Whangarei Lookout.

Thursday 5th January 2012

This is Whengarei basin and it shows our objective for this morning. It is the forested peak in the left background.

Starting our walk we were overtaken by a Monarch Butterfly. (I think that's what it is). They are quite a fair sized thing, about double the size of a UK Red Admiral.

At a point along the River the path diverts and becomes the Drummond Track.  Drummond is a renowned Painter and  Poet from these parts.

Typical of many sad aspects of humanity. Graffiti on the commemorative stone.

The New Zealand Fern.

The steep walk up to the lookout is all natural and dense forestry but it holds a beautiful array of design and colour.

Like yesterday the paths are well kempt.

Visibility and scenery through the forestry was very limited and therefore photographs of one section of the walk looked very much like another so i have limited the reader to just a couple of shots as we made our way higher. Dorothy was told by a fellow walker that she was very brave to attempt such a steep path. I was thinking it might be too much but she did it with only the odd pause for a drink and a breather.

At the lookout the views were extensive if just a little hazy. It was very humid now but all the effort was worth it for the scenery spreading out before us. The camera just doesn't do it justice.

 There are numerous paths which lead away from the lookout and the day can be extended to what ever time you have available. We had to be heading back unfortunately, towards Auckland, as we have to return the van for it's MOT certificate. DOH.

Me and She at the Lookout.

She and Me at the Services Memorial.

We had been granted permission to stay on the campervan park for an extra hour so that we can do the walk and then return for a shower. Which was very kind of them. 

This afternoon we will drive south along the coast to Orewa, where we plan on stopping so that we have a short drive back to Mangere the next day.

Whangarei Falls and Hatea river walk.

Wednesday 4th Jan,

The sun shone strong today and blue skies dominated. All the negativity of the last few days was shelved and our planned walk was started at around 10.00am.
We had been told the track could be quite muddy and slippery especially with all the rain we had been having and also the track deviates from the map due to some new civil works being carried out.

The track starts in the suburbs of Whangarei alongside some beautiful tall palm trees.
A short distance down the track we met a chap who was looking for a safe place to release about a dozen ducklings and their mother. They had strayed from the safety of the river and into town where they could have been on the menu for cats.

The track riverside is maintained by the local council and they do a good job. Many of the trees, some absolutely huge are all named for info.. Ferns abound, some i recognise from our local garden centre and cost a fortune, but here they grow wild and free.

The path turned out to be quite dry and although we stopped often to take photo's we made good progress.

It's quite a popular walk and also there are a couple of access points where people with cars can get into the area, so you are never that far away from civilisation. But because of the dense forestry and steep banking it feels very peacefull. 

  It was warming up nicely, probably very high 20 deg C. so having the forest canopy kept us cool but once out into open land it was quite draining and we took a number of stops wherever we could.

The flora and fauna was beautiful all the way, although there wasn't much wildlife about apart from the birds which we mainly could hear but not see. Then we were visited by a cheeky New Zealand Fantail, that stayed with us for a short distance.

Long before we came to the falls the noise could be heard but we didn't expect the beauty which came before us. There was a bridge ideally positioned to get some good photo's and many people were taking the opportunity. I had to wait a while until i got a clear shot.

There is a circular path that goes right or left up and around the falls which leads to some viewing platforms at the top.

The return journey follows more or less the same route as going. We covered about 10 miles and it took us  about 4 hours. It could be done much quicker or it can be extended to include other trails.

All of it was stunning and i would post more pictures but the band width is narrow and so loading pictures takes an age.

I will post more at a later date.

Osprey Hornet 46.

One of the things i managed to do when in Auckland was check out the Osprey Hornet 46 rucksack.
Many months ago i tried to get hold of one in the UK without success.

As it proved out i was fortunate not to order one on line because i was very disappointed when seeing it in the flesh.

It is indeed very basic, hence the rather interesting weight of around 600gr.

