Last Monday, I tried to climb Mt Taranaki, buyoed by the visit of Kiren from Dunedin, who'd hired a guide for the occasion. Unfortunately, the weather was not agreable to our goal that day, so we climbed a smaller 'mountain' and went surfing.
Paritutu Rock, 153 m. Not quite the 2513m of Mt Taranaki.The next day, Tuesday, after dropping Kiren off at the airport, I decided to go on a short roadtrip with Simon - the van - and a surfboard. I drove North along the Tasman Sea, then inland across a mountain range, then continued through some plains, then into Auckland. There I stayed with Lauren, a friend from earlier in my Enzed travels, until I got in contact with the Gouws.
While I had been meaning to see them when I first arrived in Auckland, I had managed to stay out of Auckland during most of my stay in Enzed. When I did finally meet the Gouws, on Wednesday, at their home in St Heliers, I realised my visit was long overdue. Warm and hospitable, Hester, Dawie, and David - their son visiting from Stellenbosch - were wonderful hosts, providing food, shelter, conversation and instructive careers advice. Friends visited. Tick.
It turns out their daughter and son-in-law are planning to run the same half-marathon as me in New Plymouth on the 7th March.
With Dawie's careful directions, I also managed to drive to Piha, a famous surf break on the west coast of Auckland. Piha is famous for being one of the most dangerous beaches in NZ. It is the location of a grueling lifesaving challenge where the candidates have to swim out at for about 500 yards, then try to make it back against the current. Apparently it has brought many an experienced lifeguard to tears. It also has crumbling cliffs, powerful rip currents, the Lion rock - which divides the beach - and, most importantly, consistently big waves...
Piha, from above. The rock in the middle is called Lion Rock and is a Mauri sanctuary. I surfed on the left side of it.So, after a quick consult with the lifeguard, I set out. I managed to catch a few waves, which was good. I also managed to get caught on the wrong side of the break and tossed onto the sand underwater, which was not so good. But, after getting back to shore to lick my wounds, I felt a little proud to have surfed - and survived - Piha. Tick.
After a lovely dinner and good rest back at the Gouws, I set off back to New Plymouth on the Thurday, via Raglan - another famous surf spot. It is most famous for featuring in the classic surf movie 'The Endless Summer' in which the protagonist surf a wave for a good 2 minutes in perfect conditions. I got there and it just like the movie... except it was flat as. No waves at all. So after a few curly fries at the local dinner, I set off back home to the 'Naki and planned for the next day.
On Friday, I got up at 6am and got ready. Gathered all my gear, my backpack. Idris, a Welsh doctor at the hospital - also known as the King of Banoffee Pie, arrived at the house and we set off in the darkness of the early morning. As we arrived at the base camp, we looked up and realised this was going to be the day.
The day we would climb Mt Taranaki. The wind was blowing from the East - which meant less wet clouds. The sun was rising and the top of the mountain appeared to us, as dawn was passing on. After 3 months of longful glances toward the everpresent volcanoe, it looked as if the conditions and opportunity finally were there for a successful ascent. And so set off, we went up, quite quickly, and the view from the top was wicked - you can see the other North Island Volcanoes, and even the South Island. After enjoying a couple of hours on the snowy crater at the summit, we went back down through the clouds and to reality. So I have finally climbed the Moutain. Tick.
After a few more house parties and some healthy socialising, Sunday has arrived and the week has again flown by. 10 days left, but I can finally look up at Mt Taranaki and know I've been to the top and admired the view from atop. Dawie and Hester have kindly invited me to stay with them the evening before I leave next week and so I shall see them again before I leave. Another surf trip is on the cards this week, back to Raglan, with hopefully a little more swell so I can add it to the - short - list of surf spots I've 'surfed'.
Stats
Longest run this week - 17km and it felt ok, which bodes well for the upcoming race.
Waves caught at Piha - 3.
Waves caught at Raglan - 0.
Time to summit Mt. Taranaki - 3 hours.
Time to summit Paritutu Rock - 15 minutes
Days since I arrived in New Zealand - 85.
Days left in New Zealand - 10.
Days til the Marathon ... 22.
Things to do before I leave Enzed -
Run the Half-Marathon and meet up with the Gouws daughter and son-in-law.
Surf - Taranaki and Raglan.
Find a way to bring my boards back to Europe without spending a fortune...
Tie up loose ends...
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