Training

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I need a goal

Date: 23 May
Distance: 26km
Time: 4:06

Ever since the new highway (Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway) openend in June 2025 linking Ashhurst with Woodville on the other side of the Tararua Range, we’ve been wanting to cross over by foot on the shared path next to the highway. We have done a number of outings, walking up the hill for 5km, turn around, and jog back down. I have been curious about what the rest of the path looks like.

But let me backtrack a little. I may have mentioned this before, but since COVID we have ‘cooled off’ somewhat regarding our running and participation in events. We did, however, manage to always keep on trucking in one form or another, mostly just a 4km trot down the road a few times a week. This meant we could ramp up the mileage somewhat to complete the odd marathon or half marathon over the last six years. It didn’t feel like we had any real goals or going anywhere with our running. I did toy with the idea of doing a 100 miler a couple of times, but it didn’t stick. Winter and Spring would be difficult to train due to lots of unpleasant weather, and come Summer it would be too late. Unless I set myself a lofty goal and really mean it, I have no chance of even getting somewhat fitter. So, I’m back to toying with that 100 miles idea. About a month ago we even drew up a broad sort of training plan with interim goals to get us there.

Let’s see how long this one lasts.

As part of the plan, we decided to fit in a long walk to see how our bodies would handle it. Of course walking is a different ‘sport’ to running, which is why lots of runners really slow down in the second half of very long events (and I count myself amongst them) simply because they haven’t trained enough to walk. Especially for extended periods. Who has the time! I know for a fact that if I was to attempt a 100km or 100 mile event again, there will be heaps of walking. So we made provisions for walking in our ‘programme’.

Starting on the Ashhurst side, we parked at the Gorge Quarter carpark late Saturday morning for our long walk. The weather could not have been more perfect. We collected our things, something warm for the crossing at the top, some sustenance and water, and then we were off. Perhaps because we started reasonably late (10:30), there weren’t heaps of people on the path as usual. Lots of cars in the carpark though, so they must have been somewhere (the gorge, the 3km loop on the other side, who knows).

The first few hundred metres are flattish. This is followed by a steep incline that just gets steeper as the kilometres pass. After about 3km you reach the tops which is an undulating stretch of about 3km across the mountain range. This is usually where a very cold wind blows as you are quite exposed in the ‘funnel’ that was created when parts of the mountain were carved out for the road. Though it was on the cool side, this was the first time I didn’t feel the temperature dropping significantly while there. 

After 5.5km going into the traffic you cross underneath the highway to walk on the other side of the road going with the traffic for 5km, before crossing back for the final stretch. At the bottom of the mountain is a traffic circle, but we opted to walk all the way to the toilets next to the i-Site which added another 1.7km one way, to our trip. Since there are no toilets on the path, this is almost compulsory, and also a place to top up our water bottle. Unfortunately for us (great for users of the toilets), the water in the toilets was warm. We searched the area and luckily spotted a tap outside the i-Site (which was closed over lunchtime) to fill up our water bottle. 

It took just under two hours to reach the toilets, and I secretly hoped we could do the same going back and finish in under four hours. My feet and legs were already quite sore, so this was going to be unlikely, but one can hope. On top of that, we wasted time searching for water so the prospect became even less likely. Nonetheless, I was still going to try and go as fast as I can, hopeful. Going uphill from the Woodville side is more gradual, but relentless with no breathers for 4km. I was very sore by then, had blisters on my feet, and it started to became a reality that I might not be able to move the next few days. But we kept going at a reasonable clip, crossed over the mountain, and before long we were on the steep downhill stretch looking at the carpark in a distance. I was very happy that we made it to the coffee shop just before it closed, for coffee and an ice cream to share (fig and honey flavour). Unfortunately we didn’t make the four hour target, but went over by six minutes.

Regarding the blisters … I’ve been struggling to find road shoes from Altra that doesn’t feel like they changed the fit slightly. Yes, the toebox is still wide, but it feels flatter and therefore less roomy than before. Is it my imagination? This applies to a reasonably new pair of Altra Torin. Since I wasn’t 100% comfortable with them, I also bought the Altra FWD Via online which has more cushioning which I thought would be handy for long on-road walk-jogs. Unfortunately yet again, these felt flatter in the toe-box area that made the fit more snug despite it being wide (which I may add feels in any case slightly less wide and roomy than any of the Altras I had before). Maybe my foot shape changed from not running much! The FWD Via also has seams on the heel near the arch of the foot on the inside. The day before this walk, I decided to take them for a spin on a 6km outing. Just as well I did, as after a km I could feel a hotspot coming, and by 4km I had to take them off as the hotspots turned into full blown blisters on both feet. I walked more than a kilometre on my socks before putting them back on for the final bit back to the car. I was very annoyed as these seemed like the perfect solution for what I needed.

