THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!

Close up view of herd of horses in suburbia - Tauhara Park - Hamilton City NZ

An Easy Way to Find and Explore “Ways”

horses - Julie had no idea they were there - just 1km from where she lives in suburbia, Hamilton City, New Zealand - wide view autumnal trees and blue sky, — *^{horses – I had no idea they were there – just 1km from where I live in suburbia, Hamilton City, NZ}*

Lots of “Ways”: Walking and Cycling

I’m blessed to live in a city that has approximately 104km total, combined distance of formed and (mostly) cared for “ways” – for walking and cycling – in Hamilton City, New Zealand. They weave up, down, over and around the Waikato River and its streams. Some are paved, some wooden boardwalks, others concreted pathways. All of them are beautiful!

AllTrails App – makes finding “ways” easier

I had always thought it would be great to explore more of what Hamilton City has to offer through its “ways” – both on foot and in the saddle – walkways and cycleways.

At the beginning of the year, I considered exploring a new “way” each week. Unfortunately, that idea stayed on One Day Isle because I struggled to find detailed information about the various walkways—their locations, lengths, and “grades”.

While I could access a PDF from Hamilton City’s website, it only provided a broad overview without the specifics I wanted – like the what and where.

Eventually, I let the idea fade. From time to time I occasionally checked the website to see if any new information had been added, but it hadn’t.

Then, Tania, who works with us, introduced me to the AllTrails app. What a game changer! The app incorporates user-generated content about walkways and cycleways – how cool is that?

With this new app, I felt empowered to revive my goal of exploring Hamilton’s pathways. I hoped I wouldn’t get lost when I went out solo – because I have a Black Belt in getting lost!

Mangaiti Gully – Tauhara Park

Yesterday blessed Hamilton City with a stunning Blue Dome Day. Alan joined me on my morning walk – marking my 1,360^th consecutive day.

Walking with Alan started the day off great – however, it quickly became one I wished I could restart. Between software issues, total re-dos and endless interruptions, productivity felt like an uphill battle.

Wanting to regain my mental equilibrium, I decided some fresh air out in such a beautiful Blue Dome Day would do me good, and maybe, just maybe, I could start exploring some of the 104km of “ways” Hamilton City has to offer.

I was on my lunchbreak so didn’t have much time to indulge. I decided on the Mangaiti Gully Walkway which has many entrances – I chose the Tauhara Park entrance as there was ample carparking available on Clements Avenue.

Wow! Just a kilometre from home, I had one of one of those stop-you-in-your-tracks surprises: not just one or two horses, but an entire herd right here in suburbia! #smilingontheinside

Herd of horses with bright blue sky backdrop on a beautiful autumn day - near Tauhara Park - Hamilton City NZ — ^{Hard-to-see herd of horses against backdrop of native trees in a field on a bright blue sky backdrop on a beautiful autumn day – near Tauhara Park – Hamilton City NZ}

Spontaneously SmilingOnTheInside like this helped me – metaphorically – shake off the ankle-nipping yappy, growly, lunging dog that broke through the needs-fixing fence on the boundary of the walkway. Its owner and I had a few words. She told me her dog was protecting its property – I reminded her that her fences needed fixing and her dog was no longer on private property.

After taking a few turns, I realised my questionable orientation skills might make finding my way back “interesting”. After all, I’m not exactly known for having spatial awareness skills. Thankfully, I had activated the AllTrails app, which showed me exactly where I was and how to get home.