The long weekend over Easter presented the opportunity to head up north for a little camping. Having never been north of Goat Island, I was well overdue to tour the last big chunk of New Zealand I had not seen.

Following the Twin Coast Discovery Highway in a clockwise direction, we seemed to time all the good weather and always managed to have the tent up just in time to watch the sunset, accompanied by a nice wine.

I also managed to cross off more than a few 101 tasks including a visit to Tāne Mahuta and a detour up to Cape Reinga.

Photos are up on Facebook for my connected amigos, but if I get some time, will add some to this post at a later date.

#4. Do the 'Round The Bays' run
It turned out that Sunday morning was the perfect day for a run around the bays - it felt like half of the city turned up. I managed to do it in 77 minutes - which is pretty good when you consider it took me about 40 minutes to get from the back of the queue to the actual start line. Next year I might do a little more training and try and get a more respectable sub 60 minute time!

#5. Walk the Tongariro Crossing
Tongariro is New Zealand's oldest national park and a dual World Heritage area. The Tongariro Crossing is often called the best one-day hike in New Zealand. I can understand why. The trail takes you through the breathtaking and rugged landscape of barren lava flows, emerald crater lakes and eerie volcanic steam vents. The views were spectacular and after 7 hours of hiking the sense of achievement made this one of the highlights of the year for me. (Four days later and my body is still feeling it though!)

What a great weekend it turned out to be, and a great final act for 2007. Staying in the beautiful small town of Owhango where the weather was unquestionably perfect the whole time. A night time excursion to see the glow worms, a little bit much bubbly on Saturday night, and a great breakfast at Out of the Fog cafe. Good times!

A weekend out of the big city into the Coromandel and some camping along the Pohutakawa coast allowed for the crossing off of a couple more tasks from the 101 list.

#53. Travel on the Driving Creek Railway
A narrow-gauge train ride through replanted native kauri forest, up spirals, through tunnels and along viaducts leading to a lookout complete with panoramic views over the Coromandel town and Hauraki Gulf. Very cool.

#70. Visit Cathedral Cove (Hahei)
The famous landmark of the Coromandel Peninsula - superb beach and plenty of sun.

You can see some photos from this weekend down below.

OK, It's been a while since I posted an update on my 101 list progress so here is the recent activity:

#26. Set up at least 10 useful playlists in iTunes
I've spent a fair bit of time over the last couple of months trying to organise my iTunes library. I've finally got a workable system in place based on an elaborate tagging and rating scheme I came up with. I might post some details on how you can tame you music collection if I get a spare moment.

#76. Stroll through Waikumete cemetery
Dating back to 1886, New Zealand's largest cemetery is a fascinating look back on history. The native bush setting, the many memorials (Erebus, Holocaust, Influenza and ANZAC), but especially all the names that aren't around anymore - like Cornelius, Weymouth and Boswell.

#91. Listen to at least 5 DVD commentaries
I haven't kept track of the specifics here, but I have been making a habit of tuning into the odd DVD commentary. 'A Cock and Bull Story' and 'Siones Wedding' being a couple of memorably good ones.

Film Lists
And in regard to the movie lists I'm working through (Left to see/No. on List):

#2. See the all time Top 100 Grossing Films (11/100)
#30. See Ebert's '102 Movies You Must See' (14/102)
#43. See all the European Film Award winners (10/19)
#48. See all BAFTA winning films (2/40)
#52. See the IMDB Top 50 Westerns (19/50)
#96. See all the 'Best Director' Oscar winners for the last 50 years (3/50)

So, around 50 films left to see from the current 101 List selections. I'm still making steady progress on the other key lists (IMDB 250, AFI, BFI etc.) as more of the classic older films see DVD releases. I have 158 films in my DVD Unlimited queue. At my current rate it will take at least 30-40 weeks to get through.

#84. Spend a whole day just watching DVD's
I remember last year a friend at work mentioned she spend a whole Sunday just watching DVD's, I think six in total. I recall thinking at the time a) Get a life. b) I have to try this.

Getting the formula right for a full day of film watching is critical for its success. It all about finding a balance that keeps the momentum going. There must be a Western early in the afternoon. A serious documentary in the morning when you are at your intellectual peak. Some very light comedies and fast paced action movies to pass the time quickly. Something scary and cultish to finish off with. I managed to watch a total of eight DVD's back to back - and it was the kind of mentally exhausting experience I really have no desire to repeat!

#19. Load all my CD's on to iTunes
This has turned out to be a mammoth task that I began at the start of the year and have only now completed. Now I am looking for tips on how to organise all this music. I found some great ideas at tuaw.com and David Gagne.
Did you know you can also add and manage PDF documents in iTunes?

