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[tourdescience]

The Routeburn

We had a night in Te Anau to dry our things before rolling onto the Routeburn. And yep, another stunner.

It didn't rain a drop, though got pretty nippy. The views were outrageous and was a wonderful series of lake, peak, tarn, waterfall and river.

After seeing kea at Harris Saddle we walked up the Valley of the Trolls for an hour in an unsuccessful attempt to see tuke/rock wren. Still, what a beautiful valley!

We stayed at both Routeburn Falls and Flats huts, which had us walk one whole hour on day three. We nosied around the North Branch and sat in the sun reading. Tramping needn't be all go!

Two great walks; a hell of a trip

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The Milford Track

Mich and I walked the Milford over Easter and it was awesome! Our first time walking in Fiordland. I loved the bush, birds and terrain. Those glacial valleys kicked my arse: just huge walls of rock.

It was warm and sunny for the first few days and we had nice weather over Mackinnon Pass. The trip to Sutherland Falls was very cool.

Our final day to Sandfly Point was wet. Just, wet all day. But that made hundreds of waterfalls everywhere you looked 😍 We had a Milford Sound cruise at the end of the walk. Pretty fab to chill out with a cuppa and some bickies.

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Some days are just real good 🌞

I went to the cricket with my parents. NZ were in top form against Sri Lanka, Williamson and Nicholls got double tons!

Then I strolled up the hill to the Mt Vic quarry to see Thomas, Cello and Seth Frightening play! 😍

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Camping at Ōtaki Forks, Wgtn Anniversary

Here was a fun and easy trip! Mich suggested it and I got all sorted for the Sunday of the long weekend. I caught the bus to Waikanae and was soon pedalling along quiet country roads.

A large slip toward the end means Ōtaki Gorge Rd has been closed since Sep 2020. There's a small track over the slip for walkers and I scrambled over with my bike. Then felt very clever as I cycled past hunters and trampers on foot.

The car park had been busy but there were very few campers. I had a swim, did a short walk, had a swim, then cooked dinner. I then had a good sleep on my new sleeping mat 😴

After a morning swim at Pots Reserve, I rolled in to Ōtaki and visited my friends Perrine, Sam and Erin for a cup of tea. From there I took the shared path beside the expressway back to Waikanae and was home for a late lunch.

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Music I loved this year

Time for a round up. I listened to music at work quite a bit this year... more so than usual.

Issy Wood

#1. The Best. Could not get enough Issy Wood this year. A well-regarded British painter who has a go making music and it's this good? Stop it. There's so little stuff online about her music though! Maybe I gotta start the fan club. (Tumblr's tags were about her visual work – if you love her tunes... 👋)

It's all good stuff but here's my Great Issy Wood playlist if you're interested.

Burial

It's all good stuff and this guy has a tune for every mood. I'm no good at remembering song titles though, so just listen to albums or skip through to tracks. Antidawn was very good, plus his albums and Tunes. He and Issy have never played live (and live in the UK) so 'thanks' to the internet for sharing I guess.

Aldous Harding

Now here's someone I love who I've seen live three times! It's awesome to be a fan of someone as they're releasing stuff – being part of the culture and seeing it unfold. I think Warm Chris is her best yet.

Hans Pucket

I know and love these guys and No Drama is incredible!

Princess Chelsea

She's great.

Kate Bush

I didn't watch Stranger Things but did know Running Up That Hill. I got really hooked on The Dreaming. I was floored that someone was making music that interesting in 1982.

Women making weird pop music? I'm in.

I also loved Drug Store Romeos, TOPS, Knox Fortune, Tennis, Cate Le Bon, SOPHIE ❤ and Tyler's IGOR

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Akatarawa Traverse

Back on the bike and into the Akatarawa! I caught the bus to Paraparaumu (I feel much less anxious sitting beside my bike on the train... than watching it wobble around on a rack as the bus shoots along the motorway!) and headed for the hills. Near the end of Maungakotukutuku Rd some kids were selling fizzy and chips at a roadside stall ❤

The first bit of track is frightfully steep and covered in large rocks, though it does calm down. It meanders through the bush with a mix of clay, gravel, rocks and ruts. Those ruts come partly from the motocross riders who hoon around the forest – I met some good sorts and saw some real dickheads.

