Wednesday Walkers
Last week our walk took us close to the course of the Waikato River, from the Wairakei power station to the Aratiatia dam.
The stroll there and back is just the right distance for us at about 7km for the round trip.
The track is very easy walking but on this occasion we had to traverse some water-logged sections. This was no problem for those of us in boots who ploughed straight through the micro lakes, the rest of us had to teeter around the edges. This was our first morning walk of the summer season and this meant that we arrived at the dam at about 10.15am. The overflow from the 10am opening of the dam was just draining away as we arrived. Standing on the bridge, several trout could be seen way below us through the super clear water. There were dozens of them mooching about, some of them probably still getting over the shock of tumbling through the open dam gates.
Recently reported research has shown that many animals enjoy play. That is they have been shown to act in ways that, while not providing any material benefit, are just fun to do.
It is easy to believe this while watching the trout.
This was our first morning walk and was the first taken on a genuinely warm day. Our organisers had done a perfect job as always.
■ Wednesday Walkers contact number: 073773065.