With Brendan being sick and the weather being questionable, we were looking for something local to do last Sunday that was not too strenuous but still gave us the opportunity to get some fresh air. So, we headed to Cornwall Park in the suburbs of Auckland. We parked at the visitor centre and walked up One Tree Hill via the road (most gradual route). We passed some free-grazing sheep on the way up and Brendan, in his usual way, attempted to pet one. Despite the sheep not even looking up at the runner who just passed within 2 metres on them, they would not let Brendan even within 5 metres of them. He has some type of sheep repellent on him. I am convinced. Anyway, we instead looked from afar and picked out “our” sheep. When friends heard we were moving here, many of them asked whether we got a sheep and/or a sheep dog when we entered. We were standing in the “people’s park,” so we assumed that these were the “people’s sheep.” I picked out a very fluffy one.
The wind at the top of One Trill Hill was unbelievable – almost taking me off my feet a few times. It was a very grey day, so I do not have much to say about the view other than it was nice. I would certainly go back as it was a nice walk up with a bit of a reward. We started to feel rain drops on the way down, so opted for the quick way down (i.e. straight down the side rather than around the road). This was great except for my choice of footwear – my pseudo sneakers offered zero traction on the steep, slick grass. I managed to make it down with only one rapid-sitting event. Brendan’s advice upon asking how dirty my bum was: just keep your jacket on. Our OTH adventure was followed by croissants and coffee at a local French café. Yum!
We headed to Rotorua Friday night for a weekend of mountain biking. The good news is we got one excellent day of riding in amongst the rainfall. The bad news is that the weather and our car thwarted a second ride. Whakarewarewa Forest is still one of my all time favorite places to ride, so definitely still worth the trip. In the past years, this park (and Rotorua itself) has grown up quite a bit. New signage, more trails, hot showers at the trailhead... We heard a hotel and spa are on the way as well. Not sure I'm too keen on there being a hotel right there, but am a bit stoked about there being future post-ride spa options. Unfortunately, we are not as fit as we were the last time we rode these trails, but still had a ball! Speaking of ball, we watched our friends roll down some hills in one (aka, downhill ball rolling, aka, zorbing). After our car fun, we did go for a quick stroll around Kauai Park. And then our house welcomed our home with this!
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