Basically its a nylon tube with a lid and some poorly positioned straps and belt. Features are few and far between. Probably suitable for challenge runs etc but not for backpacking in my opinion.

However one piece of kit which interests me is the Mammut Creon light. I will check out more later.

I was very pleased that i didn't take the plunge on the Osprey. It goes to show that photographs can be deceiving and the wallet can be easily swayed.

Manuka and Whangarei

Tuesday 3rd Jan.

This was what we classed as the holiday proper.
It amounted to taxiing to Britz campervans HQ, picking up the "Van" and then pleasantly driving north to Whangarei.
 We arrived early at Britz and started the process of hire. Then just as the form filling etc was complete, there was noticed a short pause of breath from the lady. It turned out that the van designated had not been taxed and it was due to run out in 3 days.
 We were shown an alternative but it was not up to much and would have been too tight for the 3 of us. We said we wanted the vehicle we booked and payed for last May.
 There was lots of worried discussions going on and after about 1 hr not much had happened to get us on our way.
Eventually, because they were not resolving it, and frustration and annoyance was creeping in, i suggested to them that we take the van and return it in 3 days so that we could get the required documentation and test cert.
 They looked pleased and said that it would only take an hour if we were prepared to bring it in.
Well we didn't have much of an option as far as we could see, without losing a couple of days holiday anyway.
 We watched a video of the vehicles technical bits and then as we set off we realised that it was a completely different video to what we had. I was not going back to watch another video so off we jolly well went. We quickly Cristened the van "Manuka" because she's a honey.

"Manuka" in all her glory

  Whether it was just frustration or stupidity we ended up going the wrong way. We were heading west towards the coast and not for the Highway 1 north.
I asked for directions and eventually got to where we were intending.
 It rained a bit and then a lot, and then a lot more.

We arrived in Whangarei and just for a few minutes it stopped raining. Then the fun started, trying to get everything on the van connected and powered up when we didn't have a clue what did what or where anything was located..
Anyway most things we have now got sorted.

 We went for a walk, at last! Although yes, it was chucking it down. Nothing exciting, just getting our bearings and looking for food and the start point for a couple of walks that hopefully won't tax Dorothy too much, so we will do that tomorrow.

New Years Eve - Auckland CBD

 New Years Eve, well early New Years Day morning actually. Sat on our balcony overlooking Auckland Harbour. It was quite cold and raining very hard. But the champers had to be tested. A pair of socks for gloves and the Rab Boreas came in handy.

Again a view in the morning from our balcony with the Sea Princess arriving in port and the sun is just about out. 22 degrees C.

Singapore Airlines relegated

We flew to New Zealand with Singapore Airlines because having been with them before we regarded them highly.
It's a journey of two halves. The flight from Manchester via Munich to Singapore was fantastic with great attendees. We wanted for nothing, in fact it was too much at times.
Having landed at Changi airport, we found out that we were late and our connecting flight to Auckland was on last call and was leaving from 10 ports away.
A mad dash to the desk was not taken happily and we din't even have chance to go to the loo.
As soon as we were on the plane was away.
We then had 11.5 hours of the worst attendees ever. It was so bad as to be almost non existent.
Apart from when the meal was brought round we were not offered a drink and the attendants were rarely seen.
We eventually got up and went to the galley and asked for a drink. She brought one and not three.
The water that we brought with us had been thrown away at desk check in by security even though we had not been outside passport control. What's that all about, we had nothing to drink.
Towards the end of this nightmare journey the captain announced that with it being almost midnight on New Years eve that there will be Champagne distributed.
When it got to cattle class people, there was non left. We were offered apple juice or orange. What a laugh.
 So Singapore has gone down hill in our estimation.

 At the airport departure was swift as we had no hold luggage and we were straight through without a hitch.
Sheila's sister who lives in Australia had arranged a limo to pick us up and take us into the city. How kind of her was that.
Auckland was being lashed by heavy rain on our journey and thankfully the apartment at Quay West had a fully stocked fridge. We emptied it over the next 3 hours. Well it had to be done.

