The Monday as the tag end of a long weekend

 Hi,

What a huge weekend. I met Maureen for brekkie Friday after her gym session. Then returned my pants to Mountain Warehouse and got dropped off home.

Tidied a bit.

Thunderbird cafe iced latte

Zucchini from Celia

Saturday saw us up early - 5am - to drive to Palmerston North to do park run there. Why?! Well, why not?! 

We collected Janine who parked at Pauatahanui, which is right by an offramp and onramp. We collected her with a quick off transmission gully and back on routine.

Park run was by the river and it was a very brisk cool southerly. I did ok for my first run in ages. Achillies was good. 38 mins. Bit slow.

Approaching the finish line in my green jacket

Next task was to bag some non-DOC huts for Janine. She is collecting hut visits and is onto these less official ones after visiting all 50-odd huts in the Tararuas.

First on the list was a hut in someone's backyard, close to Parkrun and 300m from the river for the Te Araroa walkers. The couple who live there were very interesting. Fiona had worked with Iona at the hospital and did pilates for ages with her. There was also someone staying in the hut.

Hut after park run

Then brekkie at Moxies, the famous Palmerston North cafe, while the car recharged. 

Off to Moxies

Moxies iced latte

Then off to Te Whare Moturimu, a hut recently opened and specifically for Te Araroa walkers. It was about 30 min drive down a rough gravel road - the MG handled it superbly - and another 15 min walk down a forestry road. 

Te whare moturimu.

We headed home after that. I made a sourdough and got ready for Sunday trapline.

Smudge

Sourdough

Picked Maureen up at 8.30am and Andrew at 9am. Got the gear on the way and we were walking at 9.35am. 

Bit drizzly - but it cleared up by the time we got halfway up the hill. We got a stoat on SG line. Right near the top. Well worth getting out of bed for that. Callan did his trapline with Luke from work and got two stoats - and a cat! Wow. 

Stoat in SG2

Happy trapper

Keeping boots dry

Took me and Maureen about 5 hours. That included a lunch stop and faffing about with eggs puncturing and lure spraying. We did not catch Andrew. He said he saw our cross on top of UTS6 so we were ahead at that stage. He must have hurtled up KAT and back along the track while we blundered around in the creek for a few hours.

Smudge in the sun

Monday Mike got up for gym with Quentin. Then home and we bundled into the car for a ride and run along the Kāpiti coast cycle path. Stiff southerly - I had to pedal downhill!

Over the Expressway

Mike running

Angela biking

Ice creams

Ice creams in Waikanae afterwards - I got an affogato flavour. So nice. Then off to Epuni to check the unit and add some numbers to the freshly painted front door. Called in on Sally and Andrew on our way home.

Numbers all lined up

What a great long weekend. Busy. Outdoors.

This morning I bussed in and did squats and bench with Quentin. I will walk home with Barb. Woot!

Hope your day is a good one.

Love,

Angela