Te Mata Hike & Howl

Yesterday afternoon, we braved the afternoon heat for a hike at Te Mata peak. I texted my Dad during the hike, as the area reminded us of Papa & Nan in Napa Valley - CA summer weather, dried out hills and views of vineyards.

The heat made for some kid dramatics, but in the end it was a nice 2.5 hours hike.

The drop down into the redwood forest provided some welcomed natural air conditioning...

Robbie

The trails were perfect for a trail run, so I'd already decided I'd come back to Te Mata for an early morning run the next day. While we were on the trail, we came across a runner, so I asked him if there was a particular loop he recommended. The conversation turned into an invite to join a local running group the next night. I was also advised to bring a cold beer to enjoy after the run.

And...it wasn't just any night. It was a full moon.

Full Moon Howler

A group of around 10 met up and we took off for an hour run at 6:00pm sharp. They have a rule that they set out when the clock strikes. Seeing that someone was driving up, the run leader just did a small loop so the straggler could join :).

The next hour was zig zagging through the hot Te Mata trails.

When we reached the peak, we stopped for the running team's full moon tradition...a howl!

I learned Robbie had been a near elite marathon runner in his youth. He transitioned to competitive orienteering, but then stopped exercising all together once he had a family. One day his son said to him, "I always hear about your running days, how about we run a marathon together?" Sedentary life combined with "a bad diet", Robbie went out for his first run in years and "couldn't run 1km to the local dairy and back!" The marathon with his son reinvigorated him, so he got back into it and has never stopped since. To celebrate the New Year, Robbie went on a solo 13 hour trail run, 26 miles with 10,000ft elevation gain!

I also met Jake. Jake relayed that he caught the running bug in his 20s. That led him into a cycle...shear sheep, save money, travel to run.

After the run, everyone pulled a cold beer out of their car.

Phil filled up his water bottle with beer. The joke...he was drinking pee.

What a cool experience.

Now I'm motivated to find some people in Queenstown to run with!