Camping and kiwi

One of the most special places that we've visited in New Zealand is Aroha Island, a small kiwi sanctuary located 12 kilometres north of Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands (not far from where we made landfall nine years ago). When we were discussing where to go for our "shakedown" motorcycle camping trip, it was the perfect choice.

The premise for the trip was to test what it would be like to carry our camping gear on the bikes before our week-long trip at Christmas. But really, going to Aroha was all about catching up with our good friends Mavis and Dave, who have managed the island each summer for the last four years.

After an early start and a fun ride north, we arrived at our destination just past noon.

Aroha is a place of quiet and repose, since it is home to several native kiwi (the bird that is, though there are usually a few of the human variety lurking around as well).

We make our way along a long causeway...



And are greeted by Mavis and Dave, who wait patiently as we set up camp...

And crack a beer to celebrate our arrival.

Then it was time to settle in for fresh pizza from the pizza oven (kippers and marmalade YUM!)...

And have an afternoon cuppa.

After a short post-lunch walk to take in the views...

Most of the gang headed for an afternoon nap while the more restless among us spent time investigating the map book and planning future rides.



That evening we borrowed red torches from Mavis and Dave and went out on a kiwi-spotting expedition. Mike and I have tried a few times to spot kiwi here, but they can be pretty elusive. We got lucky on one occasion and spotted the rear end of one as it scurried across the path and into the bushes. So, imagine how giddy we were when we had not one, not two, not four, but seven (or possibly more, we actually lost count!) sightings!! And not the "Yikes! Humans! Make a break for it!" kind of sightings, but the "Hmm, more curious humans staring me down but these insects are too delicious to pass up so I'll just humour them" kind of sightings. Some were of the same bird, but even so, it was quite the night. Good fun too. Imagine...

Creeping along in the dark on bush-lined trails, ninja style to avoid making a sound...

In the pitch black, with no light on for fear of disturbing the kiwi...

Ears keenly tuned to any slight rustling sound in the bush.

You only find out if your imagination is playing tricks on you when you turn on the red torch and peer with bated breath into the bush, trying to pick out brown feathers and a long curved beak from amongst the brown undergrowth and broken twigs.

We were too busy stalking to bring out the camera, but here's a photo of one of the little fellas courtesy of the Aroha website...

The next day we partook in Dave's expedition-grade tour of the island, complete with beautiful foliage....

Some bush clearing...



A murky iron-filled stream...

And even a hidden waterfall...

And then sadly it was time to break camp, load up the bikes, and hit the road back to Auckland and work the following day. We took the scenic route along the coast so we could reminisce about our arrival here by yacht so many years ago. We returned to Opua, where we first cleared customs.

Reminisce we did, in particular about the ice cream cones that fuelled us for that first month we spent in New Zealand!



Thanks to Dave and Mavis and Aroha Island for yet another magical visit. We'll be back soon!

Auckland "Roadster"

Last Sunday, I (Sarah) ran the Auckland half marathon again. I wasn't really excited about it (I'm a trail runner at heart), but it would be my fifth time, and after running it five times you qualify for "Roadster" status. That basically means you get a permanent number. Woohoo!! Okay, not that exciting, but it seemed worth the effort for one more year.

I only managed about five training runs on the road before the event, so I felt woefully unprepared. So, on the day, I surprised myself by actually enjoying the run and finishing strong. I didn't PB (shorthand for "personal best"...a verb or noun in running circles), but I was only 1min 24sec off my PB (from last year, when my net time was 1:33:34).

This year's results:

See, it wasn't even that painful!

My official Roadster number for evermore...2483. But will I actually ever do another one???

Spring fever on Rangitoto

Labour Day weekend. Sunshine like summer even though it's spring. Three friends. Three pairs of running shoes. One ferry. One island and one volcano. All up, one fabulous day.


On the ferry...

Long early morning shadows as we start off on the lava rock trail...

At the water's edge before we start the ascent...

Never trust Stu when the camera's out and he's behind you...

Hazy view from the top...

Jean leaping over roots and stones on the downward stretch...

Back at the ferry dock with plenty of time for a snooze before the next boat arrives...

Thanks for a magical day Jean and Stu!

A birthday of beans and peas

Our last home here in NZ was a glorious showpiece of manicured lawns, garden beds full of colourful and thriving dahlias and roses, fruit trees so overladen that the ground beneath them was a possum's delight, and a veggie garden bursting with delicious edibles just waiting for harvest. 

