COMMENT: One of my special joys is my morning walk up Mauao. I like going up pre-dawn and then catching the sunrise. I've seen it hundreds of times now but the way the sun explodes out of the eastern sea never fails to make me do a mental Aaaah!
Trudging up the 4WD track – I can't do the stairs because of my dickey knee – and having a ruru encounter is also something special. There are a pair of the birds on the western side that call to each other and if they are not both in those trees one or them is often across the channel on Matakana Island.
The other bird encounter joy comes from the tui with sleepy chuckles and warbles at that time of the morning. Tui have two voice boxes which is what gives them that amazing range of notes. Sometimes they sing songs which quiver in the darkness like the notes you sometimes get from striking a crystal glass. Vibrant and pure. Sometimes you meet noisy kaka – I think they fly across from Tuhua (Mayor Island).
The hike up the hill can tell you a lot about the human condition; I learn a lot from the people I meet, and it is a game that I play to distract me from the calves and thigh muscles burn.
The first thing you notice is that there is a general camaraderie amongst the early morning hikoi people. This is my group. I'm guessing that like me they are doing it for fitness and health, often in pairs, gossiping away in the half light. Many of them have become my acquaintances and we greet each other with warmth. Kia ora, morena or good morning greetings are given and reciprocated. Mostly. Some grumpy, joyless souls might respond with a grunt if you're lucky.