#75. Stroll through Symonds Street cemetery
I could only afford 16 minutes worth of parking, but that was long enough to take in the eerie mood and the goths huddled under the bridge. I would have taken a photo of them but the attention might have taken away from the enjoyment they get from believing the world .. well ... doesn't pay them any attention?
Anyhow, for interested readers there is a detailed history on the Auckland City Libraries website.

One Year Anniversary
This week marks my One Year Anniversary of living in Auckland. I'm starting to think the stereotypes are correct - Aucklanders really are better than the rest of the country. Just kidding, but really - I only have good things to say about this place and how much it has changed my life.

So the reason that I haven't posted in several weeks is that I have been frantically busy planning for a four month trip around South America - leaving in 2 weeks. I'm unlikely to be updating this site during this period, but there will be one more post before I go.

So what else has been happening in the last few weeks? Three more tasks knocked off the 1001 Day Challenge:

#78. Go to a public concert in one of Auckland's parks
On Waitangi Day I found myself at Groove in the Park, the largest free music festival in the country. Well, it was free until this year when it moved to Western Springs. But it was a great venue for this event and something I would definitely go back to next year. The atmosphere was a lot like Big Day Out but with less Emos and more of the kind of people who could only afford to go to a $10 concert. Great fun!

#67. Actually read David Allen's 'Getting Things Done'
I've been operating under a GTD approach to productivity and time management since I installed Tracks around 6 months ago. It is such a comprehensive strategy to getting control of your life and it's recent rise in popularity is well deserved.

I found the book to be a bit of a chore to read in places. I'm already sold on the concept and so didn't get as much out of the extra detail that I didn't already know.

Anyhow, as a side note I'm now sporting a brand new Hipster PDA which I will also be taking on my travels to South America.

#71. Find a new dentist and go for a check up
I thought I had better get a check up before I head overseas. I arrived about ten minutes early but was quickly ushered into a chair. The dentist lady then proceeded to perform the fastest and most comprehensive checkup I have ever experienced. It turns out I'm brushing my teeth all wrong and people in movies and TV are bad role models. But after 10 minutes I got spat out the other end and felt better for the experience.

#1. Walk all 21 Regional Parks in Auckland
This was the task that prompted me to create this second 1001 Day Challenge. After walking Shakespear and Wenderholm Regional Parks in April last year I decided it would be a great way to get to know the region by walking each of the 21 Regional Parks within a year. I finished this off last weekend and managed to complete the challenge in just 9 months!

#21. Walk Waiheke Island
In order to complete Tasks #1 and #92 I had to make my first visit to Waiheke Island - and I hit the perfect day for it!

I think Waiheke basically encapsulates everything that we think is great about New Zealand. It has a laid back atmosphere, a rich and diverse culture, great beaches, walks, and areas of bush.

I hired a push bike to get around (I can't remember how many years it's been since I have ridden one) and set about doing a tour linking up Oneroa, Ostend, Rocky Bay (To walk Whakanewha Park), Onetangi Bay (Fantastic beach!), then back to Oneroa via Surfdale.

#92. See the Sculpture on the Gulf Exhibition
One of the many cultural events on Waiheke Island is the biennial outdoor sculpture exhibition, Sculpture on the Gulf. Conveniently located on the Matiatia walk just as you get off the Ferry, the exhibition is spread out along the coastline and has a stunning backdrop overlooking the Hauraki Gulf.

I've got mixed opinions about a lot of the works - personally I don't think the entrants are as strong as those I've seen from the 2005 exhibition, but a fun experience and I will be sure to return in 2009.

The exhibition runs 26 January to 11 February 2007.

Staying the night in Warkworth with a friend last weekend, I was able to see a bit more of one of my favourite little towns. I was also able to cross off a couple more tasks on my 1001 Day Project.

31. Visit Reptile Park (Ti Point)
Ti Point, just north of Warkworth, is the home of New Zealand's only dedicated Reptile Park. All kinds of creatures are on display here including Lizards (Skinks & Geckos), Tuataras, Dragons, Iguanas and even an alligator.
The native geckos were surely the main feature for me and it is surprising to learn just how many species we have in New Zealand.
The park is nicely positioned amongst native bush with views over the harbour and out to Kawau.

79. Visit Wilson's Cement Works ruins
Just south of Warkworth off State Highway One can be found the impressive historical industrial site of the Wilson Cement Works. The industry was the first "Portland" cement works in NZ and founded here in 1866 functioning until 1929. The works now lay in ruin following its use by the US army in WW2 for artiliary practice!

