Taranaki: Part 2, York Road Loop Track

Hello! It seems to have been a while since Part 1 (and its still not finished fully) but I'm afraid we've been quite busy here, and there's no signs of it getting quieter. With this in mind, however, I've decided that I should really be posting something (anything) at a regular time slot. Therefore I will be attempting to post an update each week by Sunday evening NZ time (so it'll be up Sunday morning UK, Saturday night USA) - I wrote this last night, posting didn't go ahead as I got invited to the pub have way through. Sorry, priorities.

Before I get into this tale properly I should probably make you aware of ANZAC day. This is Australia & New Zealand's equivalent of Rememberance Sunday, except that it's a public holiday (great idea), and the Aussies use it to get HAMMERED whilst playing games- to the confusion of some of the Kiwi News teams. This year it was a big event as it was 100 years since the landings on Gallipoli, the founding campaign of the ANZACs (though NZ forces had been used by the British Empire previously in such regions as South Africa).  They do a dawn service at local memorials- people arrive about 5-6am then there's a parade and a remembrance service, including bag pipes (there's a lot of bagpipes here, more than Edinburgh!) and a salute with guns (Wouldn't be allowed in the UK, I'm sure. They were using 303's too, the main infantry rifle used by the Empire at the time). Afterwards there was a few speeches by the mayor, an air force officer (there's a large air base locally) and a local school pupil. All very nice. Oh, and there was free rum & coffee. At 6am. Free. Rum & coffee- together, mixed. Great idea! Tasted like chewy molasses. I'll try do more about the ANZACs for post later, when I have the time it deserves. There's a special exhibit in Wellington about them, so might go see that and get some proper information before I start trying too hard. Was a fantastic day and very well organised by the whole country, as well as the events that occured with the Australians and Turkish at the ceremony in Gallipoli- and event I hope was publicised internationally.

So, back to the beautiful long weekend I had out west, this time moving onto the Sunday

I began that morning, as previously discussed, waking half way up a volcano. This happens quite a lot in NZ. For the Sunday I had decided to travel down to the simple, low level, walk that follows the route of an old rail line which serviced a quarry and rock crushing plant. 

This quarry, 100 years ago, produced the "metal" used to create the region's first roads. In New Zealand not all roads are have tarmac- there are some places quite out of the way here, and only a few people go to certain places, such as certain farms and starts of tracks. These roads instead are "metalled". Its not metal though, its simply called than. Really its just a covering of those little grey stones they use on normal roads without the tarmac to stick it together. It makes for a reasonable surface- not great, but good enough for tracks and the like. Before larger scale operations and protected statuses, though, "metal" was quarried from various sites, and this place was one of the major sites. 

Below are pictures of the signs about the track at its entrance- I hope you can make something of them, if you click on them you'll get them at full size. In addition I've included the old cart that is at the entrance of the site.

Below are the 11 videos I made at various sites along the track. Most of the explanations are in the videos about the various sites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAVtIG5pWkc&list=PLCFbtK9Mpf6of27-tpNOqYqyvFtff7GQR

Finally, I just thought I'd show you some of the beautiful sites along the track- it was simply a nice day out.

This is the coloured water as described in the video "Hill Stream"

Taranaki: Part 1, the Mountain

THIS IS UNFINISHED, BUT VIDEOS WILL BE ADDED LATER

Sorry its been so long since I last posted- Been busy with other things and some how the blog got left out for a wee while.
Autumn calving has started here, and the weather's finally turned. Personally I'm loving that the sun is no longer quite as strong (but, being near the hole in the O-zone layer its always very strong) and that we've finally started getting a bit of rain. Still not quite enough to get everything growing fully, but we're getting there. This all, of course, with the back drop of you in the northern hemisphere finally making it out of winter, the days getting lighter and warmer, lambs and calves being born and things starting to grow again.

