Distance walked by Mike 490.9km walked by Idol 346.7km walked by Toby 206.8km
I made the dogs wait till 6:30 for the morning session on the beach as it was heavy rain at 6am. Toby and Idol really love Ohope Beach and will be happy to get back there tomorrow. Spoiled this morning as Patrick cooked my toast and made my tea at breakfast time.
After a short walk through the shops it was up the steps to Hillcrest Rd
Because it was raining I expected it to be cold. By the time I reached the top of the steps I was way to hot. There was a detour part way up the hill onto another narrow street - fortunately I had checked this part out with Patrick yesterday so it wasn't a surprise. On one of the tight corners a car had gone straight ahead into someones edge.
Just after reaching the top of the hill ( a climb of 140m with 100m of that in the first kilometre) a guy stopped in a small truck. He didn't have any money but gave me a handful of peppermints to help me on my way. After 3km the route left the road and went into bush. This is kiwi country so the dogs had to stay on lead.
This was mostly down hill. There were a few muddy patches but mostly the surface was gravel and the footing good. By the bottom of the hill the rain had stopped. Toby went under the gate at the start of Ngati Awa Farm. For Idol to get under he would have had to put his face in a puddle and wuldn't do it. Nor would he use the stile. Eventually - after about 3 attempts he follows my directions to walk up the ditch and get under the fence that way. There was Pindone and cyanide laid. The biat stations were obvious and Idol was showing no interest in them so I let him off the lead as I knew he wouldn't eat any dead animals.
The track across the farm was not graveled and was either grass or mud. The mud was very slippery going up and I was anxious about the decent but as it turned out it wasn't as bad as I feared and Toby seemed to realise when I was having difficulty and kept the lead slack. There are heaps of peacocks in this area and I was afraid one would appear at the wrong time and Toby would start tugging on the lead and pull me over but luck was with me. Idol was clearly enjoying the soft surface to walk on and playing stick games.
The gate at the south end of the farm was much lower to the ground and no way for the dogs to get under it - the bottom rail on the fence was also too low and the gap between them too small for the dogs. I managed to persuade Idol to use the stile to scale the fence but Toby would always but his head through under the to rail. It was a real struggle between us before I managed to grab his collar and hoist his front feet onto the top rail. He them jumped over the fence.
Toby walked with me down to the main road while Idol had a rest. We came across a peacock playing at being injured and drawing Toby away from the nest. He was extremely hard to keep back and I was really glad he was attached to a belt and not just having me hold the lead.
From here it was 20km of road bashing to Waiotahi. The road from Ohope down to State Highway 2 has a very narrow shoulder and the ditch runs on the right side making for tricky walking but no problems with the traffic. I got chased by a woman cancer survivor who was hoping I would come past but then wasn't ready for me. A gift of a mandarin and then she went back got some cash and came after me on her bicycle. Some lads in a van stopped and offered Patrick a $2000 donation if they could have Toby to be a pig dog.
At the corner of State Highway 2 Patrick got the car stuck in the mud on the verge. The Mongrel Mob came to his rescue and pushed the car back onto the road. Patrick reckons by the time I get to Wellington I will have half the car sitting in the back waiting to be put back together. The warrant of fitness and registration expire a couple of days before the end of the rental period. Not sure how Ace Rental Cars expect to solve that as they can't renew registration without a current wof.
Because I am taking Toby to see Joanne, the vet in Opotiki, on Monday I had to do a few extra kilometres today so the walk was extended to Waiotahi. Patrick was looking for a toilet and very disappointed to discover the cafe at Waiotahi has closed and there is just self service petrol.
All in all I have to say today was not as bad as I feared but Idol's feet are looking a bit sore. He will welcome the day off tomorrow,
Where was God for me today - keeping the rain somewhere else.
Where did I want God to be today - helping Patrick understand the instructions - and he was there.
To make a donation go to https://doyourthing-wellington.everydayhero.com/nz/mikes-hike
I made the dogs wait till 6:30 for the morning session on the beach as it was heavy rain at 6am. Toby and Idol really love Ohope Beach and will be happy to get back there tomorrow. Spoiled this morning as Patrick cooked my toast and made my tea at breakfast time.
After a short walk through the shops it was up the steps to Hillcrest Rd
Just after reaching the top of the hill ( a climb of 140m with 100m of that in the first kilometre) a guy stopped in a small truck. He didn't have any money but gave me a handful of peppermints to help me on my way. After 3km the route left the road and went into bush. This is kiwi country so the dogs had to stay on lead.
The gate at the south end of the farm was much lower to the ground and no way for the dogs to get under it - the bottom rail on the fence was also too low and the gap between them too small for the dogs. I managed to persuade Idol to use the stile to scale the fence but Toby would always but his head through under the to rail. It was a real struggle between us before I managed to grab his collar and hoist his front feet onto the top rail. He them jumped over the fence.
Toby walked with me down to the main road while Idol had a rest. We came across a peacock playing at being injured and drawing Toby away from the nest. He was extremely hard to keep back and I was really glad he was attached to a belt and not just having me hold the lead.
From here it was 20km of road bashing to Waiotahi. The road from Ohope down to State Highway 2 has a very narrow shoulder and the ditch runs on the right side making for tricky walking but no problems with the traffic. I got chased by a woman cancer survivor who was hoping I would come past but then wasn't ready for me. A gift of a mandarin and then she went back got some cash and came after me on her bicycle. Some lads in a van stopped and offered Patrick a $2000 donation if they could have Toby to be a pig dog.
At the corner of State Highway 2 Patrick got the car stuck in the mud on the verge. The Mongrel Mob came to his rescue and pushed the car back onto the road. Patrick reckons by the time I get to Wellington I will have half the car sitting in the back waiting to be put back together. The warrant of fitness and registration expire a couple of days before the end of the rental period. Not sure how Ace Rental Cars expect to solve that as they can't renew registration without a current wof.
Because I am taking Toby to see Joanne, the vet in Opotiki, on Monday I had to do a few extra kilometres today so the walk was extended to Waiotahi. Patrick was looking for a toilet and very disappointed to discover the cafe at Waiotahi has closed and there is just self service petrol.
All in all I have to say today was not as bad as I feared but Idol's feet are looking a bit sore. He will welcome the day off tomorrow,
Where was God for me today - keeping the rain somewhere else.
Where did I want God to be today - helping Patrick understand the instructions - and he was there.
To make a donation go to https://doyourthing-wellington.everydayhero.com/nz/mikes-hike
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