I've had a productive couple of weeks on the 101 List with five more tasks signed off:

#85. Go sailing in the Hauraki Gulf
Auckland is known as the City of Sails because of the popularity of sailing and water based recreation. I got my first taste of sailing with a full day out on the Hauraki Gulf with Motuihe Island as our destination. The weather held off for a great day and despite learning a few nautical terms, I think I will leave working the ropes to people who know what they are doing!

#95. Walk Motuihe Island
As mentioned above, whilst out on my sailing adventure we stopped off at Motuihe Island for a swim and a look around. In its past, Motuihe has been a quarantine station and an internment camp for Germans in World War I. The island is now administered by the Department of Conservation as a recreation reserve and has free ranging access with loose tracks linking most of the island. A great place to stop for a picnic.

#23. Find a good library and join it
I have signed up to the Remuera Library, which while it doesn't have a great selection of books, is in a really nice building and is worth a visit.

#100. Do the Mount Auckland (Atuanui) Walkway
There aren't any mountains in the Auckland region of great height, even Mt. Auckland (the tallest in the Rodney District) is only 305m. But it made for a great afternoon excursion and the reward was some stunning panoramic views over the Kaipara harbour.

Whilst along the Kaipara coast, I drove past the Te-Tuhirangi-Contour sculpture by Richard Serra. Does anyone know how you get to see this fully as it is on private land (pls. email me)?

#87. Sell my old car
When I moved up to Auckland I brought two cars up with me - I have finally gotten around to selling my "surplus to requirements" Skyline, and can now dedicate all my attention to my Alfa 147.

Best wishes for 2007!

In the time since my last post I turned 30. Upon turning 30 you have 365 days before you become 30-something.

Meanwhile, I have 78 tasks remaining in my 1001 Day Project and 848 days to completion.

#17. See fireworks launched from Skytower
I'm still catching my breath from the last 12 months, but 2007 ticked over regardless and with it the opportunity to cross off another task by seeing fireworks launched from the Skytower. A good five minutes of pyrotechnics, poorly captured by my camera. I think next time I will get a lot closer to the action.

#99. Watch the sun rise from one of Auckland's volcanic cones.
As a result of drinking 1.5 litres of Mountain Dew on Friday and making some poor beverage choices at drinks after work I had a complete inability to get some sleep to kick off the weekend. I think the full moon also played a part, but regardless, after lying in bed staring at the ceiling until 5am I decided to get up and cross off another task from the list. I headed over to Mt Hobson and made the short climb up to see the sunrise. It is my sincere belief that the awakening of Auckland on a good morning would far surpass anything crowds might have seen on Guy Fawkes night Sunday.

#88. Explore the Whatipu wilderness.
With the rest of the day ahead of me I decided to head out to Whatipu for a few hours tramping Saturday morning. Having not ventured into the outdoors for four weeks my legs were well overdue for a stretch.

Whatipu is located on the rugged west coast of Auckland and at the northern entrance to Manakau Harbour. The area is perhaps best known for some spectacular caves about 20 minutes walk along the coast. I took a look - they were pretty average, but I will return some day with a torch and perhaps complete task #54. I thought the most interesting feature here was the chorus of frogs waking up to the early morning sun.

After a bit of further exploring I took on the Kura/Omanawanui track. It was a good 4+ hours of bush walking with some steep climbs but very rewarding views over the Waitakere's and Manukau Harbour. Across to the other head of the harbour you could make out the Awhitu Lighthouse I visited last month.

The steady progress continues with three more tasks knocked off the list:

#60. Go Geocaching
I actually did this task several weeks ago but hadn't gotten around to writing it up. The sport of Geocaching is becoming relatively more well known in recent times. As described by Wikipedia:

"Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. "

A quick search on the Auckland region reveals a surprisingly large number of hidden caches - some as close as 2 minutes from my apartment. Unfortunately I was only armed with my portable in-car Navman - and it made the hunt more like a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Nonetheless, I did end up finding a cache, and at the same time discovered an interesting area of Auckland I had never been to. It's a great activity to fill an afternoon and I'll be giving it a go again in the future.

#40. Buy a new watch
I picked up a nice Russian made Vostok wrist watch off Trade Me. I'm still looking for a good rugged waterproof watch to suit my outdoor pursuits.

#89. Order three Subway subs I haven't tried
The Tuscan Chicken is out, and in comes Southern Style chicken as the new Subway promotion began this week. That's the third new new sub I have tried and it has nudged out meatball as my favourite. Long may it reign!