Some of you may know that I've hit 2 bits of bother in the last few weeks. One was a stomach bug after too much running around being busy. Everyone was very helpful and it just took me a little while to get back to normal. At first I thought it was sun stroke, then my flat mates got it, in a lesser form. Woops. Practice manager was glad it wasn't from the barbecue he cooked us the day before.
I also managed to cut my leg open! :) With my new hoof knife, no less. Some idiot decided he'd check out a slow lame cow's feet in the middle of a field, fell over, and cut through overalls, skin, and into the adipose of my thigh. The old ones wouldn't have made it through the overalls. Anyway, I bandaged myself up and got to experience the NZ NHS AKA ACC- basically its like the NHS, but just covers for accidents & the like, though one still has to pay a small amount. Seems like a pretty good system to me. Yes, I could have sutured myself, but I wanted a Tetanus jab and antibiotics too, so thought I'd do it properly. If you want to see the pictures they're on my Facebook page- won't stick them up here, I know some people don't like blood etc. But all good now.

Anyway, a few weekends ago I had a 3 day weekend, so decided, having gone North and South, to venture West.

To the West of Bulls one travels through the town of Wanganui- which has a reputation similar to Castleford. But this is NZ, so its got no areas as bad a Cas' bad bits, and it has a massive outdoor pursuits tourist attraction! The Whanganui River (Wh is an F in Maori, but some people say this one is pronounced as a W.) ends here, and up stream people go kayaking, canoeing, fishing, boating, etc. I'll hopefully go up here some other time though.

The real attraction of going West is the region of Taranaki, dominated by Mount Egmont- a lonely volcano. The forests here are stunted compared to the rest of NZ, perhaps due to the altitude, perhaps due to the rocky terrain. It is, however, very pleasant, not for size but in myriad quaint settings. There's a(nother) Middle-Earth/ Hobbit set round every corner.

The Volcano, on the other hand, is huge. The peak is sacred, so despite all the mountaineers who climb it, one is not supposed to stand on the summit. Europeans called the Mountain Mount Egmont, but originally the Maori named him Taranaki- the lonely volcano man who's head was the summit. Hence by standing on the summit one is standing on the top of the region's protector, which is disrespectful.

The Mountain is generally wreathed in clouds, and has its own weather systems. When Captain James Cook came to Taranaki he stayed in the region for a month and never saw the top of the mountain. There's a story that the first surveyor of New Plymouth, Taranaki's main settlement, never even mentioned the Mountain in his notes. It's a challenging mountain to climb due to the variability of the weather and is not something I would advise people to do. Though that doesn't stop me from wanting to do it one day.

It's a cool place with a bit of the forest, water & volcanic features of NZ, but I'd say there are better places to see each separately. This doesn't stop the drive up to the Dawson Falls car park worth doing There's a great walking circuit through the various types of forest and rock formations- it does, however, contain a lot of "bridges"...

[LINK TO YOUTUBE BRIDGE VIDEOS]

There will be more of these... http://youtu.be/eLywXfLWvqM

I also found some interesting new wild life whilst I was there- including a weird spider!

[LINK TO YOUTUBE SPIDER VIDEOS]

After all of this, plus a quite cold night camping in the car park, I eventually went down to Dawson Falls:

[LINK TO YOUTUBE DAWSON FALLS VIDEOS]

I mustn't forget the human stuff up on the mountain side too!

NZ has a rich history of tourism (how? Its SO far away and people had to get a ship here. Yeh, but its got lots of amazing stuff, so people came to see it.) One part of this tourism is Dawson Falls, which people have been visiting for over a centuary. This was also one of the base camps for attempting the summit- there's a hut part way up as a way station/ 2nd base camp/ safety point. Its not the preeminent route, but it remains significant. Hence the Department of Conservation has an office here, with a small shop and museum, and there's a small B&B plus a few huts. Makes a nice place to stop at.

In the past this place was also powered by a hydroelectric generator, that's still working! As someone who went to a lot of steam rallies as a kid this is fascinating to me.

How to... Get into New Zealand (as a Vet)

Dear anyone who wants to know,

Over the course of my stay here a few of you have asked about what life is like here and how one might get into the beautiful country of New Zealand. Having received very helpful advise myself before getting in I think now is the time to pass on what I have been taught, as well as what I learnt from my experience. 

This will all be written primarily with a view of a British Veterinarian trying to get into NZ. Some of it may/may not be applicable to anyone else trying to get in for other work, but I hope its mostly useful across the board.

