I’ve been fortunate to have run or walk over the Auckland Harbour Bridge quite a few times. If you complete five of either the Marathon or Half Marathon in the Auckland Marathon you can become a “Roadster” with your own permanent number. I got mine quite a few years ago when I was running marathons, and although I stopped running back in 2016, I still get to use the number (and the creds that go with it!), for a walk of the half marathon.
I’d last done it in January 2022 which was technically the 2021 event, delayed from the Covid Lockdown. Once again it was on my own this time. A little over 3 hours, stopping only briefly for shoelaces and a toilet stop, for some reason it didn’t feel too hard actually (the days after were another story – see below). We know that athletes (I mean real ones, not Sunday strollers like me) step up on the day and create results at big occasions they couldn’t do in training. Maybe it’s the stopping at lights, or just the general lack of vibe, but I really struggle to get my walking pace below 10 mins/km.
But halfway into the “half” I’m sitting below nine. Somehow. I’m still not really sure how, but there’s definitely something for me about stepping up on the day, no actual pressure, focussing, and micro competitions with those around me (including slow runners!). Then realising that I was heading for a personal walking best of the half there was no stopping me.
No, I didn’t retain the sub 9 minutes for all the distance (see below), but it felt great.
I’m honestly happier than I look!
Part of my journey to be able to finish a semi-decent Sunday walk has been post 2020 surgery on my leg and then getting a involved in Sarcoma support through the Sarcoma Foundation NZ, so I’m looking forward to another (much shorter) Sunday walk at Round the Bays in March. You should think about coming along if you’re in Tamaki Makaurau.
About that blister: I put some heavy bandaids on on bits of my feet, but missed the ball of my right foot! Ouch! But it’s nearly right, although taping and soft shoes have been required.
Everyone smiles after an event like this. And 007 has asked to be in my next post on Friday.
Relax, flow, edge, some pain, enjoy. All the leadership you need on a Sunday Walk.
Have you ever tried to have a house built to live it? Don’t! Well maybe.
Anyway, not without some serious reflection on it. I signed up to buy my little bit of paradise in the countryside in mid-2017 and took possession in 2018. I didn’t intend to build straightaway – in fact I wanted to sell my existing home first – which I did at the end of 2019. Concept drawings were done quite early, and looking at them now, they were quite close to what I ended up with. But not before I went all Grand Designs and had an enormous house – far too big for me – designed and priced. The pricing helped to bring a dose of reality and it was back to the original drawings. Modernist, capturing the schoolhouse that once stood on the sight, and looking out to the coast in the distance. Construction started three years ago today.
Concept to drawings that are able to be priced and then get through a Consenting process was a new world for me. Aside from ensuring a guest toilet and laundry were included not much changed in the concept to the ultimate design. Have you heard that Council is quite particular in granting consent? I had, but actually, my experience was that they are rules-based and when the drawings didn’t meet the rules, they pointed it out. That took ages. Pricing was challenging but eventually I was introduced to a project manager who had found a good builder – well sort of – he was actually a project manager himself, but on inspecting his other efforts and speaking to a client he got the tick. Most important thing I did at this stage? Had the contract reviewed by a deals person. Saved me a lot of grief (and money), but more on that later.
In amongst this I grew a tumour in my leg so things got put on hold for a bit. Everyone expressed sympathy (unlucky bugger they thought!) and committed to see the thing through, especially in my limping, crutches state. But the tumour provided clarity: if not now, when?
A building consent was issued. I was still hobbling a bit, but it was up to the land and sit around it for an afternoon, with some pegs and rope to actually look at the position. It didn’t feel right. And it wasn’t. Looking back at the original drawing and a penned outline I’d done on a scrap of paper using my phone compass the building had been swivelled away from the view. Not sure even now how that happened. But it did and it meant a new building consent and waiting until two weeks before the Auckland lockdown of August 2021 to start. Of course no one knew that the six week lockdown was coming, but it was a justifiable excuse for not meeting the December 2021 deadline for practical completion.