Another busy weekend with three more tasks knocked off the list.

#13. Go to the Otara Market.
Otara is a notable low socio-economic suburb of Manukau, the third most populous city in the country. The weekly market, held on Saturday mornings, is a culturally diverse affair - very much like the Avondale market I attended several weeks ago. The key difference I observed is that the Avondale market didn't smell like a urinal, but I'm sure it was just the day I went - and you shouldn't let that put you off.

#98. Attend the Diwali Festival
The Diwali Festival of Lights is a cultural tradition and celebration by Indian communities worldwide. The Auckland festivities this year were based at Britomart East and appeared to be well attended by the public. There was non-stop entertainment from Indian Jugglers to Bollywood Dancers. The music and traditional costumes were fantastic and the festival as a whole is a real asset to the city's culture.

#68. Try one of those DeliChoices from McDonald's
Being a big Subway fan (3+ a week) I have often wondered why I never tried McDonald's offering in this market - especially as they have been out for a couple of years now. So last week I tried the Tandoori chicken - it sounded pretty appetising. Needless to say, upon consumption it was clear that Subway's market share is not under threat from this tasteless and boring effort.

Last weekend I did two things I swore I would never to do. 1. Buy groceries at The Warehouse. 2. Buy a lemon zester.

The lemon zester was a necessity for me to complete my Limoncello task (below). The trip to the Warehouse Extra at Sylvia Park (the country's first Warehouse/Grocery combo) was simply because it was the closest of the 3 grocery stores in the mall to where I parked. I only got a basket, and I promise never to do it again!

It's good to know however, that The Warehouse thinks the first week in October is when you bring out Christmas trees and decorations. I suppose they need to clear out all the Christmas stock by the end of November in order to make room for the Easter egg displays.


Task #73: Make some Limoncello for summer.
Limoncello is a lemon liqueur originating from Italy and made primarily of Vodka, lemon rind (zest) and sugar. My brew will take around 2 months to mature, and should be ready for the New Year.
I saw in the news recently that a New Zealand company based in the Bay of Islands has started production of a local brand of Limoncello, called Lemon Z. I might need to do some comparison work.

With my brother up for the weekend it was a chance to introduce a first time visitor to the region. Among the activities we got up to, I managed to cross off a couple more tasks from the list...

#1 Walk all 21 Regional Parks in Auckland (In Progress)
Following up on last weekend's expedition, we headed up to Mahurangi to do the walk around Te Muri Beach and up to Mita Bay.

Among the varied birdlife we spotted in the environment was a pair of Kookaburras. A native to Australia that was introduced to New Zealand in the late 1800's but only those liberated to Kawau Island survived. Mahurangi's proximity to Kawau means this park is one of the few regions of the mainland where this bird can be seen (and heard!).

Mahurangi is the 13th regional park I have walked this year, with 8 remaining to complete the goal.

#11. Visit the Muriwai Gannet Colony (during nesting)
I visited Muriwai earlier in the year, but there wasn't much gannet action to be seen. This time around the colony was alive with a good many of the 1,200 pairs of adult gannets that nest every summer.

I took plenty of photos and hopefully some of these will make it into the PhotoBlog in the near future.

#27. Take an early ferry and have breakfast at Devonport
The historic seaside village of Devonport is one of the jewels in Auckland's crown. As well as a great range of cafes and restaurants, there are a variety of antique & gift shops and regular markets.
Devonport is also where all the members of my favourite NZ band, The Veils, grew up!

Plenty more action on the 1001 Day Challenge this week with three more items crossed off:

#25 Do some kayaking around the Hauraki Gulf
The highlight of the weekend would have to be the custard pie I ate on Saturday. But the second best thing was going up to Mahurangi for a full day of kayaking. We started out at Sullivans Bay and explored the region, stopping off at Big Bay and Mita Bay. The weather was merciful and it turned out to be a great day's adventure - our guide estimated we did around 20k's worth of paddling.
I haven't walked in Mahurangi Regional Park as part of Task #1's goal of walking all 22 Regional Parks in Auckland, but I can't wait as this is one of the most beautiful areas I have seen since being up here.

#63: Order 3 Wisconsin Burger's I haven't tried.
All that kayaking built up an appetite and a perfect excuse to give the Beef, Avocado and Bacon burger a try. Nice burger but doesn't compete with my favourite - Tandoori Chicken. That's the third burger I hadn't tried, and another task down!

