Now THIS is Summer Weather!

I've remarked a few times recently about how the weather has been running cool lately. High temps merely in the 70s are good for keeping our electric bill down, since it means we're running neither the heater nor the air conditioner, but they're not good for enjoying summer. ...And yes, I know technically it's not summer right now. But early June is well into the long, summer-y season of warm, sunny days we're accustomed to enjoying here in California. Now, finally, this week reality catches up with expectations. Check out this forecast screenshot from today:


THIS is what our weather ought to look like, in Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale. Sunny-vale. Not Cloudyvale. Not Cool-and-kind-rainyvale. Sunnyvale.

And note I'm not celebrating godawfully high temperatures. If I wanted simply big numbers I'd go broil my ass in Phoenix where it's pushing 110° F this week. No thanks. I'm celebrating pleasantly high temps. ...Okay, tomorrow, when it's supposed to hit 92, that will be a bit too warm. It's all those days with highs in the low to mid 80s I'm happy to see. That's what I'm paying all this money to live here for. ...Well, that and the abundant natural beauty... which is more fun to enjoy in the (pleasantly) warm sun!

Skipping Kitekite Falls, More Time for Omeru Falls

On our last full day in New Zealand was a busy one as we drove out west and north Auckland to hike some waterfalls and visit some beaches. It was one of those days where we didn't get to do everything we wanted to do. But it was also one where we enjoyed some things we hadn't planned. That's why I've remarked so many times in my travel blogs about "calling an audible": maintaining enough flexibility to shift plans in real time when something's not working as planned.

We did that a few days earlier at Tongariru National Park when we bailed out of hiking Waitonga Falls due to rain. The value in being good at the flexibility around calling an audible is that we made what might have been a negative experience of "Oh, we missed doing this hike because of rain" into a positive experience of having more time to enjoy other planned hikes like Taranaki Falls plus adding some unplanned sightseeing with those summit views and surprise waterfalls at Turoa and Whakapapa.

On our day outside of Auckland it wasn't weather that forced us to call an audible. The weather wasn't great, though ultimately it's not what stopped us. It was closures. One of our planned hikes that day was Kitekite Falls, and it turned out the road to it was closed because of construction. So what did we do? Two things. First, we spent that time trekking the black sands of Piha Beach. Second, we allowed ourselves more time to spend at our final planned stop of the day, Omeru and Waitangi Falls. And it's good we did because there were more waterfalls there than we expected!



The trail at Omeru Scenic Preserve drops down a steep hill from the parking area then crosses a bridge to a split in the track. To the left, it loops around to Waitangi Falls. To the right, it leads a short distance to a small picnic area overlooking this falls. One might think this is Omeru Falls, the namesake of the park, especially as a nicely graded track leads right to it. But it's not. Omeru Falls is actually not on any trail. It's off to the side, through the woods.



Names? We don't need no steenkin' names! We enjoyed spending time at Not-Omeru Falls, whatever its real name is.

And you know how I said Omeru Falls is off to the side, though the woods? Do you know how I know that? Uh-huh. Because we went there, because we're not afraid of a little bushwhacking. Pics of the hidden, real Omeru Falls plus Waitangi Falls coming next in this series....