Leg 2 Long Bay to Browns Bay

This is an interesting leg, if you were to calculate the tides Carol - yes Carol (punishment for reading tides wrong in our first practise leg) will actually be doing this only an hour or so after the tide has turned and on its way out.  So in reality Carol is going to get wet - payback can hurt sometimes.

We did however do this leg in reverse from the northern end of Browns Bay beac to the northern end of Long Bay beach

Do we organise live pre-leg entertainment or what??   A gentleman was net fishing and caught all this in his net.  It is bait fish but the kids loved it and nothing like seeing their faces before we started on our journey

End of Browns Bay beach - Tipau Point.  Doesn't seem to be a lot of rocks or beach there for us to walk across.  I did warn everyone that we "may" get wet

And here are the walkers - not as many as last week, but it was a long weekend after all.

Jade, Stephen's daughter is a real star, riding high on Dad's shoulders she thinks it is easy - she chatters away and tells Stephen to be careful

OK so far so good, still got dry feet, no one has fallen over, but there have been some close calls that is for sure - and Jade riding high without  a care in the world

Spoke too soon, Gaynor was the first to slip over.  Some of the rocks were very slippery and Gaynor was not the last to kiss the ground.

Waiaki Beach - I think we should just borrow one of these and then give it back when we reach Long Bay - it is very tempting, so far we have not got wet but somehow I don't think it is going to stay that way - we still have Toroa Point to get through.

Where did Carol & Gaynor go??  - Come on girls get a wriggle on

One draw back of being the photographer and blogger - you have to climb everything first to get the photo

Maybe this looks worse than it is.







As you go around this leg, there is more than one option to tackle some of the rocks that mother nature puts in your way.

Option1

Up and over the rocks with a handy rope bolted to the rock face to get down - I am so impressed by what mother nature can do.



Now if she can arrange a coffee shop along this leg that would be brillant

Option 2

Go right through the water - refreshing I think they said or was it S**t it's cold

Again being the blogger I had to go first to get the photo opporunity (but really I was hoping someone would fall in) then wade fast to the other side to get the guys coming down the rock face.

Then we came across this rock, pretty cool we thought.  I did think about carrying it home to put in my garden, but the thought of carrying it, myself, the waterbottle and the camera was just getting a little to hard - after all I was in need of a coffee or amber liquid of some sort.

Toroa Point - we are nearly there
















A bit more art - some people pay thousands of dollar to see art like this. And we have it in good old Gods Own

A bit more clambering

AND

Long Bay Beach

Bring it home team.  Now if we can still look that refreshed on the day I will be more than impressed and since I am running last someone else will have to take the photo.

Thanks to the hearty souls that ventured out with us on a long weekend.  We will be attempting leg 3 next week Browns Bay to Milford, the very first practise run again.   And no Carol is still not in charge of tide reading.

Thank you for all the wonderful people who have sponsored us on http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/HospiceHobblers/ we might not be breaking any Coastal Challenge records, but we are having some fun, getting to know our wonderful corporate supporters of Westpac Lake Rd, Warehouse Glenfield and Pak n Save Albany, and raising funds to ensure that we can make each day the best day possible for our terminally ill patients and their families.

Training with Bridgette 23 Jan 12

Shuttles, push ups and burpies - hate them all!!!!

Our best and most reliable supporter - Daniel Carol's son.  However he does sit there eating afternoon tea which is normally fruit with the odd packet of popcorn. 

He has a very responsible job of looking after all our car keys.

Run to this end and do some randum number of burpies that Bridgette thinks of while your running - no matter how you look at this burpies are not pretty

Then you run back and do press ups - again some randum number that Bridgette thinks up. 









The training is not so much getting easier, but definately we can do more of what is required of us.  We do have a lot of fun and at the end of the day exercise and getting fit is all about fun - well that is what we are told.

Watch out for leg 2 of the Coastal Challenge Long Bay to Browns Bay - however we are doing it backwards from Browns Bay to Long Bay as a test run.  This is Carols leg so should be interesting.

Go to http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/HospiceHobblers/ to show your support and watch as our fundraising total climbs.  It is a good incentive for us to complete the challenge and humbling to see how many of our supporters and families are sponsoring us.

Thank you

Leg 5 and Takapuna Beach - 22 Jan 12

We woke to dark clouds and rain - endless text messages asking if it was still on.  "Absolutely people meet you at 1115 in front of the Taka Boat Club" - Walkers from Hospice Hobblers and Glenfield Warehouse Wanderers

Grey clouds but dedicated team of walkers - and look it is low tide

Now wouldn't this be an easier way to do the "Coastal Challenge"

First set of rock as we leave Takapuna Beach - Our trainer Bridgette high on the rock face

Whoops these are a bit slippery
Three of us ended up having a seat - but didn't get photos as I was too busy watching where to put my own feet!!

