Pineapple Track

I will be leaving at 6:30 to go and sleep in a cave at Long Beach! Hopefully it will be a good time. There is one guy that is going that annoys me/creeps me out a little but I think I will go anyway because it sounds cool. I will probably do some bouldering. I got a $10 head torch at the Warehouse, so that will be good.

As for today so far: went on a hike. We did the Pineapple Track which is up Flagstaff which is 666m high. It wasn't a hard track or very long (if you can get a car to the car park at the beginning and to pick you up at the end, which we did). It's a BEAUTIFUL day and the views were outstanding!

After that I went to replace some items I lost:
the bite valve on my Camelbak
a torch
So I ended up going to Kathmandu, then R&R Sport, then the Warehouse which is pretty far south. As I was down there already, I decided to find the Harley dealership because I want to get my dad a shirt there. I found it but it was closed. I walked back, by the Chinese gardens and the Settler's Museum. I think I will try going back to the Harley place maybe Tuesday, or tomorrow depending on when we get back from the caves. Then I will also go to the Settler's Museum and the Chinese Gardens. It is really warm today, probably in the 70s and sunny."

And about the cave sleeping: "I slept in a cave. For approximately 4 hours. I mean, I was there longer, but that's how long I slept. Then I came home. Now I'm going back to sleep. (I woke up sore and unable to return to sleep. Even though the cave floor is sand, it was still pretty uncomfortable).

All Blacks Game and Mt. Cargill

This weekend I decided to stay in Dunners to watch the All Blacks game. Unfortunately, I was unable to get tickets to actually go see it at Carisbrook, but I watched it at a pub, The Bowler, which is quite nearby. Just before it, my friends and I tracked down some face paint (easily available at the All Blacks store near the Octagon) and decided that the Octagon would be kind of lame to watch it at (the screens were quite small). We put black and white stripes on our faces. The Bowler was pretty quiet until just before the game, but it was warm and had big screens. It was my first time watching rugby, to be honest, but I really enjoyed it. Well, except for the fact that we lost in the last few seconds. It was quite tragic. We tried to go All Blacks stalking afterwards, but Amber forgot her passport so we ended up just getting some chips and going home.

The next morning Amber, Kate, Helen, and a girl named Kana and I headed out for Mt. Cargill. We left at 8:30. The walk to the trail itself takes a little over an hour, and takes you by Baldwin Street - the world's steepest street! The trail is quite steep, and takes 1.5-2 hours to the top. The view is absolutely breathtaking. Coming down is much quicker, but we were really sore afterwards! I guess we'll be getting into better shape... In all it was a 6 hour hike!


Baldwin Street


The city I'm calling home for 4.5 months


One of many spectacular views from Mt. Cargill.