Mt Taranaki - Kokowai Loop

To celebrate our anniversary we decided to stay local and enjoy some adventuring. The weekend offered beautiful sunny days so we packed our bags and headed out to the mountain. We chose to tackle a 12-kilometer  (7.5 miles) loop track, the Kokowai Loop. 

The track began with stair climbing through a wooded area, heading towards one of the huts. The scenery changed when we turned off on what is known as the Boomerang Slip. This section was the most challenging by far, with sections requiring single-file access and rapidly changing scenery. We were presented with views of water/rocks showing significant mineral deposits, providing lovely color contrasts to the alpine scenery. This was definitely a track to be done in summer weather. We were high enough up that it would get icy in the winter, and some areas were steep and exposed enough that it would be quite a different experience in winter weather. 

When we reached the end of the slip we turned back towards the visitor center. This took us back down to another wooded section. Highlights included a winding staircase, river crossing,  and a swing bridge. Swing bridges are pretty popular on trails here, but this one was not my favorite, it had a bit more 'swing' to it than most, which I found a bit disconcerting. Lived to tell the tale though so I guess nothing to really complain about, ha!

Post-hike we headed to the Stratford side of the mountain, to the the Dawson Falls Mountain Lodge. After a much-needed shower and cup of tea, we relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon before enjoying a lovely dinner with views of the mountain and settling in for the night.

Mt. Karioi Summit Climb

I have little doubt that by the end of 2020 most of us felt the need for a break. I was right there with you, especially as work seemed to get busier the closer we got to the end. I am fortunate to work for a company that closes for a couple of weeks over the holidays. I opted to extend the break a bit and took off a few days early. 

Summer had arrived, flowers were in bloom, the sun was shining and I just felt the need for fresh air. I also wanted to go somewhere I had never been. I settled on venturing towards Raglan, which is a coastal town a couple of hours North of here. It is small and a bit out of the way, and is primarily known for being a fantastic surf destination. I was not the least bit interested in surfing, but figured I could find some alternate outdoor activity. After a bit of digging, I stumble on the Mt. Karioi summit climb. I have a friend that lives in the area who enthusiastically agreed to join me. 

Mt. Karioi is an extinct volcano that is just outside of Raglan. It does not have the traditional cone-shape of a volcano like Mt. Fuji, but was certainly still a challenge to climb! The summit is 750 meters high, and the views were well worth the effort. We opted to do the summit climb from the coastal side and return the same way. The track continues down the other side of the volcano for those who want to carry on but we did not have transport back to our vehicle organized so thought we would save that for next time. 

We were climbing a fairly steep track right from the word go. The first stage was through the back of a farm, so there was a bit of a breeze but the sun was quite warm so the heartrates got up pretty quickly. We persevered though and got into a wooded section after the first half hour. From there it was more up than down but had some flat or slight descending sections. There was one ladder to navigate, and two sections where chains had been installed to allow you to safely get up a bank. Right at the end we found ourselves needing to do a bit of rock climbing to get right to the summit!

The summit featured a helicopter pad, which make an excellent picnic spot for having lunch and re-hydrating. There were also stunning 360 degree views, I'll let the below photos do the telling :)

 

Local Leisure

 One of my favorite things about New Zealand is the annual Christmas shutdown period. I know that not everyone has the luxury of two weeks off but I am always thankful to be someone that does. My company always takes at least a two week period off, and with the public holidays you can enjoy the time off without using up too much leave time.

We often try to travel over the break period but opted to have a stay-cation this year. Troway had to work part of the time (the joys of being the newer employee) so we fit in some relaxation and local exploration around his schedule.

I enjoyed a hike at the Pukeiti rainforest. I have blogged about this a couple of times before, so will not do a play by play. However, I did want to share my success in finally reaching the Pukeiti summit! It is not a huge achievement since it is not a big climb, but it had been on the Taranaki hiking bucketlist for awhile so I was pleased to finally get there. Like many of the high points around the region, there are lovely views of the surrounding farmland and coastline. 

Pukekura Park was another excellent source of fresh air on lazy summer days. The park is one of my favorite summer destinations (think more of an inner-city garden) because there is adequate shade to keep you cool, or sunny spots to get some vitamin D. While Troway was at work one morning I packed up supplies for a picnic and off we went when he finished his client sessions for the day. After lazing in the sun a bit to let the picnic settle, we enjoyed a wander through the park. Ultimately we ended up exploring the fernery  and enjoying the aviary at the small zoo on one end of the park.

