Belmont Trig

This is another of the favourite walks that we have done many times from different directions. I don’t think I’ve blogged about it before so this is to remedy that omission.

It’s a stiff hour’s climb up from the bottom. The top is a rocky outcrop, very exposed but with some grass for collapsing in.

There are 360 degree views, these two are to the south, over the mouth of the Hutt river to the Rimutakas and Eastbourne (Matiu/Somes Island in the middle right)

and back towards Wellington City.

We had lunch in the shelter of some bush.

This is the track leading up from the Korokoro Dam. I love the ferns and knarled comprosma.

In the evening we went to watch the Phoenix play. There was a good crowd of over 13000.

Jenny and Andy enjoyed the game

as did the rest of the home supporters as we beat Melbourne Heart 3 – 1 and moved to second in the league.

The only bad moment was when Leo Bertos was stretchered off but it appears his injury may not be as bad as it first looked.

A Wet Sunday

Today is very wet. We are supposed to be going to a Phoenix game this afternoon but only dedicated fans will brave the elements getting to the stadium. I will post an update on who is in this category!

Yesterday was very different. Warm and humid – we went for a gentle stroll up Tinakori Hill. Here are a couple of shots looking down on the historic houses in Thorndon.

This house is perched on a small hillock. Note the cable car access at bottom right and somebody escaping from worldly demands in front of the shed at bottom left. I only spotted both these features when I looked at the photo. 

Here is Noreen resting on a seat conveniently cut from a tree.

In the garden I was excited to discover that my pohutukawa (planted as 30cm seedlings in August 2005) have produced their first flowers. 

They are part of the planting on the bank above and to the left of our section. The fern in the foreground is self seeded and probably no more than 5 years old. They grow really fast.

Happy New Year

We hope you have had a relaxed and stress free time and best wishes for the coming months. The weather here was excellent over Christmas but then it turned quite wintry last weekend – we even had a fire going on new year’s eve. It has come right the last couple of days and today was glorious. It’s back to work tomorrow so we made the most of the sunshine and spent the day gardening and going for a walk around Oriental Bay.

On the way back I saw these boats participating in the Global Ocean Race. They are stopping off in Wellington after sailing non-stop from Cape Town – through the infamous Roaring Forties. 

They are incredibly small to travel through the wide ocean on. Crewed by just two, it must be both very hard work and cramped.

This is more civilised – but nowhere near as exciting, the Eastbourne ferry completing another crossing of the harbour.

A question for you – what do you think these buildings are?

Might be easier from another angle.

They are public toilets and I can confirm they were very smart and clean.

Finally, I got this shot from the footbridge over the motorway. The pillars are part of a Masonic grave in the Bolton Street Cemetery and they are surrounded by pohutakawa blossom and the houses in Easdale Street.