By the numbers
34,700 steps
24kms
Stats for the time I been away so far
Week 1 was 82.81 kms walking
Week 2: 71.14 kms
Week 3: 45.73 kms
Week 4 so far without Sunday this week. 95.61kms
The night before I was really tired and again after the blog
writing, I ended up going to bed. I thought my alarm had been set, but I woke
just after 7am and found myself realising I had not set the alarm at all. I had
been thinking of getting to Manukau early before it became too hot, but that
was not the case at all. A funny story I got told by one of my roomies when I
had gotten back at the end of the day. He thought I had only just gotten here,
but he did say that he had not seen me. I had been gone before everyone in the
room had woken up and I had been returning just on dark. I am easy to miss when
you don’t notice me at all.
I headed out to get some breakfast before going to the train
station where I was going to head out of the city. The reason, I was heading
back to Manukau was for the reason I actually found the location of the St.
Johns Redoubt Historical Reserve. It was located on Redoubt Road and I was
hoping they would have information panels about the area. There was actually
nothing at all recorded there other than a sign from Redoubt road. I had read
about how they were using the area for archaeological digs, but it was just a
park with grass and views of the motorway and Rainbows End. I wasn’t sure what
to think about it, but there could be a reason and I was off to get the train
again.
At the station, luckily I could get free wifi so I could do
some searches while waiting for the train. I wanted to visit Penrose as it was
a stop before heading to Onehunga. Turns out I needed another stop before that
and luckily the train map on my phone gave me the info I needed. I jumped off
at Otahuhu to get the next train to Penrose station as the Manukau train never
goes that way. I had gotten frustrated as I don’t like not knowing and a map is
good use of directions or else I would get lost. I like to see the stations not
just as words on a list. I did jump off at Penrose and wanted to quickly visit
the stadium called Mt Smart Stadium and it seems they have an event on. I
needed to get something to eat while wandering so ended up with my second lot
of maccas for the day while listening to the franchise owner or a regional
manager talking to the managers about when he had to do and how he was to let
people know. I tried another entrance to the stadium and found the Rugby
museum, although that was closed on a Saturday. I thought about walking to One
Tree Hill and then to Onehunga as I wanted to see the Fencibles buildings in Jellicoe
Park. I began walking to Onehunga and decided it would save time by catching
the train from Onehunga.
I think I saved a huge amount of time by getting the train
especially when the day seemed to be pretty warm. I walked through Onehunga
while finding an old historic house by the name of Scotlands, which was once a
surgery and a prominent family in the area. I found my way to Jellicoe park and
it was pretty busy little park that had three old houses there one of them
being the block house where it was once the old school too. Apparently the queen
had visited the park at one stage as well. The Maori did once grow Kumarain the
locality of the park so it was well used. I was feeling by this time a little
exhausted from the walking and the bag on my back. I was soon off to head for
One Tree Hill wondering if I was lost. I was heading for the entrance where the
Observatory was located. Apparently there was voting today too as I passed a
voting booth in a school. Heading up the hill was the fun part as I think back
that the sun had gotten to me, but I kept on going. The summit of the old
volcano was pretty popular and once I had reached it there was a traffic jam
with the cars wanting to park. It was well worth the walk as there was plenty
to see especially the view of Auckland and the surrounds. I spent some time chilling
up there listening to some of the locals who were talking about a bunch of
trees behind the barrier as they were trying to find a tree that would survive
and then be planted while the others would be sent elsewhere.
I walked down to the Cornwall Park where I needed the loo
and a drink as I had no more water. The park and the summit of One Tree Hill
was part of the Coast to Coast walk that I seemed to have done bits of over the
last few years. I don’t want to do the full walk as it would take some time.
Heading out of the park that I wanted to spend time in, but knowing that I
should get back into the city before it got too dark or I started losing light.
A local train station called Greenlane I was wanting, although I walked to though I could have walked to
Penrose, which would have been crazy. I thought my map would tell me where the
entry to the station was, but I ended just several metres from the station and
soon realised the street I had originally been on was where the station
entrance was, but I didn’t know that. I was looking up some things while
waiting for the train and wanted steak for dinner so looked up and found an
actual steak house close to where I was staying. I did look up other things
like bookshops, although there doesn’t seem to be many in inner Auckland where
I am. I did find the restaurant and the name was Tony’s steak and seafood so I
ended up with a nice dinner that was not fried chicken like the last two nights.
I thought I better have an easy day on my last day as I need to stay out of the
sun for a bit. I think I will haunt the museum and do several other things to
keep me out of trouble on my last day.
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