Orlando´s Running in New Zealand |
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Since 1995 I have been offering friends to come with me for the first run
of the new year at 8 o'clock in the morning on New Year's Day! The course leads from my home to the top of Mt. Kaukau in the Wellington suburb of Khandallah and back. It is not an easy run, but considering what everybody has been through the night before, we take in VERY easy. From the start at an elevation of 190 metres above sea-level the run goes down to approximately 120 metres, only to climb up to 445 metres mainly between kilometers 4 and 5. The way back is slightly longer. The total distance is around 11 km. This year 13 friends turned up and all but one runner (who was not allowed to run on steep hills due to injury) reached the summit. |
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After half a mile on the initial down-hill section the destination of our run is visible in the distance. The transmitter mast on the hill in the background marks the summit of Mt. Kaukau.
While in the previous two years we started out with mist and low cloud, where the view would only open up once we had reached the summit, this year we had bright sunshine all the way. |
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We were very grateful to the Wellington City Council who must have heard about the anniversary of this event and had done maintenance on the upper section of the track. Where previously was a rough mountain track, we found a smooth surface and well measured steps this year. The new stile at the top end of the track turned out to be a real luxury model. |
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The traditional summit group shot high above Wellington.
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Visit the Mount Kaukau Hall of Fame. |