We watched the fireworks over the city and went to bed at 3.30am.  31 hours flying time and it might be the last long haul trip we make. I don't think i can stand all the screaming children ever again and the lack of service.
It would be nice to do business class but at £13,000 for the 3 of us, it's impossible.

Sorry no pics at this time. More later. Happy New Year each.

New Zealand awaits

  Well it doesn’t seem so long ago but it’s 18 months since we first started to plan our trip to New Zealand.
Many things have happened in between, some good and some not so.
The time seems to have passed so quickly because it is now time to depart.

  We are mainly going to be covering the North Island but we do want to visit Abel Tasman park on South Island that we missed last visit. We also want to walk in and around Marlborough Sound, Queen Charlotte Track and others in the surrounding area.

  We covered quite a lot of South Island on our last visit, that included a trip to Mitre Peak which is shown on the laptop pic below.

But to be honest we could spend a lifetime there and still only scratch the surface. What a beautiful country.

With the packing done all that’s left to do is print off the boarding passes.

Have a great New Year everybody and i will post entries as and when it is possible and of course read your exploits and gear reviews too.

All the very best for 2012.  Alan and Sheila.

Have a wonderful Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. Hope you have a great time.

Lightweight shoe

  Over the last year i have found a number of lightweight shoe’s that i thought would be of interest to readers  with an interest in backpacking.
The other day i was reading Gear Caster and they had found another pair which i hadn’t come across before.
So i take no credit for the post as i have also read about them on Light and Ultralight Backpackinging blog.

The shoes are from a Spanish company called 01M One Moment.

Shoes in packed condition. Ideal for the backpack.

Made from a natural 100% biodegradable plastic, The 01M barefoot shoe’s are made from an injection moulding technique that enables a 1mm thickness for the body and 2mm for the sole.

They have an anti slip sole which the companies description says provides a gecko like grip on slippery surfaces.
The company also says that the material does breath and therefore you don’t end up with a sweaty foot mess.

I contacted the company for information and the response was immediate. So that’s a good sign.

Weight wise, EU size 42, UK 8 weighs 160gr. The cost of the shoes is a fantastic €10.
The Company website is Here

Read more @: http://www.thegearcaster.com/the_gearcaster/2011/12/biodegradable-barefoot-shoes-for-outdoor-activities.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGearcaster+%28the+GearCaster%29#ixzz1hGRqGMKy
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike

More Softshell, RAb Boreas.

A few weeks ago, i was reading Alan Sloman’s blog about his recently acquired Rab Exodus softshell jacket. Here.
I already have the Rab Cioch jacket which is very similar apart from the hood.
I admit that i have never been a big fan of Soft shells for backpacking as they are just to big and bulky and most of the time they are in the pack and not worn.
But a comment from Gibson, AKA Afootinthehills, about the Mountain Equipment Astron had me scurrying into Manchester to have a look at one for my pending trip to New Zealand.

Mountain Equipment Astron.

 Just as luck would have it. Nobody in Manchester had one in stock so apart from taking the odd mm off my Inov-8’s, tramping around the streets, i came away empty handed.
 But what i did notice and was very tempted by was the Rab Boreas pull on. Completely different spec to the Astron but i liked it.

The Rab Boreas Pull On  

The next week after reading some very good reviews on it, i went back and purchased one. So i have been wearing it in and i like it very much. Ideal for what i want for this trip.
 The Boreas is not a jacket, it is not waterproof and has no DWR finish. However that can be resolved somewhat with a washing in Nikwax. (To be reviewed later).
Rab market this as a Mid Layer for both warm and cold conditions and has good sun block qualities and good wind resistance.

  I think, conditions depending of course, that you could wear this in all 3 guises, base layer, mid or outer as it breathes very well even directly next to the skin.

  The top is lightweight at 250gr for this medium size.
It’s very stretchy, 86% Polyamide and 14% Spandex. It has a Lycra feel.
The cut is generous rather than athletic.

