Ah, a rest day! Feeling a bit worn out with the early mornings and late nights, coupled with more physical activity than I have done in a long time, so this rest day was well timed. I wasn’t able to sleep in, so I sat under the trees and enjoyed the sunrise (and some free internet access).

Fish and chips for four. The fish was a bit tough, and Jane promised me the real thing once we were back in Hastings.

The leftovers before Callum arrived back from his run.

In the afternoon, we drove out to tomorrow’s event site to setup.  The heavy winds, promised for yesterday, were in full force today, so we dumped off the trailer but that was all.

Callum enjoying some down time.

A baby hedgehog. I was advised that they were disease carriers, otherwise I would have picked it up for closer inspection.

World Cup Sprint Final followed by the Oceania Carnival Sprint in Wellington.

A great atmosphere with the spectators sitting on the built in bleachers facing the cricket pitch.

A hot day, and with a 4 pm start, I was suffering a bit in the heat. Thank goodness Jane was able to drive me to the start, otherwise, I would have been done before I got there. It was a long, uphill slog on pavement in direct sun. This wasn’t the last time that Jane drove me to the start during the events, and it was much appreciated each and every time.

Terrain description: Parkland, playing fields and detailed school buildings.

First three controls in the woods, and then the rest were around the buildings. Lost a couple of minutes to 1, and then poor route choice/error to 4 and 10. Otherwise, I enjoyed running around the buildings and wished I were in better shape.

Race stats: 1.6 km, 40 m climb, 15 controls
Garmin distance: 1.71 miles with ? m climb
Place: 21/27
Time: 29:25
Time lost: 3:38 minutes
Time per km: 17:54

After packing up, Jane drove me to Mount Victoria for a panoramic view of the city.

Then it was off to the Acorn Estate Motel in Masterton.

We pulled into a new motel last night in Johnsonville, just outside of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

It took about an hour to get all of the sand out of my clothes. The antenna pole made for a fine drying rack.

No races for me today, though you wouldn’t exactly call it a rest day. This morning, it was off to the Parliament grounds for the WC Sprint Qualifying races.

We set up in the pedestrian underpass but saw little action for the results screens,

since the real action was outside. It was good practice for tomorrow though.

(Courtesy of P. Herries.)

Here is the map from the second part of the women’s qualifier.

Besides unloading, setting up, and loading up again, I took a few trips down the hill to the facilities, so I’ll call that my hill workout for the day.

Today was the World Cup Middle Distance event followed by the Oceania Middle Distance Champs, so another early start to the day. Nice and quiet at this time of the day.

Monitors set up..

and tweaking things on the computer.

Magnus and Rob setting up the finish.

The country flags.

The SportIdent team, led by Rolf.

The large screen, part of the audio/visual package provided by (another) Phil. He had never been to an orienteering event, but he caught on quickly.

There was a great spectator area, though it was too bad that the spectator control wasn’t actually out in the open.

Canadian, Carol Ross finishing the middle distance.

USA’s Matt Scott running towards the finish.

The WC arena was wonderful with lots of open, flat area for the set up and spectating. Rick W. (USA) watching the action in the foreground.

Unfortunately, the start and finish area for the open races later on were across the river, so the action was more spread out. This allowed for some quiet time to refuel, and figure out was was wrong with the keyboard.

Terrain description: Complex Sand Dune terrain, including open dunes, both sandy and covered in marram grass and/or lupin, macrocarpa and radiata pine forest. Some areas of very intricate contour detail.

I missed my start and ended up going out near the end of the start window at 16:50.

Just a handful of W18 left besides me.

The start triangle

The first seven controls were in the sand dunes, and while I found #1 easily enough, I totally hosed #2, including having to make a steep ascent back up a dune to make matters worse. I pretty much was covered with sand by this time.

A torturous climb

Settled down for a few controls, and then had a mini adventure finding #7. At that point, I decided that I had sand everywhere already, so why not take a dip into the sea, and so I did.

Not wanting the news reports to talk about how I drowned while on an orienteering course, I only went in up to my hips and then let the waves splash up on me.

Post swim

Feeling refreshed, I headed off to complete the rest of the course. Unfortunately, I could not find #9, even though I tried to relocate from #10. Since it was getting close to the course closing time, I headed back in. I considered swimming across the river north of #12, but I sunk up to my knees in mud, so I abandoned that plan.

Failed to find all of the controls, but I gave myself a passing grade on the having fun part, finishing with a big smile on my face.

I have to admit that I was a bit smug when I saw the course distances for the events. I was relieved they were so short and with minimal climb, and I figured that I could finish that distance each day, even if I wasn’t in top shape. Little did I know how the terrain would kick my butt each day!

Race stats: 1.9 km, 70 m climb, 12 controls
Garmin distance: 2.95 miles with 5 m climb
Place: MP
Time: 1:20:53 including walk to download
Time lost: 5 minutes to take a dip in the Tasman Sea, ~10 more at controls 1 & 7.
Time per km: n/a

I believe this is my favorite sequence of pictures – Jane, enjoying a hop and a skip.