Later that evening I drained the blisters and hoped for the best for our long walk the next day. Trying on old pairs of shoes in the morning, I opted to use a pair of Torin of which the bulk of the outer sole was missing already. It must be six years old. But it felt soft and I didn’t think it would aggravate my blisters. However, after a while I could feet the drained blisters filling up again. It wasn’t from chafing so much as it was from fluid retention and swollen feet. We made it back to the car just in time before it became super sore. I walked to the loo half cripple, but looked worse for wear walking to the coffee shop. After we sat for a bit and had our coffee, walking again was not fun. 

After a nice warm shower I drained the blisters again which, it turned out, was actually blisters upon blisters. 

Even though we have this beautiful path specifically for walking, running, cycling, it is very noisy from the constant stream of vehicles and too close to the traffic for my liking. I keep thinking what if someone looks at their phone and drives off the road? And flips over the wires that forms the barrier between vehicles and pedestrians? I noticed a good few spots along the road where vehicles have crashed and went into the wires. Plus there are a lot of trucks using that road. And of course some people seem to go as fast as their cars are capable of just for laughs. 

But I guess it is pointless to think about the worst case scenario, and as my mum always reminded me – a miss is as good as a mile. 

The path itself is really quite pretty and a lot of effort went onto making it. All along the way trees and grasses were planted and mulched, with lots of little ponds along the way. There’s a viewpoint and rest area for cars on both sides, and a few other viewpoints for pedestrians along the way. On a good day you can see Mt Taranaki, Mt Ruapehu, and across the Manawatū and Wairarapa. The cafe at the bottom and the fact that lots of people make use of recreational area makes it quite sociable, so we keep going back, despite the fact that is sits right next to a very busy highway.

Next time we will have to see if we can break 4 hours walking on this route. 

by

Branch Road and more

Date: 9 November
Distance: 7km
Time: 1:07

It took me a long while to post this. Perhaps because it marked the ‘last straw’ in terms of my fitness levels, or lack thereof – I had to admit to myself that things were not progressing as I had hoped. This was very demoralising. The struggle, for whatever reason, is very real. However, by now it has also started to become a mental thing – if you think you can’t, you can’t. I still believe things will look up sooner or later. But I digress.

A number of years ago when Gerry and I were still organising running events (before COVID left us with no other option than going back to full time employment), we were always on the lookout for new places to host events that could include a wider community. One of the options was venturing into the Pohangina Valley. We scouted a few places in the area, and also walked up Branch Road, a paper road, which looked like it might be a good candidate. However, after walking up the track we didn’t deem it suitable. From memory I think there was a slip, or something looked a bit unsafe, or some or other issue I can’t recall right now. Being a narrow path and a long drive to get there might also have had something to do with it.

In 2022 I started working as a trapper in the Southern Ruahine, and my then boss once stopped at the top of this track, and told me that a local lady organises a walk down Branch Road every year. At the time I did not bring our walk from the bottom up and the start at the top together to realise it was the same track. From the bottom it looked like we were walking on private land, and it felt awkward, like we were intruding, so we never made it all the way up the hill. From the top it looked wild and unkempt, but somehow still inviting, like a good place to go on training runs. But we also never got around to walk/run up or down Branch Road by ourselves or as part of the organised event in 2022 or 2023.

In 2024, when the event was on again, friends couldn’t make it anymore, so they gave us their entries. We arrived bright and early, signed in, and got some sweets and water from the car to take with. Two buses took all of us up the windy road to the start of the track (driving past the home of my ex boss). Most people were walking the event, but we were rushed for time, so decided to run down. Looking at the time it took, including a pee stop, photo taking, looking at the scenery, and trying to be sure we stayed on the trail, we may as well have walked. Although we did arrive first, it wasn’t very long before the first walkers showed up.

