Life at No.22, Snapshots of Tauranga, Walks

Snapshots of Tauranga #62 – Hopukiore Reserve

Suzanne

We head over the bridge to where Mauao stands, though my destination that day was along the road; further on, another mountain by name, not stature, and very much smaller. Hopukiore Reserve (Mt Drury), like Mauao, has many stories to share, with a few old, large pohutukawa trees standing proudly and offering a scenic backdrop I appreciated during my walk.

Heading up, I fell in love again with our pohutukawa tree

Like many locals, I miss a decent climb, as we still have no access to Mauao; we either have to drive further over to Papamoa Hills, go out of town, or do a few climbs on a much smaller dirt mound. To be precise, some of us use what is available, and that means I needed to go up Mt Drury 8 times. That day, I did it twice, with a 10km walk along the beach and esplanade. Just enough to deserve a sit down and a coffee before heading home. I get to relax for a couple of hours because a couple of lads come over and spend time visiting Les. Those hours are treasured.

On top, with a peek of Mauao through and over the Pohutukawa trees.
Hopukiore Reserve, behind the beautiful mural on a building, that is a pleasure to visit.

Across the road from Hopukiore Reserve (Mt Drury) is, of course, the beach and the walk along the esplanade is lovely, with the sounds of the sea quietly massaging and hugging my brain; the waves come in gently to shore, and there were people in small groups now and again who would pass alongside me as we all strolled along the beach.

A walkway without sand between your toes or perhaps you prefer a sandy playground?

It was quieter than normal, and I appreciated the lack of humans, as I had mostly the beach to myself and my thoughts. Luckily, I love my own company, and some good conversations are had most days, who would’ve thought. Lately I’ve found solitude calming, even restorative and definitely helpful in keeping my head above water and fine-tuning my patience, dreaming of our shared travels and the possibilities in my future. Did you know waves can dull the urge to scream at the blardy universe?

I made this video to help Les when he needs extra support to relax at night.

As always, it’s liberating to feel the sea breeze caress my cheeks; I can nearly smell the summer warmth, though the unpredictable weather tells me that Spring is still clutching the skirt tails of winter.

Then, nearing the end of my walk, I noticed that there were enough shells on the beach to decorate a sandcastle, I thought, as I kept going off the sand to the boardwalk. It was just so good to be out and about, observing life with no agenda other than absorbing nature and just being there with no questions to answer, no wondering looks from well-intentioned lovelies.

Which brings me to a word that most times I find irritating and one I find I use way too often. It must be the most undescriptive word in the English dictionary. So I’ll leave you this week with the best definition of fine I have read so far and one that made me smile;

Fucking
Irritated
Not
Explaining

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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

20 thoughts on “Snapshots of Tauranga #62 – Hopukiore Reserve”

    1. It is a lovely walk, Anabel and one on repeat at the moment. That definition resonated with me, as I always thought people sounded irritated when they said they were “fine”. I need a bit of lightheartedness right now.

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  2. Just “observing life with no agenda other than absorbing nature and just being there” sounds perfect to me Suzanne.

    And I think you’re entitled to feel just FINE Suzanne. I enjoyed walking with you this morning and this description of this overused word made me smile too. Take care and have a good day. xx

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  5. Those Pohutukawa trees are beautiful – I’d not heard of nor seen them before. I’m glad Les has visitors so you can time for yourself like this, and I agree with what you say about waves and the sound of the sea – very restorative.

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    1. Sarah, I’m sure you will be in your element capturing trees and other scenic vistas when you visit NZ. We are a photographer’s paradise; am I selling it? 😉 Basketball this morning, so that always boosts my reserves.

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  6. A fine [sic] walk with you today and there really is nothing better than listening to the waves roll in for clearing the mind and resetting the batteries. Something I am in urgent need of doing, if it wasn’t for the blardy foot injury.

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    1. Jude, are you going to a physio? Might help the healing? I’m sure it will come right soon, fingers crossed. Back to basketball this morning and that always cheers me up 🙂 I love beach walks and it was something that we both enjoyed doing no matter what the weather was doing.

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