Wilderness camping is permitted in Akatarawa but I'd not read any suggestion on where might be good. I aimed for a spot near the Whakatikei then wandered around till I found somewhere nice. A few 4x4s passed in the afternoon but otherwise it was all mine – including a great river bend for a skinny dip.

The next morning was a very tough climb up the Pram Track: really pushing my aerobic ability! The descent was even steeper though!! I had a chat with some motocross guys who had watched me come down a steep rutty clay slope ('no pressure... we're not even here' 😁). Their friend slid out on his bike, so good to know it happens to the best of us.

I walked down some of the descent, took a wrong turn, got back on track, crossed the Akatarawa River, then cruised out through Karapoti Gorge.

Route map

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It snowed in Norsewood! Luckily we'd just bought socks during Socktober 🧦

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I love a good ramble – getting off track for a day walk. Could be a park, a gully or here: Te Kopahou. It's 'a great place to experience a sense of remoteness in a wild, varied landscape close to the [Wellington] city' and I think I've run or walked all the tracks. I went off track and followed Haape Stream out to the coast.

This is a stream I've crossed a bunch on the Haape Track. I followed my nose and zig-zagged the stream, walking on terraces or rock-hopping. There was plenty of squeezing between branches... and (trying to avoid) gorse and ongaonga (I was also watching my back for wild pigs!)

My feet stayed dry for the first two-thirds, before I slipped in. I was trying to avoid the water as it's downstream of the dump. Though it felt remote, the constant bits of snagged plastic and polystyrene was frustrating to see. Also I was wary of the probable heavy metals and poo contamination 🤢

Anyway, once in the stream it did make things quicker. Though it did take two hours to travel two kilometres! A good reality check for all the times I've dreamed of tramping off-track. My small daypack got snagged on a few branches – I'm sure a full tramping pack would catch on plenty more and really strain my crouching knees.

I walked into the ocean to rinse my shoes and got stung by a bluebottle. A fun, scratchy, stingy, scrambly ramble.

Approx route here

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A while back I was walking through Central Park and spotted a cat... and its kittens! It was cute but I check some traps in the park for pests – rats and mice. Removing those pests is important but imagine the damage a family a wandering cats could do!

I emailed the trap organiser and we met up with a cool ranger. They installed a live trap cage, with a plate of delicious tuna. Me and a couple of others would check the cage a few times a day.

One by one we got the kittens, and the mum. They were taken to a cat rehoming place in Strathmore. I'm told they have a very high rehoming rate. I felt glad to be part of a good outcome: cats get a nice home. Birds, lizards and insects in the park are a little bit safer 😻

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Oh, mysterious jar of kimchi-cum-sauerkraut at the back of the fridge: where did thou come from? And how were thou so delicious?

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Matariki weekend and covid

I was pleased that I'd managed to book a hut in the Orongorongo Valley on a public holiday, though Matariki falling on a Friday might have caught people out. So it was that we trundled in to Jan's Hut.

A mid-winter river crossing was the biggest issue here but the water was low and not a problem for our group of seven. We had plenty of food and hot toddys 🔥

Most of the group pushed on for a weekend at Mikimiki near Masterton. It's always a nice place to stay but an unwelcome stranger was lurking – covid turned this into the Wellington Liberals Matariki Eco House Birthday Retreat Cluster!

Mich, Anna and I all got it... though Bev stayed clear. I felt very tired but my symptoms weren't too bad. We wore masks indoors and had the windows open – it made for a cold, isolated time.

The government have said I'm okay to mingle, now I'm just waiting for a negative test. Let me get back into nature!

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I love looking at maps and wondering about getting myself to the places shown. A Topo50 coupled with On the Go Map is a great start to thinking up a bike trip.

On the Go is one of my favourite resources – it's super simple and easy to use. It's also a funny old thing that tries to get me into trouble. Plotting a point from A to B? No problem: you can walk (if it's set to walk) along this route. Just, jump the fence at Zealandia. Or take this track which is definitely on private property.

I always have to temper my route schemings with the Topo50 line of something like 'just because it's on this map, doesn't mean you're allowed to go there'.