The first 1.1 kilometres were run on a new forestry road. What was still an overgrown path a couple of years ago, was now a decent logging road. We encountered a marshal at this point who was still busy putting up signage. We passed him shortly before hitting the ‘single track’. This stretch was quite overgrown with tall grass. With all the rain of late coupled with some warmer days, the grass is out of control at our place. It was the same for this track.

Some permanent sign boards made it reasonably obvious where to go and one shouldn’t get lost, but occasionally we did question which was the right way. We passed some slips and some muddy sections, but overall it was an enjoyable outing. I can absolutely see the locals supporting this year after year.

But …

Shortly after, I got sick again. Almost to the day I had COVID last year. It made me wonder if someone on the bus might have been sick, but of course I could have picked it up anywhere. And again, I was sick for quite a long time. More than a month. And somewhere along the line Gerry also got sick. This meant our running stopped, yet again, for more than a month. It feels like I just cannot catch a break.

After some hemming and hawing, doing the maths, over and over, I had to admit to myself that I would not be able to make the Old Ghost distance in the cut-off times by the event date in February. I have no doubt that I could cover the distance at mostly a walking pace, but it might have taken me twenty-four hours. I noticed from previous results that most runners finish in less than 14-15 hours, something I was likely not capable of achieving. We had to forfeit our entries. It is always such a hard decision to make. But it was the right decision.

Fast forward a few months (!), we followed some of the live coverage of the event at the weekend. It looked amazing. I was jealous of everyone’s fitness and capabilities. It feels like I’m never going to get there again. But since we pulled out of the event at the end of last year, and getting over COVID, we started jog-walking again. We also signed up for the Wilderness Walk1200km, which is an initiative by the Wilderness magazine to get people moving. The aim is to cover about 3.3km every day. I guess the rationale is for people to be active for roughly 30 minutes every day. And so far so good. We are on track, perhaps even a bit ahead of where we are meant to be.

On top of the walking, we also try to jog 5km most days, with a slightly longer run on the weekends. That means we cover 9km most days, and initially I could feel that the extra load set me back a bit. But at some point I should get used to doing that distance, and I should start to improve. I’m convinced of it, although the past five months or so proved otherwise.

I’m still hopeful. I’m still hanging in there.

by

River-Run Backyard Ultra

Date: 26 October
Distance: 40km (Wouna), 48km (Gerry)
Time: 6 hours/laps (W), 7 hours/laps (G)

Sometimes it feels like we are on a runaway freight train. Life is moving ahead at speed while we are desperately trying to get on board. This whole year has been like that. We took six weeks off at the beginning of the year to visit family, and it honestly feels like we haven’t got back on track the whole year. There is only two months left of this year, and I had grand aspirations and goals of where I wanted to be with my fitness by now, but sadly it has not happened. Add to that challenging weather for months on end, and training becomes a chore. It is no fun trying to run in the cold, strong wind, and or rain.

Nonetheless, we started doing some events again to try and keep us honest (despite being just about last in most of them). In April this year, we decided already that we want to try and do this backyard ultra. The concept has been around for a few years, created by Gary Cantrell (aka Lazarus Lake) who is known for his whacky ideas about running, endurance and challenging the human body and spirit, but we never got around to trying it. In April, the end of October seemed far away, and we made ambitious plans to run at least 80km, hopefully more. Little did we know that life will get super hectic with studies and all, the winter months would be the wettest we’ve had since moving to NZ, and training would be very haphazard. We knew we were in for a wet windy winter and spring, but still thought we might be able to manage some good mileage each week. We have managed before, but we forget to take into account that Gerry works full time since COVID came along, which has taken its toll on what one can fit in and what not. Not to mention how the weather is increasingly more challenging as the years go by. Our property also took a turn for the worse with trees in dire need of pruning, not to mention keeping on top of the grass. And then there is still the everlasting maintenance, as is normal when you have a property with no money to pay someone else to do it for you.

On Friday night we went shopping for some food and drinks for the event. I was keen to take ginger beer along, plus electrolyte drink. Other things we needed to buy were marshmallows, jelly sweets, biltong, baby potatoes, date balls, bananas, and liquorice toffees. We also took gherkins, sesami snaps, oranges from our tree, and coffee we made on the morning. Back home, we threw everything in a cardboard box, got the tent, incase we need to set up closer to the corral (an American word that Laz started using which then became common in NZ and other backyard events too), gathered our water bottles and whatever else we might need, and went to bed. It did not feel like were going to do an event the next morning. We were on autopilot just going through the motions.

