Drifting to Sleep on a Coconut Boat

Drifting to sleep, on a coconut boat. Lying on the gently pitching prow on a calm sea. There is fortunately no sign of rain. Sitting at my dinner table in Wellington on a rainy day. Wanting to be travelling with the wind? Some time soon.

Woolshed Hill to Hallelujah Flat - Great to get out in the Hills together.

A Busy Winter

You know it feels so good, when I know you're skankin with me.

Life has been busy recently. Penny has been working big hours on her new rotation in the neo-natal unit, and about a month ago I started a new part time job with Federated Mountain Clubs. The grand plan is that Penny goes half time, which happens in mid July, and we spend heaps of time together as a family, but at the moment we are passing Mae around like a beach ball. A chunky, smiley, energetic little beach-ball. I love spending time with my girls. Fat Freddy's Roady gets those moments pretty well:

Mae is great. We keep on trying not to expect every day spent with her to be damn cool, but so far they all have been. Like her mother she doesn't get sick much, like her father she likes sleeping. She is an outside girl, if we aren't out the door by 8am she will be putting her gumboots on, wrong feet usually, and bringing me my shoes. She will climb into her backpack and start shouting out if she senses that I'm stuffing around. She has lots of words, but communicates mainly through her eyes. She looks after us, making sure we eat dinner, and dried apricots and persimmon as well and she has a wicked sense of humour.




My new job is great. It is very much a jack of all trades master of none position in what is quite a small independent NGO. Simply put, FMC's main purpose is to advocate on behalf of outdoors people in regard to the back-country and how it is managed. Obviously right up my alley. Ten years after I left my DOC job I am working again for an organisation fully aligned to my own priorities.

Rangiwahia Tramp

Just back from a three day tramp on a Saturday. A good feeling. We have finally had our first overnight experience in the Ruahines, a place we have been saving up to explore when our usual haunts become too familiar. It was a three generational trip, with Neil and Doff Kane, and Aunty Meg joining us. We tramped first up to the magnificent Rangiwahia Hut. An easy but spectacular track to a beautiful beautiful spot, then on to Triangle Hut before returning up the SE ridge of Mangahuia and down the Deadmans track.

 It was straight forward tramping even in quite claggy conditions, but opened my eyes to the opportunities for great traverses of tussocky tops, and the lovely forests that this range still contains despite its reputation as the place where the forest collapsed after the introductions of possum and deer. I look forward to getting back there for more exploring, although will be avoiding the leatherwood as much as possible. Not much Ruahine bushbashing for me please.

Nelson 2014

We are home now after a fantastic little holiday down Nelson way for a couple of weeks. Great to cheer on the wedding of Sarah and Ben and spend some time with my parents and the little one. The last week was spent tramping in Nelson Lakes on the Travers/Sabine circuit with Greig, Clare, Ebba, Megan and Brent. Here is a little slideshow of our trip:

Timber Trail

Our latest adventure, made possible when I purchased a second hand touring bike and dug some panniers out of the closet that had been gathering dust since the day they were bought. Great adventure through the backwater of Pureora Forest.

Tasmania 2013

In December we travlled to Tasmania for a holiday with some good friends. The trip was centred around a crossing of Tasmania's alpine region via the Cradle Mountain track, their Great Walk. It was a great trip in many ways, but especially spending some quality time with people, including our little girl. We found it not too difficult at all with Mae and plan to keep tramping with her as long as the knees will hold out.