Coffee, Crafting & Cats

 After living here for nearly 7 years (yikes!), the initial charm has worn off and New Zealand is just where I live. I still get asked where I am from, and occasionally enjoy the odd looks I get if I say 'New Plymouth.' I still forget that I have the accent but also do not find the New Zealand accent to be foreign anymore. In saying that, I do remember how the first few months here were full of encounters where the laid-back nature of New Zealand felt starkly illuminated.

I got to enjoy re-experiencing one of those moments recently. A friend and I were out adventuring and decided to get a coffee to take with us. We found a coffee cart, which seemed the perfect option as they are usually take-away only. We put in our orders but then realized the barista had picked up lovely china cups to fill with our brew. We told her we were heading out for a hike and requested she use take-away cups instead. She explained that she did not use take-away cups, but was more than happy for us to just take the cups with us and return them later in the day. When we shared that we did not think we could be back before she closed for the day she said 'No problem, just drop them off at the library and I can pick them up tomorrow.' We weren't confident of getting back before the library closed either, so decided we had nothing to lose by enjoying some sunshine for a few minutes and caffeinating right there. In light of how crazy the world feels right now, it was a simple thing that felt like a reminder to slow down and maintain faith in humanity.

On the note of generosity, a friend gave me a fabulous sewing machine awhile back. It is much fancier than any I had used before, so I have enjoyed learning to use it. My recent conquest with it is getting a walking foot to use on quilting projects. I got to try it out on a baby blanket for a friend and it is already worth the money!

I also created what I am calling an 'engagement memory jar.' Troway proposed when we were visiting my family in Little Rock in 2018 (feels like just yesterday but that was almost 3 years ago!). We were fortunate to have an uncle and cousins visiting Little Rock at the same time. As part of the family bonding and good news celebrations,  we visited a local distillery for a tour and tasting. Troway and I brought home a bottle of the divine apple pie liqueur they make. We made it last a long time but finally finished it off at Christmastime. The photo + bottle is a happy memory of the special time shared with family. 

Finally, there is a new addition to our family. Our landlord used to live next door to us, and their cat chose to live in our house instead of theirs. When they sold their house and moved across town they took the cat with them. We missed having one around so got permission to acquire one of our own. Early December we were in town and stumbled on a pop-up shop that was a temporary thrift store and cat adoption place! It had been set up by the local animal trust (think Humane Society) and they were hoping the temporary central location would get the word out so they could find homes for cats and kittens. We adopted a one-year sweetie that we named Dotty. She had been dumped on someone's property and they took her in so she could find a home. She is a happy and well-mannered house cat, albeit a bit shy about being on anyone's lap and loud noises so we think she might have been a lockdown adoption that did not end so well. She is now happily settled in and seems to think she owns the place!

The Expat Paradox

 One of my goals for this year was to improve my (almost non-existent) ability to swim. We are getting ever closer to the end of the year so a month or so ago I decided it was time to act on said goal. I recently  made my fourth visit to the aquatic center, so progress is slowly being made. As I was sharing the lane with a fellow who kindly gave me some pointers (he used to be a swim instructor), we ended up chatting while catching our breath between laps.

As I was leaving I realized he was the first stranger I had talked to in quite awhile that did not incorrectly assume I am Canadian and then want to discuss politics when I corrected the assumption. It was a refreshing change to a recent conversation that was as follows:

    Other person: How is Canada handling COVID-19?
    Me: No clue
    Other person: But you're Canadian so....
    Me: No, I'm American.
    Other person: Are you sure?
    Me: Very. 

It was an odd conversation that left me wondering why people have to try and guess, instead of simply asking "where are you from?".

Questions of origin aside though, this has been a strange year to be living in a foreign country. I am not usually prone to homesickness, but I have found birthdays and holidays to be a bit tougher this year, knowing that going home for things is not a viable option right now. Several conversations with other ex-pats have shown me that I am not alone.

As such, little moments that remind me of home feel very meaningful. A Canadian friend recently surprised me by sharing some "real" (i.e. North American version, not Southern Hemisphere version) Kraft mac'n cheese mixes with me. The taste is just different enough to be exciting. I was also quite delighted when I discovered that one of the local grocery stores now sells Tostitos corn chips. This is exciting because they taste nicer than the other options, and they are also relatively the same price because they are sold in the regular chip aisle as opposed to the international aisle. Troway gave proof of their authentic-ness when I brought home a bag and his first comment was "huh, they taste American!"