It is a terrible situation when you don’t get excited about events anymore. No events excite me. I just do them as it is a bit ‘easier’ than running 20km by yourself, you get to see other places, there is the glimmer of hope that it might spark the running fire again, and it keeps you a bit more accountable. Otherwise I would easily just skip the 20km run.

Arriving early in Waipukurao at the A&P grounds, we signed in, and got our trackers that go around your ankle to record your laps and time. Luckily the organisers used a shed for the corral where we could leave our provisions, to be close-by, stay dry, and be easily accessible between laps. We went back to the car to have breakfast and a coffee, before heading back to the shed. Chatting away, it still hadn’t sunk in that we were about to start an event. Before you know it, time was up. I still needed to make a pee stop, so went to the nearest loo. Someone was inside, taking his time, and there were two ladies in front of me. With three minutes to go, a couple of us still had to use the facility. When it finally got to my turn, there was a minute left, and I was frantically trying too pee, wipe, flush, sanitise, open door, and get back to the corral in time for the start. As the door was shutting behind me, I was still pulling up my pants, while running to the start.

And so I arrived just in time to start on the first lap. Once on the move, I realised I didn’t have my cap, neither did we bother to take some sweets or something to have during the lap as I thought might be a good idea. Luckily it was only the first lap, but it was sunny and already quite warm. In fact the first three laps were very hot, but by the fourth lap the wind picked up a bit and it looked like rain. It got more overcast and coupled with the breeze it wasn’t as hot anymore.

Our strategy was to walk the first kilometre, jog two kilometres, walk one, jog two, and walk the final 700 metres. This worked out fine and we finished the lap with nine minutes to spare. The following two laps we finished with about 5-6 minutes to spare. I was getting sorer and slower as the laps ticked over. I knew it would happen, as we didn’t train nearly enough to even do what we did. I still struggle to run 4km continuously at a 6.5min/km pace. Something feels off, and I am not sure if it is just part of midlife and getting older, delayed COVID symptoms, or what is going on. But I’m not ready to give up on running. Yet. Hopefully never.

The terrain was not too bad. After the start, you make your way through a parking area and up the stop bank. Turning right we followed the stop bank, which is easy underfoot, for a bit more than a kilometre, before a steep drop down the bank led us to a grassy area next to the Tukituki River, to take us back the way we came. This was uneven and just a wee bit like running in paddocks, although this wasn’t nearly as bad. This stretch is about 1.5km before passing near the start/finish which was just on the other side of the stop bank. Being so close to the base means that supporters can walk over the stop bank and cheer on the runners. A couple of hundred metres further we went under the main road bridge (at the 3km mark), up and down the stop bank where we reached curvy bike trails that run next to the river. It is sheltered from the sun and under the trees, following the river on the northern side of the main road bridge until the turn-around point (after about 1.8km) to head back to base. Again we made our way up the stop bank to run along the easy path on top back to finish the first loop.

The loop is thus very narrow and long; running next to the river on uneven ground for half of it, and on top of the stop bank covered with limestone for the other half. Down by the river the gnats were a real pain, especially in the first three laps. I had a few in my eyes and half-swallowed one. Those are the worst, as it feels like they are clawing their way back out of your throat while you are coughing your lungs out, gasping for air, and eyes watering. Once the wind picked up and it became overcast, they disappeared. Up on the stop bank we were showered by the kapok from the silk floss trees. Every now and again I could hear someone sneezing, and I myself had to take two antihistamines to cope. The grass next to the bike tracks were also head high, which didn’t help anyone with hay fever.

Passing or being passed on the single track bike trails was a bit difficult, and as this was also our walking kilometre, it must have been a frustration for others. Despite making way as much as possible, it remains a pain to pass or be passed on a single track.

Back at the base, we poured some ginger beer, diluted with water, filled a ziploc with some sweets, before lining up for lap two. And so it went. Eat, drink and run-walk. People were chatting and poking fun all around the course. At our pace, we saw the same people roughly at the same spots, and had the same group more or less within earshot. This changed, of course, once I started to really fatigue and get slower. The first three laps went fine, but the last three was a struggle. I made it each time with about three minutes to spare, which was okay given that we planned to only do about a marathon. After six laps (just over 40km) I called it quits, but Gerry decided to do another lap (which brought him to a bit over 48km). Although he could have gone on and perhaps do another few laps, it didn’t make much sense anyway. Neither of us are fit or conditioned enough, and there’s no point pushing yourself over the edge for no good reason.