#12 Go to the Avondale Market
Sunday was promising to be a wet one, so I took advantage of the clear morning to venture over to the Avondale Market. This is one of those "cultural experiences" that makes Auckland unique. There is a wide array of stalls from fresh fruit and vegetables to cheap imported junk and knock-off clothing and accessories. Worth a look if only to observe the diverse range of people that swarm amongst the stalls. The market is held at Avondale Racecourse every Sunday from 6am - midday.


Special mention to the AA for launching their new 101 Must Do's For Kiwis website and campaign. While many of the usual suspects are there, scattered amongst are some attractions that probably don't get enough attention. The site is well designed (try the interactive map) and the biggest shame is that they stopped at 101 "must do's" - there is potential for this to expand into a more complete guide.

#42: Devise a better way to store all my passwords
I have now implemented a solution for storing and managing passwords and personal access information. See the Mac Corner section for more details.

#89 Order three Subway subs I haven't tried
I tried the new Tuscan Chicken Subway sandwich. Fire-roasted red onions and red and green peppers with a mix of basil, garlic, oregano, red bell pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. Not bad. Very different to anything they have produced in the past.

Two more items completed from the list this week:

#82: Go skiing or snowboarding at Whakapapa
Mt Ruapehu is the country's largest skiing area. Having only been skiing once in my life (15 years ago) I was unsure how the experience would play out. The intention was to give snowboarding a try, but upon arrival at the counter they had just handled out the last one. That may have been fortuitous, because I had a fantastic time negotiating the slopes on skis and the day just flew by! I'm certainly up for another trip, perhaps at a less busy time - and after I have had some boarding practice at Snow Planet.

#33: Visit Workman's Cafe in Matamata
Back from my skiing weekend I took a diversion through Matamata to visit the Cafe recently judged best in the country in the annual Best Cafe Awards.

"Workman’s, one of the most written-about cafes in the country, has often been described as “bizarre” because the owner’s coffin, its exterior painted with a grey suit and black tie, is a prominent part of the décor? Lots of mirrors from the 1950s decorate one wall, hundreds of postcards from traveling customers decorate another, a line of freestanding ashtrays a few decades old are lined up in the second dining area, opposite Sid Workman’s coffin and also facing the graveyard of “old trannies”, those miniature transistor radios we used to listen to in years gone by."

I was in Christchurch last week, which explains the absense of my now regular Wednesday postings.

The new blog format is working great and with the beginning of my Upcoming Films section this week, I can now cross off task #59 - "Start a list of "must see" upcoming films".

Living in New Zealand it can sometimes take months from when I hear about a film to when it reaches cinemas here. Films are frequently released on DVD in the US at the same time they arrive in theatres here. The idea behind the Upcoming Films section is to create a reminder list of films I hear about and want to see. Some of these may already be released, others are still in production.

My goal of having seen at least half of Stephen Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" was unexpectedly completed when I discovered I have already seen 562 of them. I'm working on loading in all the new film lists I'm doing and these should be up in a couple of weeks.

My attempt at Task #66, find a good Chinese takeaway in my area, was thwarted at lunch when I was served up a sad looking sweet and sour pork. The hunt continues.

In other news, early rumors for Big Day Out 2007 are suggesting Red Hot Chili Peppers to headline, with Muse, Tool, Foo Fighters, Audioslave and Bloc Party also hinted at.

The first item completed on the 1001 Day Challenge is #80 - 'Install Tracks and use it to manage my tasks'. I have been fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology for some time now and have been running a paper based version to good effect.

"GTD rests on the principle that a person needs to move tasks out of their mind and get them recorded somewhere. That way, the mind is freed from the job of remembering everything that needs to be done, and can concentrate fully on actually performing those tasks." (Wiki)

Tracks is an application that makes managing all the lists of tasks, projects and contexts in your life easy and fun. However, despite what would appear to be very clear instructions on how to install the application - it ended up taking half a day of head scratching before it kicked into life on my Mac. Nevertheless I have emptied all the activities floating around in my brain into it, including all my 101 tasks, and have successfully been managing things for the last week. It's a well built application with an immense amount of potential and look forward to watching it develop further.

I have officially started my second list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. The list is heavily loaded with Auckland based activities and plenty of challenges to get me outdoors.

Included are a few items from my last list that didn't get achieved, and a number that did but I would like to do again. I have added #101 to make an interesting financial incentive to complete as many as possible.

This time around I have also added what I'm calling the '11 Alternatives'. This is a list of 11 additional tasks which, if any are done, can be substituted for any items on the main 101 list. This list has things that I would really like to do, but for various reasons aren't sure I'll be able to fit into the time available. It's basically a lifeline to aid in completion of the list in the event one of the core 101 cannot be completed.