May
17
2010
So its begun – the training leading up to the Avon Descent is now in full swing…its pretty tough after a brilliant summer with long warm evenings, great surf and some very cool Collie runs on those warm, sparkly clear summer days.
The rains havent come yet, but the evenings are colder, darker and its just so much easier to stay in bed than on the river. If you can drag yourself out of bed and brave the pre-dawn river, its well worth the effort. The winds are non-existant, the boaties are all at home and the river resembles a huge mirror, reflecting the magnificient colours of dawn. Pelicans and darters streching out in the early morning mist as you glide by.
Its not all cruising though and the interval training has started and some long training runs to get used to spending long hours in the boat. The paddling is getting better, stronger and more smooth….now we just need the rain to start and the white water to start flowing.
The 1st races have started too
Bevan Dashwood Dash a 12km race in the upper reaches of the Canning, see my other post. It was a hot day – about 35 C deg – and I probably didnt need those extra beers the night before…1:40:00 not a great time – but I pushed through the pain and it was good to finish.
Next up the the John Sim Race up at the Ascot Canoe Club, another 12km race. This time on my birthday, paddled a little stronger and although I pushed a bit hard to start with – finished quiet well and got a 4th place with 1:18:00.
Last weekend competed in the Finn Paddle Challenge, 18km race. It was a great day with very little wind and a good field of 260plus boats in the race. A good race and another 4th, with an overall race time of 1:58:40.
Next up is the Double Barkers (24km) and then Northam to Toodyay (33km)…plus hopefully lots of white water and some Valley runs and some more play time in the flip stick.
Mar
10
2009
Mt Taranaki (2,518m / 8,261ft)
“Taranaki” is a Maori word born of legend and is the name of a snow-capped volcano.
The Taranaki legend
According to the Maori legend, Taranaki was one of a group of volcanoes, which includes the 1968-metre-high Tongariro, near the centre of the North Island.
Taranaki was forced to leave rather hurriedly when Tongariro caught him with the beautiful Pihanga, the volcano near Lake Taupo who was Tongariro’s lover.
Tongariro exploded in anger, spitting fire, lava and burning ash and causing the very earth to rumble and shake.
Taranaki fled to the coast, where he was stopped by the sea at Wanganui. He continued fleeing, in a new northwesterly direction, to where he now stands in majestic, if lonely, isolation.
Also known as Mt Egmont, Captain Cook named it Mount Egmont after John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont, the First Lord of the Admiralty who promoted Cook’s first voyageit is 2,518m at its peak.
It is surrounded by the Egmont National Park covering 33,534 hectares, and is the source of 50 rivers and streams, it is a botanically unique area containing a wide variety of vegetation from sub-tropical semi-coastal forests in the Kaitake Ranges through to sub-alpine herb fields at 1,800m on the main cone.
Geology
Mount Taranaki (2,518m) and Fanthams Peak (1,692m) comprise the volcano, which is the youngest of four Taranaki volcanic centres.
Paritutu and Sugar Loaf Islands/Nga Motu are a spine of lava pushed up from a volcano and have been dated to 1.75 million years.
The Kaitake Range was the next volcano to form and volcanic activity began 500,000 years ago. The Pouakai Range volcanic activity began about 250,000 years ago, and 120,000 years ago the Taranaki volcano was formed and is where nearly all volcanic activity in Taranaki has occurred since. The last evidence of volcanic activity on the mountain occurred around 1755, more than 250 years ago
http://www.mttaranaki.co.nz/
The Satelite View
Mt Taranaki – Evening Light
