Walk: Cave Rock Track, Cat Trapping and a Seal, Karekare (Waitakere Ranges).

Описание: This is a compilation of three walks: Cave Rock Track, Cat Trapping and Panatahi Island out and around Karekare.

Cave Rock Track is a steep uphill track from the moment you step on it and is found at the front of the Pohutukawa Glade Track in Karekare. It is averaged out as a 45 minutes track but took me more than an hour to reach the top as my calves and I have never liked steep hill walks from since I had to walk up them to kindy haha Because I was ascending quickly, the views were picturesque all around me from the main car park, residential homes and of the beach itself with the stream running out along it. When I reached the top, I picked a spot where I could see Karekare falls from way up high and enjoyed my lunch. It was a nice clear day and it was very relaxing - I loved it. Then, came the part to return and I lost my way but just keep going as I thought, I need to just go down and not walk across this ridge and so, I found myself on my bum quite a bit, sliding down through the bush. I just followed the sound of the sea and believed that I would come out somewhere at the bottom. Eventually, I saw an opening and recognised that I had found the Zion Track, which was quite a relief. I followed it back down to the Pohutukawa Glade Track and back to the car park.

I often used to go out to Panatahi Island and just sit there and so, I have included footage of a seal frolicking on the sand before the island. I sat

On another walk, I made my way out to the beach to do the Zion Loop Track from Pararaha Valley with hopes to walk down the Zion Track and back to my car. However, I only reached the Tunnel Point Campground area when something moving in the corner of my left eye caught my curiosity and when I looked, an orange cat was following me and peering at me from beneath the shade of a bush. I was very surprised to find a cat out that far and to be honest, quite disappointed in the people who allowed this to happen. So, I made the decision to return to my car, home and borrow a cat trap from a local cat rescue.

Then, I persuaded cousin dearest - B, to help me carry the large and heavy cat trap back out there with the goal of rescue little kitty. I spent a week going out there to check on the trap and replace the food. On my last day out there, B and I headed out to collect the cat trap - cat or no cat. That day, it was drizzling with rain and we took our time heading out there. The song, 'Let It Go,' from the kids movie, 'Frozen,' was quite popular at that time and we were singing it around Tiriwa Point. We were probably going through stuff and trying to find a way through it and that song is such a funny song to antagonise someone with that it annoyed the heck out of me during this walk rescue haha

Relieved and pleasantly satisfied, I found the little ginger kitty in the trap - it was an amazing feeling. I really love the feeling of relief - it's such a huge release of stress, anxiety and tension. Pleased with our rescue, we made our way back with cat and trap.

However, along the way a Ranger in his ute came past and offered to take ginger off our hands but I was like nah - we're good here; thank you haha But really... I was thinking - hell no! You're not taking my cat and killing it after everything I have gone through to rescue it! haha I reassured the Ranger, we were good and he even offered us a lift back to the car park to which I politely declined. It was only later that I realised he probably wanted to make sure that we weren't taking away any creatures that weren't supposed to leave the area.

It was the main steep-ish sanddune that almost had us as we made our way up it and over into the Pohutukawa Glade Track - it's white, loose sand that makes it hard to walk up as you keep slipping. There's an art to walking up loose sand like this. We finally made it back to the car park and to a few curious people who stopped to talk and have a look at Ginger.

Ginger was given to the cat rescue as I have cats and I was told, Ginger went through rehabilitation and was allocated life as a barn cat. My thinking process of rescuing Ginger was derived from calculating the success rate for it to have a better quality life and rate of survival compared to that in which it was found. I also thought of active hope, which for me - means the more action one does, the better chances that hope will turn into something better; something good. I believed this little orange creature deserved a chance at something better - even against all odds; just like some of us.

Ginger.

April, 2017.