This is a combination of messages I've sent to various people:

Job hunting:

Finding a job was pretty easy, though I have landed on my feet- just used google, found an advert and got an interview etc. They were very helpful ensuring I had flights and initial accommodation organised. Its also a large practice with total 5 farm, 4 equine and 3 smallies vets, and very sociable. I've had a few friends come here and find themselves with 1 other vet in a small office. But same as any job, look at what you're offered and don't just jump at any offer- there are lots of animals here and not many vets, so there are a lot of jobs available here.

Even if you can't find one via the internet from the UK, I've met a few people who came over here with a plan to just travel round as a holiday and potentially pick up a job whilst about.

Visa: Visa was very easy to get, they're keen to have more vets here, we're on a special list to be let into the country. Depending on time you'd want to spend here has a few requirements, but was like doing the Dick Vet annual portfolio, just had to get all the paperwork together. The people at immigration are very friendly & helpful- there's lots of info on their website and they'll help with any application (EVERYONE's very helpful. 23 years of UK customer service did not prepare me for how helpful everyone is). It was worth me ringing them before hand too as they were busy that week but they were able to fast track my application before my flights etc. There are also 12 month working visas which have less paperwork attached. If you want to just come visit and potentially think about picking up a job these can be great, and can be extended for if you want to stay longer.

Culture: Moving over here was really easy, but as I said earlier, the sociable, helpful practice made it so. I don't have any friends or family here, never been to NZ before, so was all a steep learning curve. The culture's enough like Britain to not be a shock, just took time to get my head around it all. The immigration website was helpful telling me what differences to be prepared for. There's info on work-life and what people expect of you. There's some stuff examples on there of NZ media, you might also be able to find some podcasts or stuff on YouTube. Tbh I just got stuck in, had a few things planned out before I got here, tried to keep an open mind, and carried on from there.

When in Rome...

Before you get here: It was useful getting stuff done before coming here. There's enough to worry about with work being different from what we were taught and a new social scene. Got my bank account organised via the internet from the UK (NZ's TSB [not the same as UK TSB] are who I used, helpful and friendly, just had to pop into a branch here to finish opening the accout.). Equally I had a look into getting a phone organised here-but its all off the shelf here, easy as. For all my official documents I asked the practice if I could use their address as my NZ address, which made it much easier to get everything sorted, plus there's always someone to pick up my post.

You're not in Kansas anymore: I got quite home sick around Christmas, but Emma Stuart was here too so we spent it together. A few things from home helped me get through all that, and there are a few English/British shops here so you can get odds and ends when you miss stuff. There's lots of new, interesting stuff to try here though, so it was mostly just a matter of trying the new stuff out, and continuing to do so until one enjoys the country so much that one learns to love it.

NB- PEOPLE AT HOME WILL MISS YOU! Preparing mothers seems to be a necessity, but also all the rest of your family and friends are important. Try not to simply disappear. Go out, see some of Britain, visit as many family & friends as possible, and plan how you're going to stay in touch with them (Skype, Email, YouTube, Facebook, Blog, Parcels). This isn't uni- there are no random long weekends at home to catch up, and Skype time can be limited (because of the time difference). I tried to send some sort of email to my parents & sister everyday, then every other day, then once or twice a week. Doesn't need to be much, just something. Some of you will be great at this, its those of you who, like me, know you're terrible at it, who need to find a way that's simple, fast, and ENJOYABLE. Don't make it a ball & chain. Whilst you're visiting people keep and open mind towards friends of friends who are here. I've found contacting such people, even out of the blue, to be an excellent way to find out about NZ from a mixture of view points. Some of them might even offer you somewhere to stay whilst you're travelling round, & I've met some lovely people this way.

