Silica Rapids walk could be named Fungus walk. I came across black, brown, white, blue, chestnut and even gold coloured fungi. These were pretty special!
Silica Rapids on the slopes of Mt Ruapehu. It was a fabulous walk through varied mountain landscapes.
My plan for today is to visit the Silica Rapids Walk and Punaruku Falls near Whakapapa Village. I won’t walk the loop, just there and back. Checking weather, roads etc as I don’t ‘do’ snow. A lot of visitors to that part of the country are there for skiing.
Mount Ruapehu appears across Lake Rotokura. I had a lovely 75 minute walk there but saw only a very few birds.
As I neared Waiouru snow-covered Mt Ruapehu made an appearance.
Today’s destination: Tongariro National Park:
Home to three active volcanic mountains, and iconic and majestic landscapes, Tongariro National Park has attracted adventurers of all ages since 1887.
On the plus side: I did manage about 5-6 hours sleep and only one of Sasha’s 3 poops in the middle of the night was indoors. [yawn] Turns out we need to be alert to the slightest hint she needs to go out. Old dog problems… 🐶
Tomorrow I head off to Tongariro National Park for a few days of easy short walks and some lounging around. Should be fun, though chilly.
Side eye. (Kingfisher) 🐦
I just watched Soul and found it remarkable. Uplifting, clever, funny. Loved hearing the Kiwi actor Rachel House as Terry the accountant. Visually it was amazing: the way the light played on Joe’s hands as he played the piano… 🎥
A genre I usually avoid is (heterosexual) romance, but Kristine Kathryn Rusch is such a skilled writer that I really enjoyed The Perfect Man:
[detective] Tasha Morgan finds herself dangerously attracted to sexy, mysterious Rick Chance … whose secret could get her killed.
I just rewatched How to Self-Publish A Novel from @Cheri in Micro Camp 2022 (17 minutes). This is such an excellent presentation, and packed full with useful info. If you’re thinking of publishing a novel then definitely watch. Shame I’m not writing a novel…
The government just opened up second Covid booster shots for the over-50s. I was astonished to get an appointment so quickly. Off for my boost this morning.
Today I’m watching a bunch of videos, like this one: How to use Back button auto focus with Fujifilm camera as another step in getting to know my camera better and maybe taking better photos.
Hope I remember I’ve changed how the Shutter button works next time I take a photo!
Waxeye stack. 🐦
An article that everyone should read: The Sunday Essay: My breasts and me.
We went to see Elvis (2022 film) this morning. It’s an intense movie and we all came out quite sombre. Austin Butler did a magnificent job playing Elvis. Meanwhile Elvis’s manager Col. Tom Parker was revealed to be a man without an iota of humanity.
I did my NZ Garden Bird Survey on Saturday and saw: 6 sparrows, 3 magpies, 3 swallows, 3 waxeyes, 1 fantail, 1 blackbird, 1 kingfisher, 1 hawk, 1 chaffinch, 1 pheasant.
Tupu-a-rangi, one of the Matariki stars, is connected to all birds of the air…
We visited the Pottery Expo at Ōtaki Racecourse today. I bought this Sea and Sky bowl by Janice McDonagh. I’ll put it in the garden somewhere as a water bowl for wildlife.
A note for men in the US. Listen up! With the catastrophic Roe vs Wade decision you must support all women in your life. You ALSO need to tackle men: stop men’s violence against women (from tiny sexism to outright torture). What can men do to improve women’s lives in every way?