Having made somewhat of a new years resolution to myself to see more of NZ so that I can actually be informative next time I am not in NZ and having discovered the 101 must dos for kiwis I duly set about completing one of the list while at my parents in Havelock North.
Legend has it that Te Mata peak (its proper name) is actually the body of a rather herculean Maori warrior who wanted to marry the local chiefs daughter. He was set a list of tasks to complete, the last of which was to eat a mountain. He completed all the tasks save the last, which proved a little much and he keeled over dead on the spot at the first bite. His body forms the hills which remain. From the peak you can see the giant bite mark in the hill though I think it's much more impressive when its seen from a better angle than that provided by a secondhand mobile with a fish eyes lens (but I don't have an actual camera yet) and from the plains this is the view one gets of the hills showing the now sleeping giant, Te Mata O Rongokako.
So I suppose the moral of the story is as relevant now as it was way back then: Take small bites and chew your food thoroughly before swallowing...
I myself nearly bit off more than I could chew by attempting to walk up to the top from my parents house. The lady who gave me directions from the info centre looked at me like I was crazy for even thinking about not driving up, though this may have been due the fact that it was the middle of a very hot day and there is no footpath most of the way up. This was not enough to put me off and while I hesitate to compare myself to Edmund Hillary I set off to conquer the mountain. I was successful and while very very hot managed to enjoy the view and marvel at the craziness of the guy who was attempting to mountain bike up the track I was having trouble walking. With about 20 mins to go my legs were on the verge of refusing to obey my brain and collapsing on me much in the same way as old Rongokako and had I stopped for a rest I may not have ever got going again. I did manage a smile and a wave as I walked past the info centre though and made it home just inside of four hours to a cold drink and a nice comfy couch with only 100 other things to do.