While he was out doing a last lap, I got myself into dry clothes and watched other runners finish. After his last lap, we stayed behind for yet another lap, just soaking in the gorgeous day, and being outside. In an ideal world it would have been great to arrive the night before, set up one’s base, and be ready to go long. I think to be prepared and really part of the event can be very exciting. Sadly, we were just passers-by doing a few laps.

Back home we showered and went to bed early. The next day I wasn’t nearly as sore as after our previous two 40km+ events. Perhaps the more regular running (even though it is only 4km at a time) is making a difference.

It was a long weekend and rumour has it that in NZ the weather improves after Labour Weekend. The common wisdom is to not plant out your tomato plants before Labour Weekend, as cold snaps can still happen. This year, the weather took a turn for the worse, and the weeks following Labour Weekend was still quite cold with temperatures dropping to two degrees celsius at night, and very unsettled (wind and rain most days). The result? Again not much running for us. I can only hope the weather will improve soon, or we can say goodbye to our Old Ghost Ultra entries for February 2025.

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Omakere Coastal Hill Country Run/Walk

Date: 19 October
Distance: 19.2km
Time: 2:58

Getting up before 5am for the trip to Putarere Beach wasn’t easy. It was still dark, and I find it really hard to get out of bed when it’s still dark outside. On the plus side it was a gorgeous day. Any day without wind (and warm – it was reasonable at 10 degrees C at the start) is a perfect day. By the time we left from home before 6am, the colour of the sky had just started to turn. I thought we might have a chance to spot Comet C/2023 A3 once we reached the top of the Pahiatua Track, but of course it was cloudy. New Zealand is not called the land of the long white cloud for no reason.

We arrived bright and early at the farm not long after 8am, signed in, used one of many loos (what a welcome relief), and got our packs at the car for the run. It was a little bit cool, but before we started I could strip down to a T-shirt. Which is unusual for me. The last few days the temperatures have warmed up with hints of summer approaching. Although we still need to get past Labour weekend (26-27 October) before getting too hopeful.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the run, but the surroundings looked quite hilly. A few minutes after 9am race briefing took place. The whole vibe was very relaxed. None of this ‘start at 9am sharp’ or be sure to make the cut-off at such-and-such a time. It was announced that we were 386 participants of which about 30 were runners. The largest field to date. As far as I know this was the first year the run was introduced. Previously the event was a walk only. We also learned afterwards from one of the locals that the run changes every year as it shifts between the farms in the area.

After race briefing while we were still wondering where the start is, the organiser said that the runners can just start running when they want to. We looked at each other somewhat surprised, and started jogging towards the gate not a hundred percent sure where to go. We knew we had to follow a side-by-side. To the right some way up the farm track, the side-by-side was waiting, and before we reached him a number of the runners had overtaken us. Slowly but surely we were making our way through paddocks and up the hill.

Have I mentioned before how much I dislike paddock running? I had ‘coastal trail’ in mind, and thought that perhaps it would just be the first few kilometres that are on the farm before heading into a trail. Where did I get this notion from? This was not the case. The whole run was through paddocks, on quad-bike paths and the occasional farm road. The terrain underfoot was brutal. Cattle tend to make really big/deep holes in mud, and these have dried out already, after some sunny and warm days. Had it been muddy, it would have been a challenge of a different kind, but it would not have been as demanding on feet, I think. Running on hard-packed hoofmarks is tricky. It wasn’t long before I developed some hotspots, again. What is up with that?

Having said that, we could not have asked for a better day – warm and sunny, and I was so glad we made the trip despite having to start at sparrows fart.

After 6km we reached a high point (240m) with beautiful views over the ocean and the beach below. But the hills didn’t stop there. The next 5km still had a lot of uphills, but also some steep sharp downhills. It is definitely no walk in the park, and I couldn’t run a huge chunk of it.

At the halfway mark (around 10km) after crossing the main road we had driven to the farm earlier, we reached an aid station. This was also the spot where the walkers would get their free lunch to have a lovely picnic under the trees. Our lunches were waiting at the finish line. We filled up our water bottles and grabbed a pear which we shared. Not long after leaving the aid station, on a very steep downhill stretch (getting down to about 75m above sea level), we saw runners scattered in all directions. It would appear that the signage might not have been obvious enough, so runners were going in all directions. Someone ahead of us spotted the arrow (looking back it seemed quite obvious), getting everyone back on track again.

