Author: Wouna le Roux

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Doing a hip hop on a half*

*Thanks for the title Graeme!

Date: 14 January 2017
Distance: 21.1km
Time: 3:23

Some members of the Manawatu Trail Runners FB group: Suzanne, Nikki, Amanda, Brett, Wouna, Gerry and Michael.
At the event base.
Des and Henriette.
Nervously happy to be out there.
With 540 participants all starting together, you better get yourself to the front if you hope to pose a good time. Luckily not something we had to worry about!
A gradual incline shortly after the start, helping to spread out the field before the first single-track section.
Any uphill was a good excuse for a walk-break.
Alternating sections of gravel road and single track meant that we didn’t have any problems with bottle-necks.
Jogging through a lush green section.
Had to do a few takes to get this pic with Mt Taranaki in the background.
Back into the forest.
Not sure why I thought that acting like a baboon would prove my steel.
So glad it wasn’t raining or wet going up and down these bare soil stretches.
Enjoying a beautiful morning out on the trails.
Heading back out into an open patch.
A downhill trot…
…followed by an uphill slog.
No getting lost with course markings in abundance.
Luckily we could side-step all the muddy patches.
A mix of sun and shade meant it was never too hot or too cold.
I guess the more competitive runners probably went straight through.
A very scenic stretch, with Lake Mangamahoe in the foreground and Mt Taranaki in the distance.
Running along the banks of Lake Mangamahoe.
Gerry on the first of the two swing bridges.
Still having fun.
The second swing bridge on the half marathon course.
Graeme having a blast on the swing bridge.
Some tree roots to negotiate.
A short stretch run in both directions. But this lot had done a few kilometres in-between and were well ahead of us.
A very curvy section where you really feel like you are going in circles.
A long incline after passing the event base the second time.
Gerry making his way through the young pine forest with Mt Taranaki up ahead.
Gerry photographing the photographer photograping me. 😛
Up and up we went. Just as well, as I had to walk lots anyway.
The Rocky Road stretch. Apart from roots, the only other semi-technical terrain.
Lots of steps, giving our heart and lungs a good workout.
These smiles must have been thanks to the fact that the end was just around the corner.
Very happy to have made it. And getting some medals to boot.
Running a doodle.

On all accounts, I should not have done this event. Apart from doing two half marathons, one in September and one in October, we haven’t been running for about five months, except for maybe the odd 3 or 4km slow trot-walk-run once every few weeks which is not even worth mentioning. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you don’t go running races unprepared. Mind you, I’ve never “run a race”. Rather, I participate in events – there’s a huge difference. Continue reading →

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Round the Mountain: anti-clockwise

Previous: 2013

24 December 2016 – Christmas Eve

Clean and fresh in the carpark at Whakapapa Village.
Gerry crossing the Golden rapids – yellow coloured due to the high iron content in the stream.
Some good sturdy bridges to cross some streams dry-footed.
Just a nice walk in the forest.
The undulations already started in the first couple of hours.
Due to the rain of the previous night, the track was quite wet.
Luckily we didn’t fall down the chute!
The eroded path resulted in some muddy patches.
In stark contrast, some other areas of the track were very well developed.
An early taste of the tough terrain to come.
A bridge built in memory of another life lost in the deceivingly dangerous mountain streams.
Fresh dumping of snow on the mountain.
Icy cold streams, too deep to cross with dry footed.
Contemplating the prospect of wet feet for the rest of the day.
Just beautiful views of the mountain whenever you look up.
A final small stream before reaching the hut.
Late lunch on the porch of Whakapapaiti Hut, before continuing on to make up a bit of distance before settling in for the night.
More stream crossings – some rock-hopping, others knee deep.
Clearly not impressed by having to pour water from my waterproof boots!
A final cold, wet stream crossing before calling it a day.
With camp all set up, we were having coffee and cooking dinner with the sun starting to set.
Lying in the tent with our festive Christmas lights, we couldn’t have hoped for a better scene.
The beautiful Mt Ruapehu glowing pink in the evening light.

