First time

Listening to: Pearl Jam-Live in Verona. A few years ago Pearl Jam decided to get one up on the bootleggers and released heaps of concerts as no frills CDs. As well as meaning in all likelyhood you could pick up a recording of a concert you were at, you can also flick through them until you find a setlist you want. I bought this one because it features a cover of Split Enz' 'I Got You'. Not a great cover as Eddie can't remember all the words, but cool by the sheer fact of its existence.

Couple of firsts today:

First proper mountain biking since I bought my bike, and first foray into Makara Mountain Bike Park.

I managed to summit Makara Peak and not die in the process, which I'm quite pleased with for a first attempt.

I found the 'easy' graded entry track a lot harder than I anticipated, but I attribute this to the cold I had last week, and the fact that I am a newbie at this kind of riding. Once in the park proper I nearly took a short route back to the carpark as I had some doubts about, well everything (where I was, what I was doing, was I exceeding my ability etc).

But an easy looking road wended off into the distance......

It didn't stay easy, and I confess to stopping a few times, but eventually I reached the top, 412 metres above sea level:

I felt like grabbing my bike and triumphantly raising it above my head, victory styles, but settled for crashing on the grass for a few minutes instead.

Cellphone reception was unusually good for a hilly area. Can't imagine why.

The views were choice, made choicer by the effort expended to obtain them. Those are the Inland Kaikoura's, in the South Island by the way.

Looking north east across Karori to the harbour and Hutt Valley.

Was going down a lot easier? Yes it was, even though I made it more exciting by taking a wrong turning and ending up on a more technical track I didn't quite have the skills for.

'Twas fun.