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| The R5 is unnaturally elongated in this photo. I can barely fit in diagonally to sleep in it. Making it smaller than the beetle by far. |
The impetus for this trip was a swim. It is early spring here, but the warm, sunny days of the week past were in my memory as was the luscious swim from the park at the end of Anan Street. I got out my guidebook and picked to nearby beaches: Piha and Goat Island. The more I read, the more I was convinced to go to Goat Island, part of a Marine Reserve and a snorkeling hot spot. My office mate related stories of her children feeding snapper hot dogs, basking on the beach, and swimming to Goat Island. My mind was made up.
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| Goat Island |
Piha is a surfer's beach and will undoubtedly feature in weekend plans yet to come.
Saturday was sunny when I left the house to meet Michael Rodgers, a friend and surgeon who spent a year in Portland. While we reminisced and discussed the role of PAs in NZ over coffee, the skies clouded over and let loose with a deluge. (Great, I'd hung all my laundry out before leaving)! By the time the R5 was packed for my adventure, the rain had stopped, but the clouds persisted.
Half an hour from Auckland and the R5 wound around vineyards, hills, and small towns to the town of Leigh. I set my tent up at a delightful campground that boasted hot showers, communal kitchens, and plenty of paperback novels. I donned my jogging attire and ran down to the beach near Goat Island and onto the Goat Island track, a trail cloven by sheep along the headlands overlooking the Marine Reserve. Many islands dotted the horizon and the wind blew steadily. I found some dirt roads and enjoyed a leisurely rural run. This run will have to suffice for my long weekend training run. I am woefully unprepared for next weekend's West Coaster 28k trail run...
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| Home sweet home, at least for the weekend |
As I had packed in a hurry, and had not planned well, I left at home a myriad of camping and running essentials, including an extra pair of running socks and my headlamp.
This morning, after a night of fitful sleep due to wind gusts, I returned to the beach, this time with my wetsuit on. The water was surprisingly cold (62 degrees, I later learned) compared to my recent Herne Bay swim. Despite this, the sea life beckoned. Fish were teaming among the vegetation. Snapper are huge. They rather scared me when I first saw one. The goat fish, with its blue and purple colors was my favorite. Blue moamoa and another fish that reminded me of an thinner-bodied, wider-striped angel fish were others that I recognized from the pictures I had studied at the campsite. There were many more. Swimming with a constant display below was a delight. If the water had not been so cold, I might have tarried longer. I noted that the folks who were diving had much thicker wetsuits on, as well as hoods, gloves, and booties. I succumbed to reason after 1/2 hour of swimming.
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| Beach access to the reefs around Goat Island |
I find watching the undersea world calming. Life exists in the steady rhythm of the ebb and flow of the waves. I find I start breathing more slowly and try to match the beat of the life below the water's surface. I imagine the carpet of life that lies underneath the waves, another world of which I can only dream. I will plan future visits when the water is warmer and I am better prepared.
The hot showers at the campsite were put to good use. I stopped for a cup of tea and a scone at the first cafe on the way back to Auckland, and "spicy" Mexican for lunch in Orewa to warm me up. (The kiwi version of "spicy-hot" is no more than "medium" by most standards).
Back to city life by 1pm, I am enjoying a cat-like moment in the sun before I set to getting ready for the busy week ahead.
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