Halloween in New Zealand

Halloween in New Zealand can be described as a sad, meek little affair.

There are two fundamental problems with Halloween in New Zealand:
1. It is summer. So it is warm, sunny, and very bright. Hard to get into the spooky mood when the kids are trick-or treating at 5:30 pm on sunny and warm evening.
2. There are very few kids who go trick-or-treating. We went through only 16 bars of chocolate.

That is why Halloween in New Zealand is slightly underwhelming. 

Mt. Matthews

A friend and I did a quick hike up Mt Matthews, the tallest peak in the Rimitaka forest park. You can read the trip report here: http://mrgilbe2.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/mukamuka-munter-lite-edition.html

That 2 1/4 hours would be all uphill. Note to hikers new to New Zealand: When the Department of Conservation warns that the hike is steep - it is steep.

That 2 1/4 hours would be all uphill. Note to hikers new to New Zealand: When the Department of Conservation warns that the hike is steep - it is steep.