Going Solo: Trinkets sound silly- little figurines or pictures that remind you of home- but they're useful at the end of a crap day. Life's not perfect, you will get tired, sorry to break it to you but you're no Superman/Superwoman, and NZ's in the wrong time zone for simply calling home. Personally I have Rory- the tiger-teddy bear I bought in my first month at uni from a charity shop. He's far too big for any sensible person to bring (about 3ftx1ftx1ft) but I figured I could buy essentials in NZ (its a 1st world country, K-mart & The Warehouse have everything you'll need for cheap). There are a number of solo backpackers have the really good idea of having a sensibly sized teddy bear (perhaps wearing a jacket of your national flag) that they can have in the pictures of things they go see. Makes the pictures personal without having to find someone else (some of the best spots are very isolated) to take it for you (and its not a silly, badly framed selfie). Usual rules apply for going off-piste though, ensure someone knows where you are going, and when to expect you back. Not everywhere here has phone signal, emergency services are not always available. If you want to go a long way into the wilderness alone, one can rent or buy emergency signalling devices that work anywhere. Contact the Department of Conservation for information.

"There's so much room for activities!" Research some things to do and see in my first few weeks, found some groups in Facebook, and talked to a lot of people who had previously been here or had contact in the country. Meant I had things to do outside of work too, without having to plan once here. Find out what you can do nearby wherever you are hoping to be working. The Department of Conservation (DOC) and tourism websites are great for this, generally being well written and with maps etc. There's no Ordnance Survey here, instead its "Topo"- Topographical maps, which are relatively cheap and their website has them all uploaded. I've found them useful for work and play- I've 4 with little notes attached where client's farms are. There's also, of course, myriad books and websites to look at. I had my first week here planned out before I got here so I would keep active despite the jet lag, and it gave me a chance to see what was local to where I would be working.

The most flattering pic of Emma I could find. 

Tongoriro Crossing, Christmas Eve

Jet Lag:
This should be terrible, but the flight was horrendous. I didn't sleep during the 38 hours of flying and being in airports. I arrived at 5pm though, rented a car, drove to a youth hostel, and passed out for 12 hours. After that I woke up feeling fine. I'm sure there's proper ways to deal with it, but nearly dying of sleep deprivation worked for me.

Accommodation:
The later stuff you can work out for yourself, you're a grown up, everyone's helpful, you won't end up being homeless...but for your first few days-
Hostels & "Backpackers" are really nice here, and very cheap. There's a few bad ones out there, so go find some reviews online, and maybe book your first few nights so you're all prepared. Usually locals/staff will be happy to put you up for a wee while though, its just that kind of a society- and if you get the chance go for it, a great way to intro you to Kiwis and their lives.
Also, for when you're travelling, DOC has some beautiful/rustic huts in its parks (voluntary payment), as well as there being "freedom camping"sites, where one can camp or caravan for free. See the DOC website for details.

Who ate all the...:
Basically same as UK, with some USA influence. Take Aways here are basically less than half the price of the UK, and the portions are normal sized (not, I need something to remind me of Christmas dinner sized). This is great for busy days, After-Hours, etc. Fish & Chips for 3GBP! Thai food for 6GBP! Steak & Chips for 8GDP!
Make sure you take up running/walking!
Oh, and NZ loves pies. They are exquisite, and with lots of variety. So, yeh, take up running.
Ooh, and McDonalds (AKA "Maccas")has proper food in this country- including pies, and some decent burgers containing vegetables and the like. Its weird. Take up running.
They also like putting a fried egg and beetroot in stuff, which I love.

Beer:
Some places have Taverns, some Bars, we have Pubs. The beer is something you'll just have to try out. There's no stout, per se, and there's some cultural emphasis on lager, but it all fits in with the environment and the weather.

Emma & I at the Tui Brewery

Sun, Showers, and Sh*t Tonne of Wind:
Depends on where you are, of course, but NZ is, like the UK, and island. So the ocean delivers wind, rain, and humidity. The temperature doesn't change that much, statistically, but the high humidity makes the high 20s feel like 30s. Technically NZ is on the opposite side to Madrid though, so its quite warm all year round. There's the odd bit of snow & hail, and lots up in the mountains, though, so a decent amount of skiing is available, as well as surfing.

Hunting & Fishing:
There's a store here called Hunting & Fishing. Still haven't been. Anyway... people here go hunting and fishing. There's lots of "pests", such as escaped deer and pigs that need eating, and they haven't yet fished out the waters like the EU has. Ergo, if you're into either (or just a "free"meal) go get 'em.