OK, I am pretty sure I was mocked when I broke out the camera to take pictures of the milk cows crossing (blocking) the road on the way to the meet, but, hey, I can live with that.

The tent setup.

The frog pond at the Finish.

Me, showing the run in to the Finish, and practicing not falling in when I finish later for real. There was speculation on whether someone (me) would end up in the pond.

Tim, whom I traveled with as well, getting the video camera set up.

The event director, burying cable.

Phillip and Tim consulting.

Tim’s daughter, Sarah, who was there for the weekend events, but had to work the week in between.  She was missed when she wasn’t there, and not just for the fact that she was another set of hands.

Two Junior Girls finishing strong – note the extra arm on the right.

And, the two girls separated.

The Live Results – looking great!

Terrain description: Generally fast open mature pine forest on flat to rolling sand dunes. There is a coastal strip of macrocarpa trees (low visibility), and coastal dunes with mixed vegetation and variable runability, but good visibility. Parts of the forest were used for filming Ogiliath Wood scenes for the ‘Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003).

Traded in the Moscow compass from yesterday for a Silva. I am used to the angle of the Silva. Didn’t drift to the right as much today, and the error to 6 was because I went into the area with no real plan – well, I had a plan – just not a good one since the plan was that I would surely find the control someway, somehow. I knew that 8-11 would be tough, and I didn’t give it enough respect and paid the price from 9-10 – I had no real plan which = Bad plan!! I eventually found a control, which was not mine and was additionally on the ground about 2 feet away from the control stand. Since I was not in the money, I stopped and removed my headband and secured the control to the stand. I found my control soon after, in much denser woods then I expected it to be, and finished strong after that. Tore around the finish on the inside lane, passing at least one, an maybe two other ladies, and I didn’t even come close to falling into the water! Later on, I retrieved my headband from the control collectors, and it would be used for good on another day…

Race stats: 3.7 km, 35 m climb, 12 controls
Garmin distance: 3.57 miles with 3 m climb
Place: 25/28
Time: 1:15:01
Time lost: 14:24 minutes
Time per km: 20:22

At the end of the day, we showed that the monitor stand could be dismantled in about 90 seconds. Very cool!

On the road to the event site early. I don’t remember the time each day, but it was usually between 5 and 6 AM. I really enjoyed the quiet time at the event site each day before the crowd showed up.

Once on site each day, the trailer was unloaded, the master radio was set up and Phillip would go put the radio controls out, while the rest of us would get the computers and monitors set up. Then the tweaking would begin.

Not many pictures from the first day. The 1st and 4th are courtesy of P. Herries.

Terrain description: generally fast open mature pine forest on flat to rolling sand dunes. There are some large open clearings plus some areas of marshes which can vary in runnability.

I started out poorly, not in tune with the map scale, and drifting to the right. Found 2 before 1, then navigated well from 2 to 1 and back to 2 again. Drifted to the right going to 4, so purposely adjusted when going from 9-10. Happy to quickly recognize where I was on the trail between 9 and 10, and was fairly clean the rest of the way. Really pleased with this effort, considering the few advanced events I have done in the last year. Also glad that I went with W55 and not W50.

Race stats: 4.9 km, 45 m climb, 14 controls
Garmin distance: 3.91 miles with 11 m climb
Place 21/27
Time 1:15:43
Time lost: 6:42 minutes
Time per km: 15:27

A long day after breaking down the live results setup and moving it to the site for the next day.  However, so happy to be traveling with such a fine group of people.

From here, we drove to the Welcome Inn Motel in Levin.

Second, and last day in Napier, not that I spent much time in the Marineland Motel or Napier…but, the little I spent at the motel was very nice.

Today, the run/walk started from the motel in the opposite direction from yesterday, sometime after 6 AM.  I didn’t sleep as well last night as I had the night before, so an earlier start was no problem.  Seriously, I just looked at the map of my route.  I really need to be a little more aware of where I am!  I had no idea that I was so close to the Napier Airport until I viewed the route later.

Struggled a bit more today. Had to change the walk to longer. Moving time was 60 minutes, 4.2 miles, with lots of time for picture breaks.

Because, today, I remembered my camera. However, it would not power on…a bit into the “run” I decided to check it again and discovered that the battery wasn’t locked in, so I fixed that, and I was in business.

Some pictures of the bigger water (Hawke’s Bay/Port of Napier?), as well as some of the pretty little gardens along the way, which were mostly made from materials reclaimed from the beach.

And, then a twofer – a New Zealand Christmas Bush and a bathroom (those who know me well, know why this has been noted here).

And, the bathroom building from the front:

And, a final look at the fine view…

Jane picked me up a bit before 9, and we headed back to load up the trailer and head off to the first event.

