Trig B0VJ: Cruickshank

This one was listed in the LINZ geodetic database as being a 2m trig. After earlier exploration had failed to find the trig but did find a new section of trail, Heather and I returned with the co-ordinates set as a waypoint in my GPS. We found it, but it had been destroyed and removed almost without trace. As this was just above a new 'lifestyle block' subdivision, we wondered whether it had been purposefully removed during the subdivision process. Hard to know exactly what had happened to it, but all that was left was a rusty and damaged pipe end in the ground.

New Track: Maidstone Ridge

On today's run I was intending to search for a trig, but instead found a new track. At the top of Seymour Grove is the Maidstone Ridge track, heading generally SW. But at the top of the road I spied what looked like a bit of a track heading NE between some vegetation and around the side of a low hill... so I followed it... and indeed it was a track! Properly benched, orange triangles for markers, through a mixture of bush and open grassland. This was a great find, just a pity it is currently a dead end!

View through the bush section

Route map

Orange marker on the fence and new stile

Through the bush

Seddonville Falls

A prominent feature in Seddonville is a 7m high waterfall. There's no easy way to get to it, but a local gave me directions to get to the top. First, take the single lane gravel road opposite Hope Street. He assured me that this is a legal road, and a check online reveals that at least the first part of it is on road reserve: it is part of the reserve for Hope Street. This section of road zigzags up the hill. From the top of the hill walk across towards the waterfall: first across a paddock, and then through bush. Once in the bush it was obvious that others had been here before, although not tracked or marked. I emerged out right at the top of the falls, and had the view below.

The falls as seen from the road.

View from the top of the falls.

Kohaihai and Oparara Caves

With heavy rain overnight the river was high, dirty, and unfishable, so we decided to head up the coast north of Karamea.

The first stop was at Kohaihai - as far north as the road goes. Kohaihai marks the southern-most end of the Heaphy track, but we were just here to eat our lunch and have a look around.

After lunch we drove back down the road to Oparara. The turn off is only about 5 minutes drive down the road from Kohaihai, but the 14km in to the carpark takes a long time on the narrow, winding, unsealed road. With kids in tow we did just one of the two arches and the two readily-accessible caves - photos below.

Kohaihai

Kohaihai River mouth.

Kohaihai Shelter at the end of the Heaphy track

A Nikau palm just across the swingbridge.

Looking south along the beach.

Moria Gate Archway

Moria Gate Arch

Stalactites on the roof of the arch.

Patterned limestone underfoot.

Heading back up out of the arch.

Forest on the way to the arch.

Crazy Paving

First view of the tesselated floor of Crazy Paving

Cave weta. We saw only one of these.

The large cave spider, spelungula cavernicola.
We also only saw one of these.

White egg sack of the cave spider hanging over the
tesselated floor.

Box Canyon

Inside Box Canyon

Formations at the side of Box Canyon. These are
side passages easily large enough to walk into.

Looking back at the entrance to Box Canyon, with
people to show the scale.

Water streaming from moss beside the entrance to
the caves.

Trig F (Mokihinui)

Just a short 1km walk from the Seddonville Motorcamp, being in the area it was too good to pass up!

Officially given the code A5CX, the Geoditic Databse says that this survey mark is "Not beaconed"! I shall forward the photos to LINZ and get that entry rectified.

Right: Trig F with Mt Glasgow behind.
Below left: View along Mokihinui Rd towards Mt Glasgow.
Below right: View back down Mokihinui Rd towards Seddonville.

Jump from the Edge of Space

A very early morning this morning - up at 1:15am to watch history being made as Felix Baumgartner did a skydive jump from footage of the jump. This has nothing at all to do with my exercise, but it is such an historically important occasion I thought I would at least make a record that I watched it on live TV.

Two clips are shown below: first the full footage of the jump, including part of the slow preparations for exit from the capsule; and the redbull highlights package for the mission.




There's a few hairy moments on the jump as Felix goes into a flat spin, but he managed to get out of that and resume a controlled fall. Apparently the "live" broadcast was actually delayed by 20 seconds just in case something did go badly wrong. The broadcast does break away from the flat spin, but then returns to Baumgartner.

The RedBull Stratos website lists the scientific contribution and the records set by the mission as:

SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION FOCUS
Red Bull Stratos aims to provide information that will further the progression of aerospace safety. The key benefits for the science community are as follows:

- To aid development of a new generation of space suits - including enhanced mobility and visual clarity - and other systems to lead toward passenger/crew exit from space.

