Pakeha (pronounced “Pah kay ha”) - this word is not an insult; its derivation is obscure; it is the Māori word for people living in New Zealand of British/European origin; originally it would not have included, for example, Italians, Greeks, Indians, Chinese, etc.

                                                  http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/tereo-100words

Last weekend Brian and I decided to tackle a tramp which combines 3 different tracks. We started with the Goldies Bush track in Muriwai, then to the Mokoroa Falls track, through the Mokoroa Stream track, and then back up the last hour of the Goldies Bush track.  Below is a map of the tramp. 

We started and ended at Constable Road. 

Brian was in front of me, and the bush with the yellow flowers hit his shoulder which then flew back and smacked me in the forehead. Brian broke out in hysterical laughter and was quick enough to capture this moment. While pretty from a distance, the yellow flowered bush is incredibly sharp with thorns all over it. It's called  Scotch Broom and is non-native and incredibly invasive. This is probably the most dangerous thing in all of New Zealand, aside from people of course.

The very beginning

Pretty

Suspension bridge with Brian at the end

Brian's artistic shot of the bridge

Just hangin around

Falls from the top

It was a wee bit muddy

We thought this was a joke, but this past weekend we saw a sign for $2 bags of tomatoes and turned off (as they've been around $7 a bag in the stores), and there were all these bags of beautiful tomatoes, and an honesty box to leave your money in. I LOVE IT!

Falls from below

A very happy Brian

In this picture I'm learning how to best navigate through the rocks in the river. Brian has a great technique he calls "the grandma shuffle" (no disrespect to grandmothers out there) where you shuffle your foot in front of you before committing to putting your weight down on it (for Sigma Nus, think of how Jane, Staples' college girlfriend, walked). 

Standing on our lunch spot in the middle of the river

From here the next picture we have is below, due to multiple river crossings and canyoneering.

That's me back at our car. Below is what Auckland's Department of Conservation posts about the part of our tramp.


“Note that the Mokoroa Stream section is significantly more challenging than the other two sections of track.”

•                Challenging day or multi-day tramping/hiking

•                Track is mostly unformed with steep, rough or muddy sections

•                Suitable for people with good fitness. Moderate to high level backcountry skills and experience, including navigation and survival skills required

•                Track has markers, poles or rock cairns. Expect unbridged stream and river crossings up to waist or higher

Tramping/hiking boots required

The Mokoroa Stream Track is a marked route only, and extreme care is needed. Numerous stream crossings. Do not attempt after heavy rain. This route is suitable for experienced trampers only."

Either we miscalculated or just took a really long time, but it ended up taking us about 7 hours to complete instead of the 5-5 ½ we had planned for.  Unfortunately this meant we did the last 1 ½ hours in the darkness of the forest. Thankfully I always bring my super bright LED flashlight with me whenever we go tramping. The scariest part I think for both of us was that we didn’t know what obstacles lay ahead. While it was fun to cross the river in the daytime, it’s a bit intimidating at night, and there would have been no way we could have done the canyoneering in the dark.

As it began to grow dark, my thoughts centered on how I could convince Brian to wait until the morning to finish the hike. We both LOVE Man vs. Wild, and Bear always makes a shelter/sets up camp before it gets dark. So that’s what I was thinking.  Thankfully the only “predators” in New Zealand are the ferret and the possum (NZ’s possom and America’s possom are entirely different creatures), so the worst that could happen is we’d be hungry and cold.

New Zealand possom

 American possom

Brian decided that as long as we kept finding the trail markers we were fine, and to just focus on making it to the next marker.  I decided to go along with this plan as long as we didn’t come upon a river crossing or more canyoneering. Brian’s planned was excellent, and worked out splendidly! We got a huge adrenalin rush, and found out how we work together in intense, “survival” mode (which I think one can only speculate on until you’re actually in a sticky situation). We work really well together, and helped keep each other calm.

Lesson: Always start a hike with a few extra hours of daylight available just in case, and always bring a flashlight!

We were both so exhausted from our adventure on Saturday, that we just relaxed on the beach in our backyard Sunday by collecting seashells and various interesting rocks.

Last Wednesday was a big day for me-I got 2 jobs! I will be working part time in a private practice which specializes in working with kids and teens with Aspergers Disorder (a high functioning form of autism). I have lots to learn, as I’ve only worked with maybe a handful of kids with Aspergers, and am both excited and a bit nervous for the challenge. I start this Thursday!

I also received an offer, and accepted, to be the external assessor for a graduate dissertation of a student in the Art Therapy graduate program at Whitecliffe College. The dissertation is titled Art Therapy with a Child to Promote Self-Esteem Following Medical Stress. I’ll read and assess the dissertation as the external expert in the field. While it’ll be a lot of work for me in the next month, I think it could lead to greater opportunities within the graduate Art Therapy program. So that’s exciting as well!

This past weekend Brian and I went mountain biking both days (hiking was out for me due to an injured toe resulting from Brian's hiking pole), and I really enjoyed it! Apparently fourth time’s the charm for me, as on Saturday I had so much fun. It was great to ride my bike to the trail, rather than just hold on for dear life and hope for the best!  Now my goal is to overcome my fear of riding on narrow bridges (Mt. Sinai peeps may recall a short video clip of me falling off a bridge on a mountain bike).

Next weekend we’re off snowboarding with both couples that we’ve become friends with!

Also, the question to last post's Jeopardy answer is, "What are the top news stories in New Zealand?" I'll have to elaborate on it in my next post. Make sure you didn't miss my "What I do all day" post from 7/19/2010.

Sorry for the much abridged update but I’m suddenly incredibly busy! Love to all, and please leave comments (they make me very happy)!