New year, new me…. not.

 

I love Patsy’s positivity but can’t quite convince myself. I have started the new year with some fun cycling and playing golf but find to my dismay I haven’t read a thing. I spend far too much time on FB and the like.

My cycling began at Horopito where my friend Jules lives.It is supposed to be “Easy plus” and it wasn’t until later that I realised there was a further category called, “Easiest”. As it was the old coach road, it was pretty bumpy and a bit nerve-wracking and I am not an experienced bike rider but the gel seat was a bonus. Anyway, we made it it quite satisfactorily and the drink at the Ohakune pub helped to make it worthwhile

After that I tackled the lovely flat cycling all around Napier. Not only is it flat but there are nice cafes along the way. I find I don’t need a challenge to enjoy it and am more than happy with the smooth, flat gravel. I think I even spied a white heron.

Napier also has some great restaurants like Pacifica where its degustation menu is a mere $50.00. I can highly recommend it!

I enjoyed Napier so much I admit to browsing the real estate magazines.

Just before Christmas there was an interesting article on the radio about the David Trubridge lights in the redwoods in Rotorua so I wanted to check them out. The drive there was a bit of a mission as my co-driver decided that the 100 kms of gravel via Lake Waikaremoana would be worth it. It was an experience but I’m not in a hurry to repeat it any time soon.

We bought the day and night combo for the lights and it was well worth it. The swing bridges are high in the trees and its fun to walk along them and look down at other lighting as well as the Trubridge ones.

By day it is interesting to walk high among the redwoods and read about the construction of the whole area. As an aside, it was pretty busy and I was thinking something like this in Northland might boost the economy. I’m please to see they have nearly completed a twin coast cycle way up there. The Otago rail trail has been described as a river of gold for that area so it would be great to see some money going into the pockets of locals up north where poverty is a major issue.

 

 

Even the toilets are trendy.

While in Rotorua we also visited the buried village, a first for me. The Tarawera eruption and the destruction of the the pink and white terraces is a fascinating story. One of the best bits though, was the waterfall that has a cursory mention on a sign basically saying that if you can be bothered it’s five minutes down a track. Totally worth the fifteen minutes or so to explore there.

On the way home this time we played golf and ate fish and chips at the Okoroire Hot Springs Hotel and Golf Course, no strippers were in evidence. its such a pretty course and then to sit on the verandah of the pub with my fish and chips and a citrus beer was great.

It’s always lovely to come home though and  I am enjoying the living wall growth that happened while I was away. I’m planning a short trip away next week as well and it is one of my aims this year to make the most of the summer and get away for weekends. Indulgent aim and a bit short on self-improvement…

Sam gave me a lovely calendar for Christmas though, so I look at it each day. It says for this month- create your own calm. I’m working on it. Happy January. FG