Small detail – you should have a ground survey done before building, especially on a hill. Stepping out from the veranda onto ground level pavers turned out to be a two metre drop. More plans and an expensive deck.
If you don’t want to lose money if it all goes wrong, don’t let the builder claim for construction items not on site. If you do, you’re their banker and holding a lot of risk. The value of that contract review can’t be understated. On the only two occasions I relented and permitted payment for items off-site, it went wrong, but fortunately it was at a stage where it didn’t have significant financial implications. First time were the windows – I agreed to pay the 50% deposit for their manufacture on the basis that I could take them over if there was an insolvency event. However, after payment was made the builder didn’t order them at all, rather they held the deposit and in the end the delay caused many other delays – timing is everything and something project managers know – or should know. The second time was a payment for electronics I had selected from a supplier. Fully paid to the builder, so they could be picked up. Eight weeks later the ominous email “Hi Stephen, are you actually wanting this gear, we’ve not received payment”. An administrative error I was told.
More detailed design was required on the way for various enhancements and clarifications.
Quite a few things got forgotten – a handrail for the stairs – even the Council Inspector missed it, but Mum didn’t on her first visit! Drainage according to plans, and plans with drainage that grappled with the actual land levels. Getting a building consent for the large deck! And weird stuff happened – some guttering came off during Cyclone Gabrielle and it was quickly established that it was due to the wrong clips. Builder’s response: “The shop said they’d be ok!” and “Claim insurance”.
Some things were a more sinister – subcontractors asking me to be paid. Ouch. A review of claims and payments over the first 6 or 7 months (by which time it was supposed to be long finished), uncovered errors in the claims meaning I had paid $40k more than I should have. More administrative errors.
Practical completion in November 2022, which was really “non-completion but here’s a form”, was pushed through to enable me to use the new house for a special birthday celebration. A couple of weeks later I had to bail to allow scaffolding to be installed in the entrance way so painting could be completed.
At the three year mark today since the commencement of construction it’s almost done. I’ve been living there off and on and two projects remain – a small capping on top of an external wall, and my gate entrance way, both underway this month (I hope).
There’s been some nastiness too. After the Cyclone Gabrielle damage, completion stalled, and the implications that subcontractors hadn’t been paid started to play out. I was said to be the cause of that. One went bust and I’ve had to redo some substantial works as a result, and the builder went into liquidation too. There’s been letters demanding additional payments and replies that have carefully explained the reality, but I still exist in “will they have a crack again” zone.
I just finished Sam Neil’s autobiography Did I ever tell you this?, written during his cancer treatment and he expresses the satisfaction of building something special, that’s there for good. I get that, and despite it all, I’m really happy I did it, and dare I say it, I’d do it again. Seems a waste of experience to not use it!
Stephen
*Skyfall reflects the view out over the Tasman, especially at sunset. And I’m a big James Bond fan!
In endeavours to obtain a Code Compliance Certificate for my house, men spent time in January under my deck reshaping the ground and applying hard fill to comply with the requirements of the Building Consent. It was a week of those 28 degree days, full sun, and not a lot of breeze. All I could do was supply them with water and a few Coke Zeros, although they looked like a hit of sugar might not have been a bad thing with the heat and exertion.
I felt slightly guilty asking that the soil removed was placed some distance away near my burn pile. But I was paying by the hour I told myself as I supplied more fluids!
During that same week I had some students via Student Job Search (SJS), clearing grass and weeds and further developing my small bush walk. When I purchased the site where I recently built I hadn’t realised that an area of bush, north of what appeared to be the boundary fence, was in fact part of the property. It was overgrown with bramble, but on investigation I could see that it contained a number of choice natives – flax, cabbage, Nikau, Totara, along with Manuka and Coprosma.
