'Sprinter' weekend holiday

This Sprinter (Winter that feels like Spring and moves really fast, ha!) has been decidedly mild in Auckland. The real Spring officially starts on Sunday here, but who cares when winter has been more than bearable? Me and a group of friends decided to make the most of the fantastic weather and spent this past weekend in Mangawhai Heads, a small beach town about an hour and a half North of Auckland. We couldn't have asked for better conditions on Saturday morning so hit the Mangawhai cliff tops pathway. It was a good 3 hours of walking up and along the cliffs, through foresty patches then venturing back along the beach and rocks. It had clouded over by the afternoon so we definitely timed our walk to perfection. I got a bit snap happy so this is a minor selection of all the photos I took.....

Right towards the end of the trail, we almost went home with a new friend....



but he eventually returned to his rightful owners.

I wore my leopard print Oh La Leggings and they were perfect: not too heavy but provided enough warmth for when the wind picked up. My top stitching on these was a bit wonky, however, the pattern hides it, I think. Luckily, the pattern also obscures the fact that this fabric is slightly see through, normally something I'd abhor in leggings.

And after all our exertions we went back to the bach for some hard earned toasted marshmallows and home-made Sangria, delicious!

If you are ever near Mangawhai I'd highly recommend giving this trail a go. It was stunningly beautiful with all the Nikau palms, Pohutukawa trees and Toi Toi bushes, and that was during Winter. I imagine in the Summer with the Pohutukawa in full bloom it would be an even better sight worth seeing!