- To aid development of protocols for exposure to high altitude/high acceleration.

- To aid exploration of the effects on the human body of supersonic acceleration and deceleration, including development of the latest innovations in parachute systems.

BENCHMARKS

- Reaching supersonic speed in freefall:First person to achieve the speed of sound in freefall without mechanical assistance. Felix's speed in freefall on Oct. 14, 2012 is estimated at 833.9 mph, Mach 1.24 (previous record: 614 miles per hour, Mach 0.9).

- Freefall from highest altitude:Felix jumped from 128,100 feet Oct. 14, 2012 (previous record: 102,800 feet).

- Longest freefall time:Felix was in freefall for 4 minutes and 22 seconds Oct. 14, 2012, making Joe Kittinger untouchable in that category (previous record: 4 minutes, 36 seconds).

- Highest manned balloon flight: Felix's float altitude was approximately 128,100 feet (previous record: 113,740 feet).

All figures are approximate based on atmospheric conditions.

It is certainly a remarkable achievement, with incredibly advanced and sophisticated systems. Most remarkable, though, is that this appears to have been privately-funded, with the payoff not to come until the technologies are actually used for space missions.

Oaten Shortbread

This is something that mum made when I was a kid. I have only recently got the recipe off her, and it tastes just as good as I remember. And it's a perfect food for long adventures!

6oz / 170g butter
¾ cup sugar
½ cup flour
½ tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats

Cream butter and sugar
Stir in flour and salt, then mix in rolled oats and knead towards end of mixing to hold dough together.
Press lightly into sponge roll tin.

Bake 35 mins @ 350F / 175C.
Watch near end of cooking time as can go dark/over-cooked quickly.

Cut into squares, leave in tin until cold.

Support Crew at Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour

About 5 minutes after the start. From left to right: Kim Allan, Patricia
Stitchbury, Heather Andrews, Wayne Botha.

This year I was support crew again for Heather at the Sri Chinmoy 12 Hour. The day dawned with atrocious weather: heavy rain and very strong winds. As we were driving to the track the rain was pouring when we were just a kilometre away. But by the time we got there the rain stopped and the weather started to fine up. It was windy all day, but for the next 9 hours the rain stayed away.

As is usual with these events, there were lots of people there that I knew. Michael Rodliffe was running to win the men's 6 hour, Cliff Harrison was walking the 12 hour, Wayne Botha running the men's 12 hour, Mark Guy running the men's 24 hour, and Kim Allan, Tracy Benjamin, and Penny Kirkwood in the women's 24 hour. There were also the supporters: Fiona Harrison and David Sim for Cliff, Simon Clendon for several runners, Amy Campbell with the world 24 hour champs still fresh in her legs, Philip Sharp (NZ Centurions), and Steve Neary and Vicky Plaistowe who both turned up to see the madness.

Summer running.
 
 

By late morning it was so hot that the runners were in t-shirts and singlets, and even as a supporter it was very warm. For the couple of laps in between handing supplies to Heather I would sit beside the track in a fold out chair, feeling much as if I were at the beach (minus the sand that would be blowing in our faces). Simon Clendon was even handing out iceblocks to the runners! But the wind continued unabated and by mid-afternoon runners were starting to layer up again.

Heather battled with nausea again this year, and as a consequence there was a period of several hours in the afternoon where she didn't eat a lot. Sri Chinmoy peaches, mashed potato, and cups of tea eventually came to the rescue. Definitely a challenge to try and solve before "next time".

By about 7:30pm it started to rain, and then started to absolutely pour. Cliff Harrison's support crew took shelter in the vestibule of our tent. I had my full wet weather gear on, so was reasonably comfortable out in the rain, but still needed to record laps and get whatever supplies Heather might need.

Heather's trophy

Heather clocked up persobal best times for 50km, 70km, 80km and 50 miles. Best of all, she also won the women's 12 hour!

In other action that day, Wayne Botha set a world record for 100km run in bare feet. He developed a large blister on one heel, but in total his feet were in great condition when he finished.

7:12pm and Wayne Botha keeps churning out the laps
on his way to a barefoot world record.

Everybody's Doing It, So Why the Hell Should I?

Part 3 of my guest series on the Back Country Runner.

The tagline of my previous post noted that participation in trail- and ultra-running in New Zealand is soaring.

More trail- and ultra-runners means more trail and ultra events, more specialist gear, more cool people to meet before during and after events, more “buzz”. That can only be a good thing, right?

To use a great kiwi-ism: yeah, nah, maybe.

Read more...