On a gradual downhill of about 5km, we constantly crossed a little stream on the farm. If one was very careful, you could keep your feet dry, and although I did manage that for the most part, I did end up dragging one foot through the water while trying to jump across. Later on I also stepped into mud. After what felt like a million stream crossings, we reached farm buildings (did I spot some ongaonga right next to it?), followed by grassy paddocks. After a gravel road crossing with some festive volunteers, and another climb, we were on our way to the beach.

About a kilometre beach-run took us back onto the main road, leading back to the farm. We were welcomed under a purple tinsel finish line (quite unique) where we were checked off for our safe return. We got our free lunch (a wonderful wrap (gluten free option) or a bun filled with meat, salad greens, beet and relish, a slice and a small chocolate). We parked ourselves on the grass with Sue and Steve to devour the lunch, saw more participants finishing, and listened to local musicians entertaining the growing crowd. It was delightful that they started their set with an Iris DeMent song (Our Town).

Before heading home we drove around in the area where Gerry took some photos. We have never been out that way, so it was good to make a day of it and explore a little.

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Baldwins Bluff Trail

Date: 16 June
Distance: 10km
Time: 1:30

After our parkrun, we visited some art galleries in Perth, had lunch, washed down with beer/cider at Picabar, bought some food for two days, before heading south out of Perth. It was about an hour’s drive into the ‘heart of the captivating Darling Ranges’, when we arrived at the Serpentine Falls Tasman Holiday Park where we stayed a couple of nights. It was already late afternoon, so we poured a glass of vino and started with dinner.

During the night I thought I heard raindrops. But in the morning it was sunny and another gorgeous day greeted us. Rain was forecasted, so we decided to drive the scenic route through the Serpentine National Park. By 10am it was clouded over and a soft rain started to fall. At the historic town of Jarrahdale we stopped at the Jarrahdale Local PO Kitchen for coffee and lemon tart. The air smelt clean and everything was covered in a shiny wet layer. Tourists, locals and a biker gathering had the cafe buzzing with patrons on this Sunday morning.

The narrow road winds it’s way through eucalyptus (jarrah), in red and rocky soil. I was surprised to not have seen a echidna yet. The environment reminded me of our first venture into Australia (Tasmania) when we saw our first echidna. I was intrigued to read about their 4-headed penises (which are not used to urinate!).

A few more sightseeing stops in the rain, including a visit to the Serpentine Dam, and we completed the round trip back at our accommodation for lunch.

Gerry had to finalise his poster for the conference, and as soon as that was done, we went for a jog-walk to Serpentine Falls and the Baldwin Bluff trail. It was nearly half-4pm, and the sun would be setting in a couple of hours, which was a minor concern. But not enough to deter us.

From our accommodation it is 1.6km to the parking area. We walked the first kilometre which was next to the road, before starting on a slow jog into the park. From the parking area we jogged the 400 metres to the falls where massive swimming holes are located. The water was dark and looked eerie, but clean and almost inviting (if you’re that way inclined). Strangely enough, we are five days out from the shortest day of the year, and the temperature was warm and comfortable (19 degrees C). I can imagine people might go for a swim, even at this time of year.

After the quick in and out to the falls, we took on the Baldwin Bluff Trail which went in the opposite direction from the falls out of the carpark. It is a 6km trip out-and-back, meaning the first three are mostly uphill. There were bits of downhill and the last kilometre was flat-ish with just a minor ascent, totally runnable.

Underfoot was quite rocky, and my old self – watching out for snakes underfoot – kicked in immediately. There were a number of other people making their way up the hill, but mostly people were coming down the track back to the carpark, as it closes for vehicles at 5pm. We were huffing and puffing going uphill to the lookout as fast as we can. With all the action, snakes would presumably have scurried away anyway.

At the far end, we saw a pademelon pair grazing on the foliage. We could see the campsite where we stayed down below in a distance, about 5km away (only two as the crow flies).

We started on the downhill, which went a bit quicker than going uphill, although the tripping hazard slowed me down to the occasional walk. We reached the completely deserted carpark at around 5pm, and had a sip of water before heading out of the park. The last kilometre (as with the first one) we walked along the road from the park gate back to the accommodation.

It is a lovely trail, and I’m happy we could fit it in before dark.