Hard training on a sunny afternoon

This evening I met with three others from our peer review group. At Lokanta in Grey Lynn. Rather than go home when work finished and then almost immediately turning around to head back to the city, I went to Maungawhau (Mount Eden) for a walk. Not only is Maungawhau the closest volcanic cone to the community mental health centre where I spend afternoons, it is also the highest point in Tamaki Makarau (Auckland).

When managment of Maungawhau (publicly owned since the 19th century) was returned to the local Maori Iwi, major changes occurred. Cars and especially buses are banned from going to the top. They must park at the bottom. Walkers and cyclists (and runners) are welcome. I'm not sure whether the planned electric-powered shuttles are in action; I didn't see any.

The young woman in my photo passed me on a narrow path lower down as I walked up. When I got almost to the highest point I took the path to the north to look down on the central city, and saw her sitting on the wooden deck erected over the grassed crater rim (as visitors previously had resulted in some erosion), looking towards the city. As I turned to head towards the summit up a long series of steps, she ran past and I then recorded her excellent effort of running up all those steps.

Peer review was much less energetic, as we bent our minds towards how best to use our experience and knowledge to enhance the services for thos in most need. A good meeting.