The Life and Adventures of Mel: November 2013

I was supposed to go into town today (aka Wellington City). Of course, I was supposed to go into town yesterday as well, but today I actually made it to the train station. I had just sat down when I decided to confirm the location of my train pass. It's a 10 trip pass I purchased last week on my way home fom Wellington. It cost about $50 and has been used once.

Imagine my surprise, disappointment, and self anger when I realized the small, ticket-sized, piece of paper was not in my cell phone pocket! My options were to take the train anyway and discover what the "off peak" fare was, but that would be silly. What if my pass was just down the stairs in the tunnel from the last time I looked at my phone (to find that it had taken me just 10 minutes to get to the station from my house).

So, I popped up and headed back the way I came. I probably looked kind of funny to the two guys that were waiting when I had arrived. I passed on man on my way down the tunnel....did he have the ecstatic look of someone that had just found 9 free trips? Nope. Maybe he was just one of those hard to read guys, because my ticket was not on the ground.

Fortunately, the only other place I had taken my phone out, hence the only other time the pass would have come with it, was outside my front door (so I could time my walk). I headed back through the semi-busy shopping center of little Naenae with relief that I knew I wasn't chasing a pass down the breezy sidewalks. I comforted myself with saying that someone else will probably be grateful for such an amazing find and maybe I don't really need to go into town anyway. Afterall, I was only go to do some Christmas shopping/brainstorming and to hit the Uni gym. Maybe I could check out the nearby trail I had just read about yesterday. That would be as good as a gym session, if it was a good walk.

Imagine my happiness and relief when I got home and discovered a bright white spot in the lawn outside our house! Whew, that's some money saved for another day! Now....about that walk....

Rata Street Loop trailhead (lower end)

I moved my packed lunch from my uni/gym bag to a smaller backpack, finished the tea in my travel mug, and then headed out the door. I walked straight down my street, Rata Street, in a direction I'd never explored - away from the shops/station/supemarket. 15 minutes later, I was passing houses on the edges of foothills and looking at the "Rata Street Loop" trailhead. Who knew nature was actually closer to my new suburbia than I'd thought!

I bought a uni gym membership last week. I don't think that the Rata street loop would be a viable constant

option for the trail running I started when I moved to Wellington, but it will certainly do for a good dose of exercise when I can't make it all the way to the university just to hit the treadmill. It was a great trail that undulates across several small streams and through native and pine trees. It goes quite uphill for a bit, but this allows for great views over Naenae and Lower Hutt.

Looking over Lower Hutt / Naenae from ECNZ (firebreak) ridge trail

I took a spur trail up to the ECNZ ridge track (basically a big fire break road). It was worth the side trip just to get the lungs working so hard! Straight up is the only way you can reach a ridgeline, isn't it. I had an even better view from the ridge track - bits of the harbour were even visible. I heard a tui or two at one location and spotted a tomtit on my way up.

Looking from the other side of the ridge trail.....the reason a fire break is necessary

I followed the ridgeline for a fair ways (half hour maybe?) until I came to another spur track. This track gave me an even better view down the valley to the harbour, but I could tell I was fair way from seeing any bits of the South Island, as mentioned in the website I'd read. The ridgeline track looked to go on forever.

From the spur track looking to Wellington harbour

So, I turned around. I was content with the view I'd found and the exporing I'd done. I found a shady pile of pine needles from which to watch the few small birds under the trees, considered how many squirrels I'd be watching if I were in the USA, and ate my sandwich. I then headed back the way I came. The walk home was pretty uneventful.: all down hill (my knees hating me for half off it), followed by a wide gravel road access to finish off the loop.

Pine needles on the forest floor near a little stream
brings back memories from my field seasons in the Idaho Mountains

This little track is far different to the kaka, tui, and kakariki (parakeet) filled trail at Karori, but it's a little piece of nature close to my new home. Plus, on a warm dry day like today, the smell of pine needles in the air take me back to Idaho mountains and connects me to my original home.