Anything else?
I doubt this will matter to anyone, but its something I find culturally interesting, and still haven't quite got my head around it.
The majority of Kiwis (the people of NZ) are in relationships. As in, nearly all of them-seems to be the given default. Noone I've spoken to quite knows why, its just a thing here, and those of us from Britain have found it kind of weird. I don't know how they all manage to be in relationships (surely you spend sometime being single & looking? or have a freedom break?), but that's how it seems to be.
The only place this isn't true is in the rural South Island, where Emma Stuart was working. Round her there were hardly any women, and lots of guys, so she had pick of the litter. Guys, if you're looking, advice includes, spending time with backpackers, universities, and moving to Auckland. 
Personally I'm just running round enjoying NZ too much to think about it.

Hope that helps some of you, and hopefully I'll see some of you over here one day!

Why we were so tired on Monday

Well, Victoria, this is 155km of why:

18 of us from the practice (with various friends, family, and unlucky people we found to "help") ran around the Great Lake at the center of the North Island.

You see that altitude blip at about 130km? Yeh, that up hill section was mine. No, someone else got the down hill.

This is an annual event, with people running around the lake as a team. There are also teams competing as composite teams, walking some legs and running others, or teams can do the length of the lake. Oh, and for the very silly there's always the option to do it all by yourself. Just 1 of those this year. There are a vast array of teams, some participants older than 80, some from local schools, some running as families, some from a company. There were a number of vet and farm related teams running, and we were one of them.

Composite teams start earlier, and length of the lake later, but our event started at 2am, with fellow member of the Farm Vet Dept, Jordan, team organiser, running 14.4km in the pitch black. He was followed by:

Leg 2: Jess - 14.1km

Leg 3: Emma T (Admin) - 10.1km

Leg 4: Vicki - 8.3km

Leg 5: Monica (SA Nurse)- 10.1km

Leg 6: Bex (Farm Tech)- 8.4km

Leg 7: Isaac - 5.5km

Leg 8: Kristina (Farm Vet)- 7.0km

Leg 9: Harley  - 6.8km - I wasn't there- who replaced Charlotte's Harley? He wasn't able to run, but still came to support.

Leg 10: Charlotte (Farm Vet)- 6.9km

Leg 11: Mel - 10.9km

Leg 12: Emma C (proper runner) - 10.2km

And then I arrived!

Yes, my mini-team of 3 had decided to have a restful night at home, sacrificing supporting our friends to ensure good health and adequate energy to get through our sections.

I met Michelle Bloomfield (Lab Tech & pro-supporter) in Halcombe, as well as my fellow runners:
Leg 13: Gary - 8.6km - Michelle's husband to be, farm manager & great guy

Leg 14: Harley T - 7.4km "Dangerous" - Emma T's 16yo son - built for speed, probably for the best on this section with narrow verges.

We all traveled up together, meeting up with everyone else at the check point between Mel and Emma C's legs.

Once there the day filled out into being a jumbled routine of getting in & out of the car to cheer on our team mates, and anyone else running nearby. There were over 200 teams competing, so the road was full of team cars working their way around the lake, supporting everyone through each arduous step. 

This routine was eventually broken for me by:

Leg 15: Will (Farm Vet) - 6.1km

"Run/walk on the right hand side of the road. Flat for 2km to Hatepe then a steep hard climb up the famous Hatepe hill for 2.7km. Flat to finish."

Flat 2km, easy, I even managed to pass a number of people, and managed to not get run over by a tanker on a narrow bridge. This bit was rather pleasant over all, surrounded by exotic forests, running along the road next to the lake. 

It was Hatepe Hill (roughly:"HAH-teh-PEA") that was the killer. Elevation of 140m over 2.7km didn't sound like much when it was suggested, but when I drove up it on the way to Rotorua a fortnight previous I got the idea as my ute struggled to do 80km/h. I saw 1 guy pass me and try to run up it- he was nearly passing out by the top. Instead everyone else power walked it. This was fine by me, as a keen hiker and ex-Scout. All those years of climbing hills and being taught to march came to the fore, and I made steady progress walking up the rugged verge, the trees falling away to be replaced by scrub and brush. A single, superbly fit walker stormed past me- I had a steady, breathless word with him, tried to keep up, then lost him and left behind. 

