D is for Dominion Post: daily dose of Sudoku

How I have enjoyed picking up the Puzzles page from the local newspaper, The Dominion, while having a fall white in a Wellington Cafe.

The quiet time on the bed tackling the 3 Sudoku's and the Code-cracker is so nice.

K is for Kaka: the gang came for apples this morning

An early morning surprise visit.
A noisy, boisterous gang of Kaka's flew onto the deck here at Shawni and Craig's home in Ngaio demanding attention and treats.
Delightful.

T is for Tongariro Alpine Crossing: the 19.4 km done

We made it! the gang on the track.

We left the volcanic zone and golden switchbacks and entered the final stretch, the forest.
The downhill started to hurt. Uneven sections of stairs for about 3km! Achy knees for all. Shawni was strong the whole way but found this stretch monotonous. But the end of our 8 hours was close and suddenly we arrived at Ketetahi Hut.
The tramp was done. Well done Fred, Craig and Shawni.
The transport arrived and we headed back to Adventure Lodge and Motel.
Exhausted and so amazed to have completed the Crossing, not for nothing called New Zealand's best one day hike.

 Mangatetipua Stream, the track finishes through a forest.

T is for Tongariro Alpine Crossing: the long descent

Time to descend

The long descent started. 

The switchbacks through the golden tussock slopes were a breather, I could get into a rhythm and walk, so the kilometres started to melt away.

The views across to Lakes Rotoaira and Taupo were special too.

At times there was a slight incline and my body would complain, but in the main this was a less demanding stretch of the crossing.

Beauty in the detail

Golden tussock slopes

Shawni and Craig on the switchbacks

Lake Rotoaira from the switchbacks on the descent

C is for Central Crater: Tongariro Alpine Crossing

From our lunch stop at the Emerald Lakes we traversed the Central Crater which is a dramatic drainage basin rather than a true crater. These images looking back along the track to Red Crater are stunning and as I sit here blogging, it feels mythical already. What a hike!.

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Quiet, sacred Blue Lake, an acidic water body

E is for Emerald Lakes: Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Our first view of the Emerald Lakes as we started the descent from Red Crater

Three lakes make up the Emerald Lakes and they are old explosion pits with brilliant water colourings from the minerals washed down from the Red Crater. Amazing sight as we crested Red Crater.

Other worldly coloured lake.

Shawni and Craig navigating the scree slope.

So now the 11 kilometres of decent started. This had me laughing out loud, a ridiculously steep but narrow scoria slope! I hung onto Fred's backpack and we slipped down, literally. After the loose scree section the path hardens into a packed surface with small loose stones - downhill on marbles, still giggling I held on for dear life and kept sliding behind Fred....

Scoria slope with the old lava flow from Red Crater.

Our 'picnic' spot, steaming vents and just a little smelly too.

The lunch stop was so welcome, we just plopped down, rested for a short while, knocked all the scree out of our shoes and started the next leg of the walk to the acidic Blue Lake, a sacred place for the Maori's.

R is for Red Crater: high point of the Crossing, 1886m

Gaping Red Crater, Mt Tongariro

Remarkable colours of Red Crater

Having slogged up the steep, rocky ridge we were in awe of what came next, we were right on the edge of the gaping Red Crater, looking into the surreal colours and shapes.

It felt raw and ripped and at the same time velvety.

The weather was much cooler, the wind came up, we added a layer and took in this weird, stupendous place.

T is for Tongariro Alpine Crossing: 3500 souls on the path on Devil's Staircase

The track up the valley to the saddle between Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, over lava rocks, is aptly called the Devil's Staircase, it is very steep, stacks of wooden steps twist and turn from 1400 to 1600 meters above sea level.

I battled the whole way, one step at a time, questioning my fitness for this arduous piece of the tramp, the height gain affected me too, made me nauseous and my heart was pounding with each pace. I was testing Fred's patience as he shepherded me up.

It was a long weekend here in New Zealand, Waitangi Day. On a good summers day there can be 1000 people on the Crossing. The estimate for our day on the path was 3500!

That added another level of pressure on the ascent - young, 20 somethings pushing past on the narrow stairs. I just doggedly put one foot in front of the other and crept up and up and up, too exhausted to even weep when I got to the saddle and then needed to tackle the rocky, uneven ascent to Red Crater after the South Crater stretch of flat walking.

Reaching the saddle and the huge, walled amphitheatre

Up in the alpine zone, bleak, eerie and beautiful

N is for Ngauruhoe: Mount Doom from Mordor

Mt Ngauruhoe from the Saddle

Alpine summer flowers.

Mount Doom, Mordor, can see what the appeal was!

From Tongarirocrossing.org.nz:

The Lord of the Rings

In autumn 2000, Tongariro National Park was home to the most sinister of the Lord of the Rings locations, Mordor, which is

the strong hold of the dark Lord Sauron.  Mordor, is the great volcanic plateau filled with geological  wonders known as Gorgoroth.  Much of Frodo and Sam's journey into the land of Sauron was filmed on and around the Tongariro National Park. 

