Tonight was a night walk with a twist. I had been waiting patiently for Manawatū Summer Shakespeare. On our walks I have been watching as their team slowly set up shop down by the river. Each time there was a little more prop and intrigue.
Tonight we headed down. It was suggested that we park at the Esplanade train station and there would be a guide to lead us down to the theatre. Through a little hole in the bushes we wend our way down through the bushes, ducking under a branch or too until we found ourselves in an enchanted forest complete with giggling fairies, fairy lights, swings, and fairy folk music. We settled in around the camp fire and waited for the night show to begin. The show was fantastic. Wonderful, animated actors, audience interaction, hilarious fun and thoughtful sets and stage. The campfire was even lit as darkness fell and kept going as part of the story. Just brilliant. 100% recommend! By the end it was very dark and the wander back up to the car was a little more difficult on the unfamiliar pathway... But it was an extremely fun night time adventure! (no photos because they all looked like a big flash of fire light. Check out the official 'gram at https://www.instagram.com/palmyshakespeare/?hl=en)
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We finally made it down to the Urban Eels.
We have been watching the project since last year and waiting for the eels to arrive for a few months. More on the project here and here. We saw a post recently mentioning the some eels had arrived and BBQ meats would be suitable to entice them out into the open. So yesterday, in the warm afternoon sun, we headed down the track to see if we could find them. We took some visiting friends down and had all fingers and toes crossed that they wouldn't leave disappointed. The track down to the eel platform is half shaded, half full sun. Sunhats and drink bottles recommended at this time of year! We were not disappointed! The meats were definitely required. Without them, I don't think we would have seen any. Our little one dropped a big hunk of meat in (rather than small bite sized bits) and it was quickly preyed upon and dragged back into the eel lair. The rest received small chunks. Once all meat was distributed and eaten, the eels all high tailed it back into their hiding spot. It was a lovely afternoon adventure. Remember There is a permanent rahui in place. Let the tuna live peacefully. Enjoy learning about these amazing creatures! How to get there Cross He Ara Kotahi Turn right. Follow the limestone track along the river (don't head left at the fork). follow the signs for Linton. The platform is about 1km down the track and there is some tuna fin sculptures and colourful bike rack to guide you. If you cross the bridge (you've gone too far)... look down and you'll see the platform in the stream on the left. Today we participated in some organised nature time!
Me and my little guy headed out for a spot of Kanga with the lovely Ally from Kangatraining Palmerston North. We started at He Ara Kotahi and briskly walked the bridge loop with our little ones in carriers and/or pushchairs. On the way we stopped to do some body weight exercises for legs and arms, and work on our balance and flexibility. Oh and pelvic floor work (very important Mamas!). Some lovely yarns with some lovely Mamas. Next we headed to the Esplanade for a splash in the paddling pool. Always a good time. Today we brought a picnic lunch but the barbeques were in constant use by other families and the cafe seemed to be doing a roaring trade. The Esplanade is a great place to start and then simply see where your children lead you. Today we stuck to the pool but the train was running, the pond full of ducks (do not feed them bread!!), Wildbase always has exciting wildlife to learn about and observe, the bush walks are lovely, the orienteering course is permanent and the playground provides many adventures. Today I thought we would head down to the Urban Eels. I checked the weather forecast - some rain was forecast, heavy and showers later in the day. I decided we were still aiming for that, we would just chuck raincoats in the buggy and reassess later on. We wandered down to the Albert St swing to swing under a tree. It was balmy, sunny and warm. We carried on around the star path (Tini whetū ki te rangi, ko Rangitāne nui ki te whenua), playing "the grey is lava" and other games. We took turns sitting on the throne chair. We almost made it to the Esplanade before it rained. Big splotchy drops. Luckily we were prepared. Jackets out, rain pants on (little one). My firstborn suggested we turn back. I pointed out that shelter and snacks were far closer. We carried on. The rain stopped as we wandered through the bush tracks making a trail toward the café. It was fully loaded so I suggested ice cream at He Ara Kotahi. I promised it wasn't far. We stopped for stand up sandwiches and meandered back down to the river pathway and along to the New Bridge. Fortunately the rain hadn't scared off Scooptruck ice cream. It was devine - 10/10 recommend! We did another weather check - both on Metservice and by looking at the sky. It wasn't looking good so we decided to do eels another day and start heading home. We walked back along the other side of the river to the Fitzherbert bridge then crossed over to the lagoon. We took a short break to finish the snacks and drink some water. We braved walking straight through the army of swans, geese and ducks. It started to rain as we passed the canoe poloists (poloists? players? something else?). I am guessing rain makes no difference to them! We rejacketed and walked home. We were pretty dry as we had our jackets and it wasn't particularly cold. It's important to remember that "there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing" (Alfred Wainwright + others!). Rain provides another kind of adventure! |
AuthorI'm Kate. I have 3 children - 2 bios and a steppie, 1 under 5 and 2 tweenagers. I am determined to spend more time outside this year and share more of Palmy's wonderful places and free play activities. Categories
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