The best sight throughout was the three cars of the team suddenly appearing by the roadside, Charlotte's Harley offering a gulp of water to keep me going. At first I felt like I should be running with them all watching, but knew it would only hasten my demise- everyone keenly tells you to walk this section. Their support was phenomenal and much appreciated, reminding me of what needed to be done, and telling me I was doing well. It was enough to give me the energy to continue keeping up with two other power walkers- I didn't mind not catching them, but so long as I wasn't falling behind.

Eventually the lip was in sight. At this tipping point I met one of the heros of the race. There were a number of teams of walkers with members who were considerably over weight. Yet they were here steadily making their way around the lake. We never found out if this was part of some program they were all on, but they were doing very well, making an exceptional effort.

I offered words of encouragement as I passed him, then attempted to begin running my last 1.4km. I passed the super-fit walker who had over taken me on the hill, both of us offering congratulations on the other's progress. And then a stitch. The calves already burned from the first 2km, the thighs from the hill. Those who I'd being trying to keep up with on the hill were still ahead of me, also having made a short run. All 3 of us slowed, however, trying to not collapse. Then the marching kicked in. 200m march, the steady drum beat from Scouts pounding in my head, 100m running to make up distance. I vaguely remember team members parked up with more support, offering a gulp of water I could only half keep down. It was enough to get me to run 300m. Great redwoods began to encroach from the distance towards the roads. I over took those I had seen ahead of me on the hill, as they slowed to a steady walk. As the trees finally came up to the roadside, offering cool shade to us, I saw my finish line. I ran the final 300m into the marked area filled with cars and supporters. And finally met Sam with a high five, passing on the labour to him.

Leg 16: Sam - 8.0km - and the steep downhill I'd created. Was going to do it in his farm boots, but Gary convinced him to use his trainers, and got an excellent time.

Leg 17: Alex (Admin) - 4.7km - including hill, Alex had done no training but hammered it out.

Finally, Leg 18: Maggie (SA Nurse) - 7.5km - Our superb team manager took on the final stretch.

We dropped off Harley at the last 1km, so he could run with Maggie and offer support, whilst the rest of us took a short cut to the finish line.

The last 100m were across the local park, and we ran this together, the majority of the team present to support the final finish.

We're still waiting for the official time, but we recon it took 14 hours in total this year- 45 minutes off last year's time!

Some more links for those interested in finding out more:

Official site:  http://www.eventpromotions.co.nz/events/taupo-great-lake-relay/course-information/

Course description:  http://www.eventpromotions.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Course-Description-Great-Lake-Relay-2013-NEW.pdf

Course map:  http://nz.mapometer.com/running/route_3975530.html%20

Afterwards there was prize giving (fastest time was 9 hours!), lots of fatty food, and beers. A member of the Equine Department allowed us use of their wee holiday home, and a short night of team shots and silly banter commenced. I was introduced to Purple Goanna by Gary- a purple vodka & mixer drink containing caffeine that was popular in the 90's. With sore legs, and prepared for sore heads, we slowly wandered off to bed, to rest up for the next day...

When we went WATER-SKIING!

Sam (who's Alex's BF) had brought his boat with him (a number of people here have boats, for fishing or fun), and so we went out onto the lake.

First there was Biscuiting- the name given to holding onto a rubber ring whilst its pulled by the speed boat, as one tries not to die. I was a bit taller than everyone else, so my legs dangled off the back of the Biscuit, enabling me to use my knees as stabilisers, but causing significant bruises on my knees.

Afterwards we tried water-skiing. Tried. I got as far as managing to get up, but still with knees bent. Others were much better than me, especially Emma C and Emma T.

After all this there was the final journey all the way home, which I slept through.

In addition to all this excitement, Kristina and Jordan, along with their partners Isaac and Vicki, had left us all, deciding that the Foo Fighters concert in Auckland would be preferable to the prize giving (no doubt about that, they were right, though it meant they had a very long weekend)

And Tim Scotland, who we'd left to hold the fort was looking after both the farm and small animals.

So that's why we were all a little jaded on Monday. I still had to go out PD-ing though, and got covered in cow sh*t