The area has jagged volcanic rock formations and eerie barren landscapes, ideally suited to Mordor's hissing wasteland.

To really immerse yourself in Mordor and feel the eerie barren landscape, trek the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.  The following are features of Tongariro National Park that were captured in the filming of scenes from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Mt Ngauruhoe
Mt Ngauruhoe was digitally altered to appear as Mt Doom.  Mt Ngauruhoe is a featur of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. 

T is for Tongariro Alpine Crossing: the legendary one day hike on the North Island

Mt Raupehu, the ski mountain of the Tongariro National Park.

Boardwalk over the volcanic lava flow

It starts, the legendary Tongariro Alpine Crossing, lauded as the best one day hike in New Zealand.

Shawni and Craig had organised the transfer to the start point and we were off at 8.30am from National Park to the car park at Mangatepopo.

The weather was perfect!

The day before had been overcast with rain but we had blue skies, the visibility was so good that Mt. Taranaki was floating on the horizon 100km to  the west. I was so relieved as it is a fair weather tramp and all about the scenery and grand vistas.

Mt Taranki on the horizon, Shawni and Craig on the path.

The day started with an easy tramp up the Mangatepopo Valley to Soda Springs, walking over the old lava flows with great views of Mt Raupehu and Mt Ngauruhoe looming large. My nerves had settled a little as we walked across the boardwalks but then as we got to Soda Springs, the Devil's Stairway came into view - oh my.

It starts, the arduous Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Summer grasses with golden heads.

S is for statue: Katherine Mansfield in Midland Park, Wellington

Katherine Mansfield sculpture in Midland Park, Wellington

I went looking for this statue this morning while we were pottering around Wellington doing some admin and shopping.

From Stuff.co.nz, 2013:

"The words of Katherine Mansfield will illuminate a little corner of Lambton Quay after a three-metre- high statue of the renowned New Zealand writer was unveiled yesterday.

The statue, by sculptor Virginia King, is the fruit of three years work between the Wellington Sculpture Trust, the Katherine Mansfield Society and the Wellington City Council. It will stand at the corner of Midland Park.

Lit up from inside, the steel figure of Wellington-born Mansfield is covered in passages of her writing. Even her hair is made up of shopping lists found in her journals.

Guests at the unveiling included Ben Galloway, from Auckland, who spent many hours welding the figure together, meeting the sculptor's exacting standards. "I've spilt my fair share of blood, sweat and tears on it, especially the inside . . . It will last for years," he said.

Before the unveiling by mayor Celia Wade-Brown, Mansfield interpreter Cathy Downes performed The Doll's House, one of the author's most famous short stories.

Sculpture Trust project manager Jon Craig said Mansfield was synonymous with New Zealand.

"While in Siberia, at the English-speaking school in Novosibirsk, I was asked where I came from. New Zealand, I said . . . in an instant the reply came back, 'Katherine Mansfield'.""

R is for Rimu: an 800 year old New Zealand tree

The giant 800 year old Rimu on our walk today.

I felt like been back on a trail today after a few intense days of visiting exhibitions.
The Otari-Wilton Botanical Gardens is a few suburbs away from Craig and Shawni and are unique as they showcase New Zealand native plants, shrubs and trees. Beyond the gardens is a vast extent of native broadleaf conifer forest with a nice selection of well formed paths to walk.
The highlight was the old Rimu tree standing with such dignity and presence in the forest.

Otari-Wilton Nature Trails, wonderful morning walk.

A gardener shared some of her knowledge about the uniqueness of the shrubs and trees, particularly the Fierce Lancewood.

The tree evolved to protect itself from ground bird predation, like the now extinct moa's. Once it reaches a certain height the leaves face skyward and loose their knobbly, spiky look and soften.

Interesting.

B is for Bangers: an insight from The Great War Exhibition, Wellington

Learning something new - where the word bangers comes from!

A scene of what life was like in the trenches in France - eating their tinned sausages.

How I love it when I learn something cool, we talk of having bangers and mash and I never realised the word 'bangers' is a phrase from The Great War.

The tins of sausages shipped to the frontline had a tendency to explode unless the tin was pierced, hence bangers!

A photo I took of a colourised 1915 black and white, quite remarkable.

Once again a very professional and unique exhibition driven by Sir Peter Jackson. His grandfather served in The Great War and was at Gallipoli and this in part explains his passion for this era in New Zealand's history. He has made it real and accessible.

Another unique dimension that he has introduced in The Great War Exhibition is the colourisation of the original black and white Kodak photos taken during the war.

These 100 year old images, seen in full colour are fascinating and make the images of the war fresh and current.

The photos are large scale, backlit and heart stoppingly real, the talent of the Weta Workshop digital artists is very special.

I was particularly taken with this image of an Aussie soldier listening to a gramophone record in a bunker at Gallipoli, how many shades of brown.

He could walk into a room right now, maybe a farmer...

Another moving day  for Fred and me - The Great War Exhibition, Wellington