Category Archives: Swimming

New Zealand, Photography, Swimming

53. Russell – Mangawhai Village

Saturday, April 4: Fine & warm with variable cloud

Beki’s (airbnb, $50)

The two Japanese guests had gotten up very early to catch the sun rise and there wasn’t much to do for breakfast, apart from also frying the sandwiches for lunch. Showed Nissi and Chisato some of my photos on facebook (startrailing the clouds, and lightning) and they immediately signed up as friends. As I speak no Japanese, their banter was just background, but every now and then they would discuss some English word or grammatical question (“disgusting” seemed to be quite a favourite, and “He’s mean, isn’t he?” was also high on the agenda) indicating that he was trying to show off his knowledge of the language. In any case 10:00 was approaching, so I threw all of my things together, then packed my stuff out of the fridge into the chilly bin. I went and found Ron to pay him for his efforts and we had a chat about walking in the Waitakere. Then I was headed in the direction of Opua. Read more…

GPS Tracks, New Zealand, Photography, Swimming, Topo Map, Tramping, Youtube Videos

22. Whanganui – Waitarere Beach

Wednesday, March 4: Very cloudy the whole day and very warm with some rain drops in the late afternoon, clearing again by sunset

Tramping: 8.1 km

Waitarere Beach Motor Camp, Park Avenue, Waitarere Beach 5510, tel.:+64 6 368 8732, tent site ($17)

The start to the morning was much better organised, and having all the necessary stuff distributed logically over just a shopping bag, a chilly bin, and the pack meant that I could try out my experiment tonight and camp out in the tent.

I was ready to go by about 9:00 even after having switched on the computer, gotten the reservation OK for Hamilton, and installed an update. Today’s drive was not going to be long, so there was plenty of time. Read more…

GPS Tracks, New Zealand, Photography, Swimming, Topo Map, Tramping

19. Raglan: Bridal Veil Falls and Ngarunui Beach

Sunday, March 1: Warm and sunny with barely a cloud

Tramping: 1.7 km

Robert’s

I had gotten a fairly good night’s sleep and was up and about just before Robert, and we had breakfast together: Cornflakes, a couple of poached eggs on toast, and coffee. After getting the stuff together that I needed for photography, I set off for the Bridal Veil Falls for the walk and photo session #1.

Bridal Veil Falls
Bridal Veil Falls
The turnoff is a couple of kilometres down the road, and then a farther turnoff into the Kawhia Road led to a car park. Unfortunately the road is a dead end, otherwise I would have considered taking it to Kawhia, just to see the town again after 2009. Will have to see what alternatives there are.

Bridal Veil
Short stroll, map detail. GPS: [download id="1739"], map: [download id="1691"]
At the car park there were plenty of cars and not many signs of break-ins, so I took off in crocs as it was an easy walk. The waterfall is quite high (55 m) and the track starts at the top where the water disappears over the edge. There are a total of four lookouts, two at the top, one in the middle and one at the bottom. I started taking photos at the bottom with a time lapse of about half of the falls (first without, then with the filter) and repeated at the middle lookout (where the shooting had to be portrait orientation to capture the whole image) and at the top I got a time lapse of the water disappearing and a single shot of the “No abseiling” sign, although it is strangely out of focus. Read more…

GPS Tracks, New Zealand, Swimming, Topo Map

16. Ohakune: Old Coach Road

Thursday, February 26: More or less cloudy the whole day, increasing in the afternoon, but no rain

Cycling: Old Coach Road, 30.1 km
Swimming: 1200 m

Danni’s

GPS Track/Topo Map

Got up closer to 8:00 than previously the case and had breakfast before Simon turned up with his daily bread. That was the last of the eggs, so I will have to go shopping in the afternoon for something for tomorrow morning.

The Old Coach Road as a mountain bike trail was on the programme for today. I was ready to go just before 9:30 and cycling down Railway Row I seriously considered going back and trying on the breast mount for the camera. That wouldn’t have been such a good idea. Read more…

New Zealand, Photography, Swimming, Travel Planning

15. Ohakune

Wednesday, February 25: Changeably cloudy throughout most of the day, and still warm

Danni’s

Slept almost completely through until 8:30 when Simon knocked on the door with a fresh loaf of his bread. Breakfast had to be improvised from what else was to be found apart from the eggs & butter I have over from last week. Some wheatbix were found, some milk and sugar, so the day could start.

The butter, it must be remarked here, was rock solid out of the fridge and still maintains its buttery appearance and taste despite living for 10 days in my sealable plastic container and melting at least twice during the kayak trip. This must be the test of tests for all concerned, both butter and container. Read more…

New Zealand, Swimming, Travel Planning

1. Auckland

Wednesday, February 11: Warm and sunny

Swimming: 1200 m

Chinara’s (airbnb, $56)

Kayaker Intrepid has landed

The plane from Kuala Lumpur was very full, and I was seated in my old seat but had a Maori family sitting next to me who I struck up conversation with (a couple, their daughter and her boyfriend). I had the fish this time round (very spicy) and then took in one half of Walking in the Graveyard until I wasn’t following the story any more and slept a good three hours. My rowmates slept the whole way through to dinner, as did most other people. Passengers today included a variety of people wearing religious attire except for Jews, Hare Krishnas, and Bhagwanis. Read more…

Swimming, Travel Planning

Ironman I: Swimming

One of the factors responsible for the drift in my memory that occurred in the 34 years I didn’t visit New Zealand was that I had been training for cadetship in Surf Life Saving in 1974/75 and was swimming up to 1200 m a session in times that were acceptable for the exam (400 m/8 min), and had subsequently reverted over the years to being little more than a hobby swimmer. Of course, for anyone (particularly someone young) who can regularly swim distances like those, a distance of several hundred metres simply becomes a distance that can be crossed.

My parents did not allow me to swim across the Bay of Islands to the island that, thanks now to GoogleEarth, I know is only 400 m from the shore; not because they thought I might not make it, but because there were speed boats flitting about; in any case, I made it up the Waitangi River to the Haruru Falls from the jetty at the motorcamp, which was about 200 m. That would have been a trivial distance. Read more…