It’s about time our newest family member made an appearance on the blog! A few weeks back, Andy and I decided to take advantage of a sunny winter weekend and bring the pups to one of our favorite outdoor spots, Tunnel Gully, on the far side of Upper Hutt. We grabbed lunch and hot chocolate from our go-to sandwich shop, Tricky’s, and set out for a picnic in the sunshine. Afterwards, it was time for a hike in the lush rainforest.
We’ve been here for a few Vallhund meet-ups plus walks on our own, and it’s a great spot for the dogs to explore and take a dip in the stream that skirts the path.
There were lots of great chances to pose too.
Now this is what happy dogs look like! I think Andy seems pretty pleased too…
One of the highlights of this loop, Tane’s Track, is the glorious waterfall.
We soon came upon the huge eucalyptus clearing near the base of the track up Mt Climie, filled with afternoon sunlight.
Higgs is familiar with stump photos, but Fern needed a boost for this one.
Family photo time!
On the path back, there was time for the pups to cool their bellies.
Look closely at this next one to find both sneaky Vallhunds taking in the bridge view.
Not far from Kaitoke Regional Park where Rivendell was filmed for Lord of the Rings, the forest around here is incredibly peaceful, full of filtered sunlight and birdsong. We feel so fortunate to be able to nip up here on a nice weekend in less than 30 minutes. A good walk amongst beauty like this puts everything in perspective.
Back out in the open, where we’d had our picnic, Andy and the furry kids had a good runaround. Life doesn’t get any better than this!
At the moment, we’re in lockdown while NZ manages the arrival of the Delta variant here, but hopefully we will be back to adventuring soon. Andy and I are both scheduled to get our first vaccine in a couple weeks, so things are looking good. Not too far off, we have a trip to Castlepoint planned for our two-year anniversary in October, and we’re booked in for the Kawakawa Station Walk (a multi-night trek) with friends later that month as well. Blogs galore to come. Hope everyone is keeping well. 🙂
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