Pukeiti Puffer fun run (6-7km) - 1 April 2012

Gerry, me and Henriette - nervously ready for big things.

It's been four months since we've done any running. I honestly don't think the four 5km run-walk attempts to try and get us back on the road in February, counts for any level of fitness. I huff and puff pretty much like my mom's bulldog just walking up the 50 metre little incline behind our house!

Numbered and ready for take-off!

So when we visited Henriette and Deon in New Plymouth, and Henriette suggested that we do the Pukeiti Puffer fun-run of about 6.5km, my immediate thoughts were "April fools joke! :)". But when I saw that this was no tongue in cheek suggestion, I figured "how hard can it be?". And besides, walking and/or crawling is always an option on such short runs. Maybe this is just what we needed to get us back on the road. Alas, things don't always go according to plan...

Daylight saving kicked in and with the event only starting at 11:15, we had ample time to sleep in, have breakfast and make our way to the venue. A good field of participants pitched for all three events, making parking a wee bit problematic. But we all got sorted and after we entered, the briefing was done before we were off.

Dark clouds looming just before the start.

Three different events were presented: a 2km for kids (which I briefly considered when the reality of the "run" finally sunk in), a 6-7km out-and-back run (which we did), and a 10-13km circle loop challenge, which sounded very exiting. If only we hadn't been so lazy the past four months ... As always, the period shortly before any event buzzes with excitement and adrenaline - always a very uplifting moment for me - hyped up and happy to be there, tinted with a little bit of "fear", depending on the size of the challenge.

And we were off!

Me and Henriette, still going strong early
in the race.

It was the perfect day for a trail-run in the park. Overcast and cool which turned into a fairly hot and humid run. 

The runners doing the longer event were set off first, and 5 minutes later we were on our way. Starting in front of the lodge, you run across the vast lawn before turning onto the footpath where we reached a nice long downhill, helping us to settle into a slow trot. The "pecking" order was quickly established and we slotted in nicely behind the back runners, just ahead of the walkers.

As we ran the downhill bits (which turned out to be only the first shortish section), we realised that it will all be uphill on our way back! But we decided to just walk all the uphills - there is no way that I would be able to run even three metres uphill in my unfit state.

The trail turned out to be not too technical and really a very lovely run. The Pukeiti Gardens are beautiful and running amongst the trees and shrubs, only surfacing every now and then for a view of Mt Taranaki's foothills, makes for a very pleasant scenic outing.

A hanging bridge at around the 1km mark needs to be negotiated and only four people are allowed on the bridge at one time. That caused a small bottleneck on the way out, but coming back, runners had spread out enough so that this was not a problem anymore.

At about 2kms a watering station manned by friendly helpers provided some much needed H2O. With the humidity and heat, we lost quite a bit of fluid. The last bit of the road before the turn around point, were run (walked in our case) on tar. The biggest part of the first half turned out to be mainly uphill. So you can imagine the fun we had on the way back, as we came screaming down the mountain!

Queu at the hanging bridge.

The marshal at the hanging bridge making sure
no more than four people are simultaneously crossing.

I guess it is thanks to the fun we had, but the course felt a bit shorter than the 6-7km it was supposed to be.

Really glad to have done this, we left for the late brunch and relaxing afternoon at the Roodt's.

Gerry, on the bridge.

A short sealed section at the turn-around point.

Too much energy! 

Henriette on the way back across the bridge.

Roll-call at the finish, making sure that everybody made it safely back.

White Cliffs Walkway - 26 December 2011

Whenever I hear the world "white cliffs", the first thing that jumps to mind, is the brewery. And why not. The White Cliffs Brewery makes a lovely brew.

Gerry in the blazing hot sun, making his way up the steep climb on private farm roads.

Amused cattle with a lovely view from their grazing spot.

We were visiting in New Plymouth for Xmas when Henriette suggested we do the walk. It is a fairly long hike, 14km point-to-point from Pukearuhe boat ramp to Tongaporutu. So, on the morning of Boxing Day, Deon, Henriette, Gerry and I left for Tongaporutu where we would leave Deon's car at the picnic area next to the Tongaporutu river. On the way back to the start, the four of us were contemplating whether we allowed enough time to complete the walk, having left the house quite late, but we decided to do it anyway.

Me on a downhill section with Henriette in the back.

At the beginning of the walkway, a number of routes are available. A short loop track which covers a stretch on the beach, that takes you back to the start, but can only be walked during low-tide. This section can also double up as the start of the point-to-point route which we planned to do. But since it wasn't low tide, we couldn't do the beach section and opted for the inland route higher up. This route follows the Kapuni to Auckland gas pipeline. A third option lets you walk the point-to-point route until about halfway when you reach the Mt Messenger Track, when you make a right turn to exit on State Highway 3.

The first bit, which felt like kilometres on end, is fairly challenging and mainly uphill on private farms. Up and up and up we went in a blazing hot sun and coupled with extreme humidity, it turned out to be a bit more than a casual stroll in the park.

Grazing cows welcomed us as we made our way to the highest point (Parininihi trig) where we could also spot the gas pipeline. Unfortunately the gorse is threatening to take over in places, but otherwise some lovely indigenous forest provided much needed shelter from the sun.

At about 4 kms, when looking back on the route, you could see the white cliffs that provided the name. 

Deon, Henriette and Gerry in front. Evidence of strong winds can be seen by die angle of the tree on the hill.

At around the 6 km mark, Te Horo Stock tunnel takes you down to the beach, but this section has unfortunately been closed in recent years due to erosion and lack of maintenance. The tunnel is unstable and dangerous to use. Pity though as this would add something special to the walkway. After a fairly long downhill, you pass a lovely little beach with magnificent rocks with holes and tunnels in the cliffs.

A hanging bridge at about the halfway mark.

We had two picnic stops en route, feasting on sarmies made with left-over Xmas turkey. These were welcome breaks, as the walk turned out to a bit of a challenge, since we wanted to cram it into only a couple of hours in extreme heat. It is a tough long walk, and to do the point-to-point route and still enjoy a more relaxed walk, one has to plan travel time ahead to be able to have a vehicle on each side of the walk.

A nice outing which we'd love to do again at low tide, in order to spend some time on the beach.