Table Mountain

me on the track above Lake Tutira

Malcolm further up

You go down a bit, then up the next hill and along...

...along and up a bit more

great views as we get higher up

almost at the top

me almost at the top..

...nearly at the top!!..

Yay!!

If only we knew how hard the going down was going to be

The way down and into that pine forest...

Instead of heading back to the bus for rum and cokes after our exertions going to Shine Falls - we decided to do a walk that was supposed to be 4 and 1/2 hours, starting from where our bus was parked at Lake Tutira.  This was probably a mistake as it was already past 3.00pm -  but we wanted to make the most of the weather so we grabbed more water and bananas and set off.  The track went up and over several steep hills and after 2 hours we got to the high point from where we could see the coast stretching to Napier and Cape Kidnappers and the other way down to Mahia.  Then the track became ambiguous - it went very steeply down then there was only an unmarked track through a (pine) forest.  We went that way and the track was a quagmire - very wet and cattle had been through it.  Also still steep so very slippery.  After about 3/4 hr we emerged on a marked track which led back to the bus.  We did that walk in 3 hours so were going quite quick.  I basically had a shower, cooked dinner and then went to bed - probably 5 hours of up and down hills that day!