New Year's Eve Exercise to eat

Dense growth on lower slopes

From Urquharts Bay there are some good walks of varying length and effort required in the Bream Head Scenic Reserve, quoted as one of the top 20 reserves in NZ. Not sure how you rate a reserve but that's what the literature says.

View from Mt Lion

Sandy upper slopes

We're fit(tish), young(ish) and ready to try out our new Teva walking sandals so we opted for a moderately difficult trail to the top of Mt Lion for views over Bream Head. First we missed the turn off and ended up on Smugglers beach with the sunbathers and fishermen, back track back up the hill and there was the concealed signpost pointing up hill. It was quite a climb; an hour of constant stepping up, first through dry gorse and spindly trees then when we got onto the ridge the foliage changed to rain forest ferns, bromeliads and dense undergrowth. Above us there were Kakas, brown parrots, chuckling and laughing. The top of Mt Lion is 398m above sea level and is marked as a look out point except the trees had grown tall and I had to find a big rock to glimpse the sea below.

The tramp down hill was much quicker and we then did a circuit of Bream Head as a cool down. Feeling righteous of the last day of the year and sore of foot where my new Tevas had rubbed we repaired back to Jackster for an end of year feast. More baked salmon and prawns and as a special treat for David, a trifle. I think it's the first one I've ever made and David's first taste in 3 years. I like to spoil him.

Smugglers bay

We watched a film then I went to bed setting the alarm to wake up at 11.50pm. There were a few fireworks let off from the beach and a few at the houses around otherwise 2010 slipped into 2011 quite quietly. Happy New Year.