After being disappointed by weather-induced cancellations in Queenstown, I finally managed to ditch the skirts at home and venture out on a canyoning trip in the Waitakere Ranges west of Auckland. I, along with Steph, Matt, Katie, our guide Javier, and my beard (which in retrospect, appears to have figured prominently in many photos)
Suited up,
And headed off down the Blue Canyon for a little jumping,
Scrambling,
Sliding,
And abseiling excitement.
Good fun. And, I only got one “Uh, Luke, if you can try to stay on the path, that’d be great.” from Javier, after taking one too many “alternate routes” through more interesting terrain.
Fortunately, when I got home I found that Ciel had managed to keep Britt out of trouble by taking her to Preschool Play in the local park.
Finally, Ciel got to play with something other than the four tired newborn toys that we’ve been dragging around for the last three and a half months.
With all the thermal pools that Ciel has been enjoying (including the clamshell, which I somehow get suckered into filling via 47 pot-and-pan laden trips to the kitchen sink instead of using the garden hose), we were starting to get concerned that she might become a water temperature snob. Our fears, however, were put to rest on our day trip to Mission Bay when Ciel hopped into the frigid fountain for a lengthy paddle.
Despite the fact that all her extremities turned blue in the first thirty seconds, she hung in there for a good 15 minutes. We finally pulled her out when her (three) teeth started chattering like a magpie. But, with some warm snuggles,
And little gastric lavage from mummy, she thawed out pretty quickly.
It wasn’t long before she was warm enough to indulge in a double dose of gelato.
Green Tea was her favourite, but Blueberry/Cinnamon was a close second.
Unbeknownst to us, we happened to book our Auckland stay over Anniversary Day. Anniversary of what? We’re not sure. Regardless, it was a big deal. It kicked off with a giant fireworks display.
Then, the next day the harbour was filled with fun boats of all types performing races and demonstrations.
There was even an air show.
And, we scored front row seats for the whole thing!
The next day, with our confidence bolstered by the many hikes that we have done in the last few weeks, Britt, Ciel and I girded up our loins and ventured out on the Auckland Coast to Coast Walkway. We tackled the 16 km trek from Manukau Harbour (on the Tasman Sea in the West) to Waitemata Harbour (on the Pacific Ocean in the East) with vigor.
It started as a leisurely stroll through rolling parks and neighbourhoods.
But, as is the custom with our “strolls”, it quickly escalated. We soon found ourselves sweating our way up and down three volcanoes:
One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie – 182m above sea level,
(What’s left of the replacement “One Tree” after activists cut it down in 2000. The original was cut down in 1852 by British settlers.)
Mt Eden/Maungawhau – 196m above sea level,
(A long way from home)
And the Auckland Domain/Pukekawa - 61m above sea level.
Where, after checking out the Wintergarden,
Where, after checking out the Wintergarden,
We took a little detour to the cricket pitch, so Ciel could help Mummy practice her bowling.
Then, she promptly cashed in her chips.
After a hard-fought 5 hours and 12 minutes, we finished up in Viaduct Harbour,
For a well-earned celebratory beverage.
Our plan now is to spend the next 24 hours with our feet up. The throbbing can’t last much longer than that…