  The arm length is longer than std and ideal for the walker/climber or visa versa where quite a bit of stretching is called for. It’s also easy to roll the sleeves up with the material being so stretchy. It doesn’t have thumb loops.

  The 2 zips are YKK, the main central zip being a good length for ventilation and the other closing a small chest pocket. There is no depth to this pocket but width wise it is reasonable, going across to the sleeve seam. The top will pack away into this pocket when not needed.
All the seams are flatlock.

 The hood is close fitting low profile with the zip coming well up the chin. Surrounding the collar area is a soft fleecy material that feels really nice when it’s fully zipped up.

  The tail length is slightly longer, so it should stay in place when worn with a hip belt or harness.

  So far i am very pleased with it, it has become my must wear item this last couple of weeks. I am certainly going to enjoy it in the warmer climate down under.

  To complement this top i purchased a pair of Rohan Fuzion trousers. 100% Polyamide. 385gr weight and only 3 hours drying time. I have not had time to do a first review as yet. (To come later).

Order of the boot.

I was in Rohan this morning buying a pair of trousers. I had initially gone in to buy a pair of Rohan Bags but i couldn’t find a pair to fit. My athletic physique is obviously different to the Rohan man of the 1970’s.

 I also wanted to have a look at the Striders and the Trailblazers as well, and then make my choice. I actually settled for a pair of Fusion after trying on about 10 different pairs. 

But what caught my eye was these Lapka boots. Rohan’s own with Barricade waterproof liner. £125 a pair.

They caught my eye because i had only recently been looking at a pair of Brasher Lithium GTX, also funnily enough £125 as below.

Now it may be a co-incidence or my poor eyesight but don’t those 2 boots above look very similar apart from a bit of colour.

So do i take it from this then that Rohan’s Barricade is actually Gore-Tex GTX? (XCR)

I can’t imagine doing a badging exercise would change the internals of the boot. But i could be wrong obviously.

So now that it looks to me that Rohan boots are actually Brasher’s i thought i would see what prices i could find. Well i was staggered to say the least. At Farlows above they are a 5p off  £160.

At Field and Trek and also Sports Direct, which are one and the same company now, you can get them for £65

Or £59.99 at Pack your Bags including free delivery! Wow.

I actually found a company selling them for £49 but they had no stock left. Why am i not surprised.

Lesson, Shop around, don’t buy the first ones you see, and the name, well it could be anything, don’t go off the badge.

The Invasion of Hartington.

   Sheila and I were very pleased to be invited on "A Christmas Walk" by Martin and Sue Banfield. AKA blogger Phreerunner. Postcard from Timperley.
It was to include a walk taking in Wolfscote Dale and part of the Tissington Trail in the White Peak area of Derbyshire.
  Lunch was organised at the Charles Cotton Hotel in Hartington, approximately mid way.

  It shows how well people appreciate Martin and Sue's walks because all 31 persons, including the two of us,  who said they would attend, actually did.

  There was already a small number of cars parked in the layby just North of Alsop en le Dale on the A515 when we arrived at 9.45am and it didn’t take much longer for the whole brigade to assemble.
 Greetings over, Christmas cards swapped , car keys lost and found, gear donned we set off across the A515 towards the old railway track which forms part of the Tissington Trail. Anybody looking down from above might have thought Noah’s Ark was close by.

  The old track belonged to the London and North-Western railways and ran between Buxton and Ashbourne. It was opened in 1899 and closed in 1966. Fortunately in 1971 it was bought by the Peak National Park and Derbyshire County Council.
Part of the old line, just south of Buxton is still used for quarry freight today.

 Two by two they marched to Hartington.

 Leaving the Tissington Trail for a while. We ploughed on through intake land which proved to be very muddy, the clay sticking to the boots making them feel ten times heavier than normal. The troops were revolting.

 Once we had slithered our way down to the River Dove, which was a kind of a ski slope without snow, it seemed to warm up a bit which resulted in the removal of a layer.