On the other hand though, when I naively wondered if there was a route from Battle Hill to Upper Hutt, On the Go confidently gave me a whole bunch of options. And cross-referencing them with Trail Forks confirmed that yep, those forestry roads are mostly all good to bike on!

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Belmont, Tawa, Ohariu Valley, 19/20 Mar 2022

Like my first trip through the Akatarawa , this was a casual Saturday followed by a big Sunday.

I caught the train mid-morning to Wallaceville and headed to Whitemans Valley. I love this kind of riding on a sealed single lane country road. There was almost no traffic and just a few cyclists and runners – a pretty warm day for it!

After some fun and fast twists down Blue Mountain Road, I followed the cycle path across the Hutt River, only to find myself on the side of SH2! I'm a confident cyclist but I did not enjoy having traffic race past. I was further stymied by my plans to cross the highway to get to Dry Creek Campground at Belmont. The fancy Belmont interchange is 80km/h, and there was no proper way to get to the Manor Park Station overbridge.

I continued along the highway, climbed over the median barrier on the side, backtracked through light industry and eventually got the overpass 😕 Camping was fine and there was almost no one else there. I did a couple of short walks around and had an easy sleep.

Sunday through Belmont had some real challenges. Much of the route was on a farm... on farm tracks... best suited to a 4WD or quad bike. So plenty of hike-a-bike. Much of the downhill was similar: too steep to negotiate safely. Walking downhill = no fun. It was a few hours of ups and downs before heading down to Takapu Valley. I ended up near the Transmission Gully motorway and – this feels like it's becoming a theme of these trips – had to squeeze over or around a couple of gates that said 'No Entry' on the opposite side.

The ride through Takapu Valley was wonderful and after chocolate milk and a pie in Tawa, I rode the fairly new Te Ngahere o Tawa track. In contrast to Belmont, this trail was a delight – smooth switchy climbing through forest. It took me to the top of Ohariu Valley and another stretch of quiet rural roads.

Makara, Karori and home! Routes for Saturday and Sunday.

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South Makara Road to the Coast, 31 Dec 2021

Here was a nice day trip to see out a funny year. From my place in Brooklyn I scouted a loop out through Karori to South Makara Road that (seemed to) roll out to the South Coast around from Pariwhero Red Rocks.

The ride over Makara Hill was slow and then zoomy. South Makara Road takes you past the Karori Golf Course and shrinks down to a very quiet single lane, before turning into a track or paper road.

Before that though was a large locked gate! 'Written permission required for entry.' This wasn't on the map 🙃 I sat and a had a snack and really didn't want to turn around.

But along came some 4WDs from each direction. Down at the coast are some baches, and a guy was letting some friends through the gate. I figured I had nothing to lose so asked if I could cross the land.

Me, a skinny nerd on a bike, meekly asking for permission.

Him, a legit bogan with a smoke in one hand and a Heineken in the other: 'Oh yeah? It's not my land, so not up to me... But... I reckon you should do it. No one's gonna stop you.'

So, hopping over the gate, and with a tail wind and a downhill to the coast, I was very pleased to keep rolling. The track was fairly direct and crossed dozens of times through the meandering Karori Stream. I think I managed to cycle through these crossings about a third of the time? Loose rocks slowed me to a standstill the rest but it was a lovely day for splashing around.

After reaching the coast things got tough. A couple of kilometres of loose sand made for very tiring and slow going riding. Things improved after Te Rimurapa Sinclair Head and I gradually got myself home.

Route map

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A Trip through the Akatarawa, 5/6 Mar 2022

This was an awesome trip! I've long been keen to get 'bikepacking' and have most of what I need. I just had to hop on and get riding.

I caught the train to Porirua and cycled along the wonderful boardwalk on the edge of Pāuatahanui Inlet – it was a calm, sunny day! 🌞 From there a short ride to Battle Hill and camp for the night.

I did a few of the walks in the area and loved the kohekohe forest. There were nice views from Battle Hill and a glimpse of Transmission Gully. On Sunday I snuck on to the unopened motorway – this huge, empty road felt quite apocalyptic.

Then the climb part of the Puketiro Loop and up and up! This was a tough slog with a loaded bike (camping gear and food, etc), though certainly not helped by being the first intense cycling I'd done in ages. I stopped a couple of times but felt like I was red-lining some of my pedaling. A thumbs up from a sweaty boy at the top.

