The Joy of Hiking

 I have always been a keen walker.  I love nothing better than getting out in the fresh air and exercising either with friends or on my own.  It has been a favourite pastime my whole life.  For the last 30 years I have walked around 5 kilometres twice a week with a good friend.  We have enjoyed solving the problems of the world, if only!, catching up on news and gossip while maintaining our fitness and keeping healthy.  When I travel overseas and visit new cities I have been known to walk for several hours a day taking in the sights and attractions. One day  I walked  all over London (25,000 steps) stopping for only short coffee breaks. And a few years ago I did a three day hike with friends around Bank's Peninsula on the South Island of New Zealand and another time climbed to the top of Mount Taranaki with the same friends. However, I have never really got into serious regular hiking.  It wasn't until a friend of mine suggested I join Auckland Global Trekkers, the hiking group that he leads, that I started to do some proper hikes and I'm loving it.

Mt Taranaki.  It was a hard slog but we got to the top.

Initially I felt a bit intimidated by the high level of fitness of most in the group since it has been a good  few years since I did those larger treks, but I needn't have worried. I've managed to keep up with others on the hikes I've done and because each has a difficulty rating I have chosen ones that I think best suit my ability.  The great thing is that I have been to places I had always wanted to go but didn't want to go to alone.  I wrote about the magnificent Putaruru Blue Springs hike in a previous post (find it in my search box) and a couple of weeks ago we went to Motutapu Island which I see daily from my suburb but had never visited. It's been so much fun to finally get to both these places with a great group of companions to share the experience with. 

The group hikes every Sunday in  both Auckland and other places around the North Island much further afield.  They also take overseas trips during the middle of the year which are primarily for hiking but also for sightseeing, dining and enjoyable companionship. This is a really well organised group. The founder and leader, Christopher Grant, does an amazing job of planning each hike with an assistant who plans the mid week hikes.  I am in awe of the time and care Chris takes in this.  It is no small task to come up with weekly hikes and to plan and co-ordinate the overseas trips. Health and safety is always a priority  and Chris has a willing band of helpers who carry walkie talkies and both lead and follow the group. Day hikes can consist of up to 50 hikers, the midweek hikes have much smaller numbers, people from all walks of life come along so there is plenty of interesting conversation to be had.  Every hike ends with a purely optional social gathering at a pub or bar, making for an excellent feeling of camaraderie amongst fellow hikers. 

So far I have done only three of the full day hikes and none of the overseas trips but I have done quite a few of the shorter midweek hikes around my city of Auckland.  They have been a delight, taking routes across the city, through parks, by rivers and bush and traversing places that despite living in the city all my life I have never been before. The beauty of these short hikes, approx 3 hours long, are that they start at 5.15pm so can be joined after work and are a great way to exercise and unwind before heading home. 

Auckland Global Trekkers ready to hike the Putaruru Blue Springs

We are always open to, and warmly welcome, new members.  Even if you are just visiting Auckland come along and get to see interesting and beautiful parts of the country you would be unlikely to see otherwise while enjoying the company of friendly locals. You can find Auckland Global Trekkers on Heylo.com see if there is a hike you'd like to come on and join us.