s e v e n i s a j o u r n e y

So, I heard on the news last night that it is now official- this was the rainiest and windiest February since they started keeping records 150 years ago. Apparently for 25 of 29 days Wellington had winds of 60+ kph. Many areas got 5-7x their normal monthly rain. The mountain range just north of us (the Tararuas) got more than a meter of rain, thus the massive flooding in the rivers fed from those mountains.

In other news on Sunday we had enough of a break in the rain to do some planned activities. Tam dropped me off at fight practice while she went to the Cuba Street Fair. As it had rained all Saturday, the Sunday crowds were super-huge. Sounds like it was a blast, with fun stalls selling all sorts of little boubles. And chainsaw juggling. We then raced home, ate, and headed up to the end of Takapu road where they were having the official opening of a new trail in the park. The Waitangirua farm at the end of the road is part of the Belmont Reserve, a 10,000 hectare (22,000 acre) sprawling park and reserve. Lots of trails. This is the place back in November where we climbed Round Knob in the gale-force winds.

Anyway, we came too late, and missed the guided tours. But our neighbors from across the road (the Hollows) arrived about the same time, and we went walking with them. This particular trail winds through a valley that used to be solid gorse. Over the last year or two they have been putting in large number of native plants, which are starting to take off and will one day shade out and kill the gorse (which for now acts as a nursery plant). This is aso the place where the new highway the want to build (tranmission gully) will run. This is a highway they have been talking about for 30 years, and last I heard it was still “at least 10 years” away. The longer they wait, the happier I am!

Anyway, on the walk we spotted some lovely mushrooms, which Keith picked for dinner. When we got back to the trail head we split up the mushrooms, and for the first time I had wild mushrooms for dinner- And I’m not dead! And the family of time-traveling Orangotangs assurs me than I am not hallucinating!