Music can also offer a glimpse of the other side of the world. We had a beautiful spring weekend so Sunday morning we ventured down to the waterfront for a market. Lo and behold, there was a hillbilly band playing, complete with mountain-man beards and washboards!

Saw this on my drive to work the other day.

Pukekura Park is in full bloom!

Showing some American friends around Taranaki :)

Despite minor challenges of living overseas, I am grateful to be in NZ and know that we have had an easier year than most.

Hang in there and Happy Thanksgiving!

Te Mata Peak

 The stretch from Queen's Birthday at the start of June to Labour Day at the end of October is always a long one, since there are no public holidays between those days. As such, we often plan a short getaway when Labour Day hits so we can enjoy the extra time off. This year we trekked over to Napier to visit Troway's oldest sister.

A benefit of going to the East Coast is the incredible amount of sunshine they get. It is always a few degrees warmer than our tumultuous West Coast. Of course, this does mean you need to plan ahead if you intend to be active outdoors. We almost got caught roasting in the sun, but luckily had gotten an early enough start on the day that we managed to avoid turning into lobsters.

My goal when we travel is to always find at least one place or thing we have not done/seen previously. For this trip, the 'something new' was climbing Te Mata Peak. I did my research, we plugged in the GPS and away we went for couple of hours of fresh air. According to my research, we could enjoy a nice stroll around the park area, get a nice view of the Hawek's Bay area, feel like we had been laid-back adventurers. Well, haha. We did get to feel like adventurers. And we got to see incredible views. But we had to work for it!

When we looked at the map, we found a trail that was a bit over 5 kilometers in total. It offered a walk through a redwood forest, some undulating farmland, and stunning views. "That sounds like fun!" we thought to ourselves, and off we went. Little did we know that by halfway through the 5 kilometers, we would be winding up our way up a very steep hill, but it was undoubtedly worth it in the end!

In Maori legend, Te Mata peak is 'The Sleeping Giant.' The story goes that Te Mata, the leader of the Waimarama tribes, fell in love with the daughter of a rival tribes' chief. He was given a series of tasks to complete to prove his love for her. The last of these was to eat his way through the hills between the plains and the coast. He died trying to complete this task, and his prostrate body forms this peak.

Read more about it here: https://www.hawkesbaynz.com/see-and-do/art-design-and-culture/the-maori-culture-guide/local-legends/the-sleeping-giant/

Yep, we climbed all the way up!

Life Update

 By this time in the year, I expected to be able to regale you with stories of travel to Melbourne in route to a wedding on the West Coast, and if we were lucky a stopover in Hawaii on the way home. Alas this was not meant to be, but we have had other things keep us busy enough. I do not think this will be the most exciting post I have written, but still thought it might be worth putting something up since I have not been good at adhering to any sort of regular blogging schedule lately.

The most exciting news is what has been happening on the husband front. Troway very successfully completed his Personal Trainer certification in August this year. Cross your fingers and toes that he will soon be gainfully employed in the fitness world, unfortunately dear 'ol COVID-19 resulted in delays in the interviews he had scheduled. 

Even more exciting in Troway's opinion is the outcome of his rugby season. They managed to have a short season in between bouts of lockdown. His team had an undefeated season and got to bring home the trophy as Taranaki champions! His team is largely made up of fellas that have been playing together since they were in junior high and high school, and the last time they had a shot at the championship was about 7 years ago (the first rugby game I ever watched haha). 

                                      

Outside of education and rugby, life has been pretty quiet. I have six piano students, who present various degrees of challenge. They range in age from 7-37 years old, and are all at different levels of enthusiasm and skill. Troway and I joke that we collect other foreigners and this seems to be the case with my students as well; only one of the six is a Kiwi :) Hopefully at the end of the year I will be able to organize a small house recital for them to showcase their work this year. 

Since things have been a bit less hectic this year, we have tried to be more adventurous in our cooking. Partly this means being organized enough to menu plan and therefore have the ingredients for interesting things. But we have worked to incorporate new things into the mix. Recent favorites are meatball stuffed pitas, shrimp tacos and the Japanese night we managed to pull off.

                                            

Much of my free time of late has been taken up with various forms of craftiness. My big achievement was finishing a wedding album. One for the honeymoon is next on the list, although I am tempted to be lazy and do an online photobook... But I also recently acquired my own sewing machine (had been borrowing the mother-in-laws) and have gotten familiar with it by making some baby quilts (lots of babies being born around us).

                           

Hope you are staying healthy and well. We tried this tasty delight from the Asian market the other night, it was surprisingly delicious!

                                                 

Spring is finally arriving :)