thought I would pass on a smile, hope you are having a great day!

Color Run

I feel as if I have been a bit neglectful of you, my dear readers, this year. I have thought of posting more, but somehow it does not seem to eventuate into anything that you get to read. I could use the excuse of being busy. Which, I have been, but still. I could also say I assumed you would not be interested in the busyness, but who knows, perhaps you are fascinated by my schedule of go to work, go for a run, teach some kids piano, go to work, and so on and so forth.

A cute black kitty named Minnie is helping me write this today. She torn between walking on the keyboard and simply attacking my fingers because they are moving. So I should not be held responsible for any spelling errors :)

A recent fun addition to the busyness that is my schedule is rehearsals for Mary Poppins. Last night I got to attend the choreography rehearsal and be their live music for the major dances. We had a lot of laughs, between my wrong notes and their missteps, but it is also fun to see how it is all coming together. They did mention that maybe saying I could pick the speed was unwise on their part, as by the time we were done they felt it was quite a bit faster than they were used to. However, the choreography director's response was "Let's do it again!" so maybe it was good after all! The adorable young man who will play Michael (he's 9 years old) snuck over and asked if I could just secretly play it even faster :)

Anyway, to get to what this post was meant to be about: we had a rare sunny weekend and I was able to take advantage of the nice weather. Sunday morning was the annual color run down the Coastal Walkway. We started out at East End Surfclub, and ran 5k down the walkway to the port. Along the way we got wonderfully doused in color. So much that I am still trying to scrub some of it off, and my running shoes will likely forever be rainbowesque!  It was great fun though, and my co-runner decided she will happily join me in future silly events.
The best part of the run was arriving at the port where the monthly craft and food market was in full swing. We got Turkish for lunch and enjoyed a browse through the stalls.

Hope all is well in your world and will (hopefully) write again soon!