Active in the Park, the DOC summer programme in and around the central North Island is up and running again this year, and it has been off to a really busy start, which gives me a pretty lame excuse for the late post but I’ll work with it! We have tried to put together a programme with a little bit of interest to anyone, and really want it to be family friendly.
Take the Poronui bike ride on the weekend, we had over 60 people on the ride of all ages and had a fantastic time in a place you can never normally ride. Big thanks to Poronui Lodge for letting us on, hopefully we can get in there again next year.
The climb up to the crater lake on Mt Ruapehu was another awesome trip, despite the weather. Howling gales and snow would ordinarily put people off, but this trip showed how much fun it can be to challenge yourself when you are well prepared and have the right people with you to show you the way. And every hard-won metre uphill was a huge buzz on the way back down, with the perfect snow conditions making for a fast descent on the seat of your pants. Nearly 300 vertical metres on your butt was a great way to get down the hill in a hurry!
We have a heap planned for the upcoming week, finishing with a new trip from Urchin tops to Umukarikari which should be a real blast. Lets hope the weather lets us get out there! You can check out the programme at www.doc.govt.nz/tongarirosummer
Catch ya