Tim resting with a “V” – a horrible tasting equivalent of Red Bull.  The monitor stand is on the right side of the trailer, the main piece behind the white tables, and the legs sticking out next to the table.  Would fit in the O’Mobile easy.

Callum, Tim and Phillip:

Phillip: pleased that it is all coming together after many months/years of hard work?

After the trailer was loaded, we all hit the road. The estimated time of departure was 11 AM, and I would not have been shocked if we had departed a couple of hours later then that, based on how long it takes me to load up. Glad I didn’t place a bet…we were on the road just a minute or two after 11. First we drove into Hastings proper to purchase a color printer to replace the dead one on hand. After what seemed like forever, in this small business about the quarter of the smallest Best Buy, the employee found the requested item, and then Phillip and I were back on the road.

Route 2 South to Woodville, then over to Palmeston North, and then Fielding where the event center was. Hit the Subway on the way. Sorry, Roger. Picked up my packet and a southern hemisphere compass for NZ$95.

Then it was off to the meet site to set up for tomorrow. Setup included putting up the monitor stand and the antenna.

Off to the hotel in Fielding for one night after that.

Slept fairly well last night but was up before the sun.

Jane had pointed out that there was a trail around the marshy area near the motel, so I headed out there a little after 7 for a run, walk, or whatever combination of the two felt right. I set the watch for 2 run/1 walk and did that for 25 minutes, and then I switched to 1 run/2 walk for a bit, and walked the last part.

Time = 55:50. Distance = 4.41 miles.

There were a number of swimmers doing laps in the water by the 4 mile mark, and then later they were running on the trail as I was returning. Triathlon is big in the area.

Surprised at how hot the sun felt near the end, and it brought home to me Jane’s cautioning on the strength of the sun in the area.

Content to go back to the Herries’ homestead afterward to implement my sunburn prevention plan – working on the radio control/results stuff indoors for the rest of the day.

So, I built the first seven events in the O-Lynx software. Also, I was privileged to see the monitor (TV) stand setup in action for the first time.  The monitor stand would be a talking point many times over the next two weeks.  It goes up with no tools assembly, with dowels to hold it together.

After another excellent day, and a home cooked tea in my belly, I returned to my hotel in Napier.

It was sort of strange to miss New Year’s Eve. Since crossing the International Dateline happened during the night, there wasn’t a celebration of any kind.

After landing in Auckland early, clearing customs easily, and making my way to the local terminal, I had ~4 hours to wait and worry about getting on a plane of this size:

I shouldn’t have worried. The plane felt really solid, and it was a pleasure to be able to see the country so clearly from above.

After landing, we were greeted outside by the flight attendant wearing these glasses. She didn’t want her picture taken in the goofy glasses, but I did. Happy New Year!!

I was a bit scattered leading up to this trip, and I dropped the ball when it came to confirming how I was getting from the airport to my hotel in Napier. I figured, if nothing else, I would get a taxi, which turns out may not have even been possible because of the holiday. But, no worries. I was greeted by Jane, holding an orienteering flag at the gate and driven to my hotel. Jane also provided this awesome fruit basket! The cherries were huge and so delicious, as was the rest of the fruit. Thank you, Jane!

After showering, Jane drove me to her home in Hastings, and I met the rest of the family – Phillip, and their children, Catherine and Callum. I hung out there the rest of the day and was fed an excellent dinner (tea). A run to the grocery store for a supply of diet coke was taken care of as well.

Started the long trip to New Zealand today!

The decision to go to New Zealand was made pretty quickly, especially for a heavy thinker like myself. At the end of October, I decided that I could exercise without pain for the first time in over a year, and though I wasn’t going to be in great shape, I wanted to go to New Zealand for the Oceania Carnival and Sprint the Bay.

Not wanting to drive myself around New Zealand, as the events were over a good part of the north island, I emailed Phillip and asked if there was room for me to travel with the O-Lynx crew. I had met Phillip online about a year ago after purchasing the O-Lynx radio controls and results display software he created. We used O-Lynx fairly successfully at the North American Orienteering Championships in October 2012, and this would be the same technology used at the New Zealand events for the Live Results.

I was grateful that Phillip and his wife, Jane, were able to accommodate me, with the extra bonus of having the housing arrangements made as well.

So, with the travel details out of the way, I just needed to get through getting the office sorted (trained a temporary employee) and the holiday season. The time flew by, and departure day was upon me.

Extremely nervous about how I would handle the long flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, but it turned out the flight from Dullas to LA was more stressful since the plane was changed, and I ended up in an inside seat. Also, there wasn’t much time between the two flights, so I had to hustle to get between the domestic and international terminals, clearing security and getting to the gate just in time. Whew!

For the flight to Auckland, I had the two seats in my row to myself, but I was unable to get much sleep during the ~12 hour flight – only about 2×15 minutes. I watched 3 movies and multiple episodes of the Big Bang Theory to fill in the time.

Also, took in the view…