What was meant to be an early night, early start, drive to Whakapapa Village and start walking early, turned into a very late night (1am), getting up four hours later, load everything in the car, drive the two and half hours, sign in, get sorted and only start walking at 11:11am. (Looking back at our previous trip, it would seem that old habits die hard.) Continue reading →

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Shania Twain and the Seven Witches of Wanaka

Date: 19-20 November 2016
Distance: 12km

A lovely, sunny day to start off with.
A South Island Oystercatcher.
Following the Fern Burn river up the shadowy valley.
The fast-flowing stream is crossed via a sturdy footbridge.
Some muddy and wet patches along the way.
Very steep slopes – not for the faint-hearted.
As the valley narrows, the amount of cascades and waterfalls increase.
A sharp little turn with a sheer drop if you’re not careful, especially on the downhill.
Some very steep sections had steps to help you along.
Finally above the tree line.
The track winds its way along the ridges, offering splendid views if you have the guts to raise your eyes from the footpath.
Tiny path traversing the saddle of a hill.
The hut came into sight, but first you have to get down to the river and cross a side stream, before heading up again to reach the hut.
A beautiful tranquil spot.
Fern Burn Hut, built in 2008.
Two bunk beds – sleeps six people at the top and six at the bottom.
This is where it all happened for 18 adults and a baby.
Getting ready the next morning.
Some final photos of the hut before heading back towards Wanaka.
Fern Burn hut, set amidst the gorgeous Central Otago countryside.
Too close for comfort.
A huge slip just below the path did not fill me with confidence.
Returning along the saddle.
Finally back amongst the trees in The Stack Conservation Area.
Hesitantly making our way down the valley.
Beautiful tree-lined stream.
Another gorgeous day out in nature.
Almost back at the car, and already thinking about our next adventure.
Californian poppies by the toilet at the car park. If you don’t have lavender, poppies will have to do! 🙂

After the lovely night (albeit bitterly cold) at Meg Hut, we decided to head out for another two days on the trails. But first a good scrub-down was in order, so we spent the night at Glendhu Holiday Park to get ourselves sorted for the next trip. A quick top-up of supplies and a fresh set of clothes and we were all set to leave early in the morning. Continue reading →

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Roaring Meg

Date: 17-18 November 2016
Distance: 14km

Starting off on a working farm crossing a paddock …
… and some streams …
… before reaching the 4WD track up the mountain.
An Australasian harrier hanging around for some prey.
The light dusting of snow on the ridges.
Storm clouds coming in and bitterly cold.
Finally we reached the basic hut for a warm cup of tea.
Historic Meg Hut.
Although Meg Hut is quite basic, the shelter it provided from the elements felt like the height of luxury.
Climbing up a hill behind the hut rewarded us with beautiful views over the area.
The result of one of the sleet storms.
Still light outside, but time to get some heat into the hut.
Gerry tugging at the trees with a waratah.
Nothing like a fire to warm body and soul on a cold night.
Lovely sunny spot for a morning coffee.
Breakfast.
Roaring Meg River.
Still some snow on the surrounding mountains.
Could this be Quartz Knoll peak in Criffel Range?
Nothing like a nice piece of salty biltong to keep one going.
Gigantic mushrooms popped up (overnight?) in the paddock.
Can’t remember seeing any of these massive mushrooms the previous day.

On Monday morning, 14 November 2016 at 3:30am we found ourselves on the highest point reachable by car from where we stayed, on the Dunedin Peninsula. Two hours earlier the M7.8 Kaikoura earthquake destroyed, amongst other, the scenic SH1 coastal road south of Kaikoura. A tsunami threat had been issued for the whole NZ eastern coast, and everybody near the coast were urged to seek higher ground. We were about 50 metres from the sea, and at my sister’s persistence (after frantic calls to wake us up!) we thought it is probably for the best – rather safe than sorry, as they say. Strangely enough we didn’t feel the quake in Dunedin at all. Neither did any of the other conference attendees we spoke to the next day.

Continue reading →

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Mt Thomas summit

Date: 11 November
Distance: 15km
Time: 4.5 hours

If you go into the woods today, you’e in for a big surprise.
Very steep incline.
Taking a break on the relentless uphill.
Up, up, up, into the mist.
The uphill presented a good workout.
At the summit.
Trig in the mist. Unfortunately that meant no views in any direction.
As the day progressed, it also became increasingly colder.
Thanks to good route markings, a fork in the road did not present any problems.
Date bread! Hands down the best thing on a very cold, rainy outing.
Don’t let Gerry’s shorts for one second make you think that it wasn’t freezing cold.
Muddy and slippery on the downhill.
Just follow the orange triangles.
The downhill was equally steep, with the last bit through grassland.
We followed the track on the right to the top, and the one on the left down again. The most popular one is in the middle.

On work trips to the South Island, we usually extend the trip and try to fit in a few hikes or runs – to make the costs of getting there a bit more feasible. And to further cut costs, we usually camp at DOC sites or stay in huts.

Gerry looked at a few options beforehand and put together an itinerary, subject to change, of course. DOC campsites are usually very basic, often with only a toilet, mostly long-drops, sometimes running water, other times water from a stream, but usually no hot water or showers. So we utilise public swimming pool showers or other public showers for a good ol’ scrub down after roughing it for a couple of nights. Continue reading →