Okay, who are we kidding? That's what it was like when we moved in. When we moved out...not so much. Just maintaining the gardens and lawn required several hours of effort - EVERY DAY. And we had far more important things to do like hit the bike park or play music or hang out with friends.

So, when we bought our new home, we said, "no more lawn or high-maintenance gardens."

We definitely don't miss spending several hours every Saturday just mowing a lawn, but we do miss the "yummy" side of our old garden. We've slowly been adding fruit trees (feijoas, grapefruit, lemon, and lime) since we moved in, and (fingers crossed, touch wood) we may actually see some action there this year.

Our little grapefruit tree is sprouting flowers...

But for more immediate gratification, how about veggies?! So, instead of fancy dinners or luxurious spa treatments, this year for my birthday I asked Mike to build me a veggie garden box. With some inspiration from my friend Shelaine, I decided to go for a no-dig veggie garden (aka a lasagna garden).

First we had to go shopping for supplies. The van was busting.

Here's Mike hard at work.

With the box built, it was time to fill it. The whole deal with a no-dig garden is layering. First newsprint...

Then hay and fertilizer...

Then straw and more fertilizer...

And finally compost...

We were so excited with the first box that we even built a second! They are now planted with beans, tomatoes, capsicums, hot chilli peppers, basil, cucumber, courgettes, peas, radishes, rocket and cos lettuce, brocolleti, spring onions, celery, and mint.

The artistic string designs on top are to keep the cats out. My veggie gardens do not want to be a litter box. Ew.

Introducing Bella

Well, if we're really gonna ride to Alaska next year, we'll need some wheels to do it on. For those of us who are vertically challenged (i.e. only 5'4"), finding a bike with a low enough seat is a bit challenging! After checking out all of my options, I basically had it narrowed down to...one type of bike.

So, when that bike came up for sale, in Seattle (where our friends Ken and Drew live), and in yellow :), we decided it was meant to be.

Meet Bella, as Ken has christened her (at her new home on Orcas Island)...

Drew makes it obvious why this bike is better for someone my height...

Known as "Butter Horse" to her previous owner, she's a 2005 BMW F650 GS with lowered suspension. With heaps of gear, she'll need just a little more "farkling" before she's ready for the expedition north. I just can't believe I have to wait until next year to ride her!

HUGE thanks to Ken and Drew for all the time and hard work in checking Bella Butter Horse out and test riding her for me. Drew, I promise I'll clean up the oil. Ken, I promise I'll get her dirty again!

Now on with the quest for a bike for Mike...

2010 Xterra Trail Challenge

After a 10-month hiatus from running events, I finally caved and signed up for the 2010 Xterra Trail Challenge. My friend Stu talked me into it with promises of stunning scenery, a little adventure by way of suspension bridges and tunnels, and generally a great day out. He wasn't wrong.

So, last Saturday I dragged myself out of bed at 5:45am, to get ready for a 6:30am departure. What was I thinking, when staying snuggled in bed sounded so damn fine? After picking up Shelaine, we were off to the Karangahake Gorge, southeast of Auckland. Despite the early start, we arrived at event base feeling pretty invigorated by the sunshine (oh, and the coffee).

Xen decided not to run, but he couldn't resist the twisty roads on his bike, so he met us there.

Stu and I did the mid-distance 13k course, while Shelaine, recovering from injury and potentially defying her physio's orders, opted for the 7.3k course. Both courses proved to be totally stunning. In fact, probably the best trails I've run on in New Zealand. I had planned to take my camera for the run, but chickened out at the last minute. Here's a taste of where we were (courtesy of the Total Sport website).

Here we are, mid-run. Can you tell we're having fun?

After the run we obeyed Shelaine's physio's orders and stretched, stretched, stretched...(for anyone who has done one of these events before, you know the real reason we stuck around was for the Speights and sausies!).

On a post-run high, we were unable to resist the urge to pose on top of some huge tyres.

We had a little time to kill after the event before the awards ceremony and spot prize draw, so we headed to Waihi to check out the gold mine.

 It took a little while for the silliness-inducing endorphins to wear off.

Just when we thought the the day couldn't get any better...it did! Shelaine and I both won our respective categories! We got some wood trophies, carved out of timber from the Martha Mine in Waihi. Not bad, considering the serious lack of training and the "let's just go for a laugh and good time" attitude.

Stu, you were right...what a fantastic day. The only downer was that Mike was stuck at home catching up on school work.