 At every gate, stile or wall, we formed file and it seemed to take ages getting everybody through.
Then, just as it started to rain Martin dropped his rucksack and suggested that it was time for coffee.
Well why walk in the rain when you have coffee to drink.
 Caramel fudge cake and chocolate brownies being offered out to all by Martin And Sue.
It was a nice spot to picnic, just where Wolfscote Dale joins Biggin Dale.

 A very pleasant walk onwards to the footbridge at Beresford Dale. Lots of social chit chat about gear and good places to walk and overnight. All extremely Sunday.
 It was good to meet up with Mick and Gayle who’s walking trips makes ours pale into insignificance. We had kept up with Gayle’s writing for some time but we had never met.
We also found out later that another set of bloggers were on the trip but unfortunately due to the high turnout we didn’t get chance to talk. Helen and Colin.
You can catch their blog HERE.

 Pausing for a few minutes at yet another stile, it proved a good spot for a group piccy.

 And yet another as rain got heavier.

 We marched on until the rooftops of Hartington came into view. It had been raining quite heavily and it was a wet army that needed food and drink as arranged at the Charles Cotton Hotel at 1.15pm

Upon arrival, the 31 rucksacks, jackets, overtrousers and pairs of muddy boots were found houseroom without complaint from the management.  

  We were shown to a very nice suite for lunch and all was ready as Martin had arranged previously. The food was excellent and the staff very accommodating with nothing too much trouble. Many of us wondered if it would be possible to have a little snooze before setting off again as the portions were substantial but it wasn’t to be.

 A portrait in the Ladies Powder room on the perils of “Fly” fishing. 

 A fine bunch of lunchers.

During the frivolities, it absolutely lashed it down, the rain was bouncing. Again perfect timing to avoid a soaking. But we had to set off. So with the bill settled we were allowed to proceed on our journey. The invasion of Hartington sadly left behind us.

 We headed off through the village and passed the beautiful Youth Hostel. Turning onto aptly named Leisure lane. It was raining still but not too heavy.

 Obviously lunch was taking it’s toll as the legion got a bit spread out on the way to Dale End.

 Then as we passed through Dale End the result of the torrential downpour that we had managed to avoid had to be surmounted. It was quite deep in places but it was passable on the left banking.
We watched a couple of cars plough through it without a care for the vehicles engine or the bow wave that it made.
  Passing through lovely Biggin village and Greenhead farm we soon met up again with the Tissington Trail which was followed back to our start point.  It was unusual to see twin lambs at this time of year too.
Darkness was falling and due to the ease of walking on the old trackbed progress was somewhat rapid.
We was hoping that it would be dark enough for head torches before we finished the walk because 31 torches would have made a good photograph. However, this wasn’t to be and it wasn’t until we got back to the vehicles that darkness fell.

We had really enjoyed todays walk and we must say a big thank you to Martin and Sue for organising it, also to the management and staff at the Charles Cotton Hotel who made lunch a pleasure and to everybody on the walk. Thank you so much.

A little history:-
  Charles Cotton ( April 28, 1630 – February 16, 1687), lived at Beresford Hall, now demolished, wrote, with his great friend Izaak Walton, a remarkable book about 17th century rural England called ‘The Compleat Angler’. No other English language book, other than the Bible and Book of Common Prayer, has been reprinted more times. He shared his time between an extravagant life style in London society with the quieter pleasures of his home and the Peak District. That is when his creditors were not chasing him - then it is said he hid in a cave in Beresford Dale. The fishing lodge he built still remains on private land in Beresford Dale, but can be seen from a distance when approaching the dale.


Sheila and I had stayed in Hartington the previous night and when we arrived there on the saturday afternoon it was a completely different view. A few inches of snow which disappeared overnight.

Not a great image as it was taken from a moving vehicle.

Hartington village pond.

We stayed B & B at the Hayloft and can thoroughly recommend it and also the friendliness and good food at the Devonshire Arms.