From there it was along pine forestry roads. It was a Sunday and nice to not see anyone else... but always a touch concerning if things had gone wrong. I took it easy on a steep rocky descent, stopping occasionally to not cook my brakes. At the bottom I had to haul my bike over a shoulder-high gate, and read about the 'No Access' area I'd just come through.

It was a real treat riding on some very quiet country roads through Moonshine Valley, followed by an exhilarating race down the steep and windy Moonshine Hill Rd. Then I was in Upper Hutt and rode the whole super-chill Hutt River Trail. With a tail wind and the tiniest downhill it was smooth sailing.

I jumped on the train at Petone – a big tick for me and the bike setup ✅

Route map

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We've had skinks around our Brooklyn property and I love them. I've enjoyed making the garden more lizard friendly and planting all kinds of natives. I have a handful of traps for rats and mice around the property and give them a quick check now and then.

This summer I stopped seeing skinks, but thought that in the warm weather, they needn't bask as much. Then I started to see mice where I had been seeing skinks! I was devastated to put two and two together. You can have mice and rats, or skinks, but not both. (This New Zealand Geographic article is pretty sobering reading)

I was angry and sad. I also was out for revenge, or at least to start back on the path to a skink-friendly property. I realised, stupidly, that my 'trap checks' were mostly seeing if the trap was snapped - not whether bait was taken. Traps were sitting useless for weeks on end!

Last weekend The Blitz began. Across seven traps, in a week, I've caught 13 mice and four rats!

I mourn for the skinks, but hope they make a comeback. I also hope that others can learn from this – check those traps and keep them baited!

A note to myself read 'the price of skinks is eternal vigilance'.

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In look and meaning, it reminds me of the monolith from 2001. It's back is a deep glossy black, with no text or information at all. The front cover has the same black bordering an image of someone reading in an armchair, a bird's beak sticking out of the spine of the book. I am Papa Snap the title begins, and These are My Favourite No Such Stories. This book, by French author Tomi Ungerer, was my favourite as a child.

I found my childhood copy at a school book sale. The stories were each just a paragraph long and were mostly surreal tales of anthropomorphic animals trying to get by. As a collection, it strongly captures the sense that the characters we meet live in another, complete, world. There are goofy stories like a hippo who ate so much at a restaurant that they broke through the floor. Birds bought a nest with pre-laid eggs – but they were rotten and leak. But there are also stories that are neutral, or feel sad. A rabbit goes fishing without a permit. There are no fish to catch though, so it doesn't matter. Or an incredibly melancholic tale about married cats – the husband is blind and pushes his sighted wife, who is wheelchair bound. 'They are old. They are happy. They have each other.'

What kind of children's book is this? I loved reading it growing up, and I think there's still a copy at my parent's house. I'd never found anyone else who knew about it – it felt like a hypnagogic memory. As I got older, occasionally I'd think fondly of it's strangeness. Reflecting on it, it felt like some sort of Ur-text in my life, vaguely defining parts of my outlook and personality. If there weren't some traces of it online, I could suspect that it was something like The Ring or Brigsby Bear.

My copy was secondhand, and, I'd always suspected, missing a few pages. This hunch was confirmed when my local library were selling a withdrawn copy. It was remarkable to see Papa Snap again and I grabbed it. The book's immaterial nature was enforced when the librarian let me have it for free and seemed not to hear me enthusiastically say 'this was my favourite book as a kid!'

This complete copy let me see perpetually-late Mr Tuber Sprout running to catch a train, and Captain Vertigo abandoning his plane.

My whole life, the final Papa Snap story had been about a man with 'no friends, no enemies', who goes for a walk every day. 'No ones knows anything about him. Not even his name.' It was a beautiful, poignant moment to end on. I always thought this mysterious chap was Papa Snap – he has similar striped trousers to the cover character. My newer copy showed I was wrong.

Reading with a mixture of wonder and trepidation, I turned to the actual final page. It was a story about Papa Snap who paid a visit to Mr Mulch, owner of a very hungry sofa. 'What a wonderful No Such Story that would make', Snap thought. Fittingly for the book, the couch gobbled him up, 'and he was never seen again.'