Easy as we go, careful footing, not much point in hurting ourselves this close to the big day

Strolling along the sand - not a care in the world, except that the next beach is St Leonards - this is one time we are happy it's raining 

Beautiful picturique Rangitoto Island - we live in such an amazing part of New Zealand - "rain rain go away come again another day"

Coming into Narrow Neck Beach - misty rain still falling

Nearly at the end of Cheltham Beach, very pleasant walk, even if it did rain

North Head steps - only 100 of them, just what you need at the end of a 5km scramble across rocks.  Umm maybe we will leave that to another day

Dianna & Carol resting before we head back the way we came - look there is Rangitoto Island - and the rain has gone

We encountered killer fish on our way back - infact it nearly killed us as nearly stepped on it and screamed - we are so tough!!

Carol and our trainer Bridgette coming in at Takapuna Beach - Look Carol you're in the lead

Well deserved rest and maybe an ice cream.

Twelve of us started and 12 of us finished.  The Warehouse crew steamed ahead making great time.   Low tide was at 1235 so when we started at the end of Takapuna Beach it was not quite there, but on the way back was a lovely walk on the beach and over rocks.  Lots of soft sand and of course those North Head Steps which have haunted many of my dreams.

23 Jan 12 training with Bridgette.  

Help support us by visiting www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/coastalchallenge or check out our Hospice website on http://www.nshospice.org.nz/

Death by 10m - Training 18 Jan 2012

Death by 10m is basically the beep test gone wrong!!

Standing around before our training - all feeling pretty good about ourselves - after all we completed legs 3 & 4 in the weekend

Let the training begin!!!

Mesaure out 10m

In the first minute you run one length - in the

Second minute you run 2 lengths - in the

Third minute you run 3 lengths - in the

Fourth minute you run 4 length - I think you get the idea

First leg doesn't seem that bad - we all together and still smiling - and we walked

Still all together, but somehow I think it is going to get harder as we go on

Carol at the end of her time.

9 lengths in one minute

Matt, Lynn & Gaynor still going - man it's hot out here

Gaynor at the end of her time

12 lengths in one minute

Lynn finished 14 lengths in one minute

Come on Matt our hopes are pinned on you - no pressure!!

Matt pushed through to 16 lenghts in one minute

Whew thank goodnes that is over. 

Now a good stretch and home for a high protien dinner

Oh what has Bridgette got planned for us on our next training session - Monday 23rd Jan. 

This Sunday we complete Leg 5 of the Coastal Challenge - Takapuna Beach to Devonport 6km.  The other teams will be joining us - Glenfield Warehouse Wanders & Westpac Lake Road.  Hopefully Pak N Save Albany will come and join in our "fun" 

Don't forget visit http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/HospiceHobblers/  and help us raise funds for Hospice North Shore

First practise walk/run/scramble Browns Bay to Takapuna Beach 11km Legs 3 & 4

"Let's meet at "low tide" and do legs 3 & 4 of the challenge, it's only 11km" - I think someone needs to explain to Carol Herbert what 'low tide' means. I don't think water is meant to be right on the coastline




Happy smiling team before our 'coastal walk'

Coastal challenge?? where did the water go and isn't that the road - I think someone needs to explain to Carol what 'coastal' means 

Great view and group photo at Kennedy's Park, but aren't we meant to be at the waters edge and this is a dead end - but at least we are still smiling . . . . . . . where's Carol??

Yay finally coastal - water, rocks and scrambling across - yet another hazard - people coming the other way!!!!

Takapuna Beach we made it

Our walkers consitsted of some members of the Hospice Hobblers, Warehouse Wanderers, and Westpac Lake Rd.


We started with 16 people, lost one to shinsplints, two to hangovers and gained three when they got out of bed.  Ended up walking approximately 15km and only a part of that was along the 'coast', came to a dead end, got wet feet at Castor Bay and Milford.  We enjoyed it and will do leg 5 next week Takapuna Beach to Devonport and Carol is not in charge of tide reading!!

Don't forget visit http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/HospiceHobblers/  and help us raise funds for Hospice North Shore

Cheers everyone see you next week :-)





First team training for 2011

Well we’re into our first team training session of the new year – believe it or not it is the first time we have actually had the whole team together. Last night was actually the team fitness test…….it would be fair to say there’s a lot of room for improvement for most of us. Matthew is leading the field by a long shot (the rest of us put it down to youth) . As a team we have learnt to loath lunges and have realised that Bridgete of TomFit loves her job way too much. Matthew has become a victim of his own success, due to his advanced fitness and youth, we have put his hand up for the toughest leg of the Coastal Challenge; the 1st leg – 11km, including a couple of swims across two rivers. We know he’ll be fine With only 6 weeks to go before D-Day we know that we definitely need to be stepping up our training…watch this space