I had an extended break over summer – refresh leave which was once called a sabbatical – most of which I spent at my rural property. A notebook I keep of activity on the property lists 25 mini projects under the heading “Summer 23-24 – SJS Tasks” including estimated and actual time involved. Learning: most things took two to three times as long as estimated. For example “1. Clear around Septic Tank” the estimate was two people for 2 hours. Actual time two people, 8 hours. I got stuck in too, both before the students started, during, and after. The during bit was the best. Energetic young men, mostly half my age, who seemed to be able to just keep on going forever, making progress that I could only dream of on my own. Keeping time records of projects was very instructive for future maintenance. It also brought home some home truths. How did I take six hours to lay five railway sleepers to create a small path?! Amateur with a spirit level.
Back in 2020 when I had portion of my right quadricep cut out I was told I wouldn’t ever walk up the local Maunga without assistance. That was proven to be incorrect, but I haven’t felt the same strength – nothing in particular – just not as strong as I once was.
Labouring helped a lot. It hurt, but it hurt less as the days and weeks went on and after a while I realised I was feeling stronger again. More confident to lift, move, dig. With that brings freedom of choice and confidence that a larger rural property is manageable without having to pay for everything to be done.
Building and retaining muscle is incredibly important as we get older and in world where mental resilience and fitness is emphasised it’s been a big learning for me. A true sabbatical and if you need a tree planted, I could be your guy!
The reward of having my own native walk has been big. I find myself in there all the time – transplanting baby Totara, weeding by hand, clipping to keep the path clear and just really enjoying my very own forest walk.
It’s a year ago today that a state of emergency was declared for Cyclone Gabrielle. I wasn’t unscathed but relatively speaking got off lightly. As I type I can see a large Manuka tree in my bush, that was cut off at about the 8 metre mark in the storms.
Get Strong.
Stephen
Notes:
There are over 90 species of Coprosma with over 50 found in New Zealand.
I lost some big Manuka trees in Cyclone Gabrielle which finally got removed and converted into firewood, and a batch of several dozen self-seeded baby trees have taken their place.
The walk is part of a planned work around my 4ha and my big plan is to extend the walk to neighbouring properties if I can
The 25 projects aren’t all done yet, but there’s others too, some I have managed on my own
I’ve got more to say about the students another day too – they were amazing
A year ago last week “Practical Completion” of my new build allowed me to insure my new home in the country and move in. It was the day of Mum and Dad’s 70th wedding anniversary so a big day all around. Quite a few things didn’t work – automation is a great thing until it’s not – but it was (and still is) sparkly and the views are really quite special. Lots of green, some sea, more green, farms, some livestock, and green. Oh, and gorgeous sunsets.
There seems to be two types of people in the country where I am – locals, who wave like I’m their best friend – and everyone wants to help – they really do – but most of the people waving are strangers who wave when I’m out walking. Then there’s those passing through to the beach, generally in a big rush to get there very quickly and then relax quickly I assume.
I didn’t really realise but building on the top of hill with a valley below has features in the country you might not necessarily think of. Or maybe I was a bit naive. Everyone can see you! Well not me personally or close up (I hope), but the house, what I’m doing on the land, and whether I have visitors. Walking and looking back up at my house it sticks out a lot more than when I’m looking out. And it’s not a massive house by any measure, but noticable.
“They’re watching what you’re doing Stephen” my local friend and farming advisor Philip tells me. “Watching what?“, “Well they like what you’re doing, making that land something, the planting, the silage and that sort of thing“. I hope they like it! Being a silage farmer isn’t exactly the sort of earning you might give up your day job for. More like getting paid (eventually) an amount that is similar to what you might pay to mow the grass.
As best as I can tell the last building to inhabit my site was a school in the 1940s, so I guess it’s something new. Building a home and making it just right seems to be a forever thing. Firstly, getting beyond “Practical Completion” to the elusive Code of Compliance Certificate is a topic for another day otherwise this blog might turn into something slightly less friendly! In the country on a little bit of land – yes everyone told me – it’s never done. Not like a satisfying few hours in a city house where the garden can be brought into shape, with time to wash the car and hose the driveway for good measure on a Sunday afternoon. Nope, it’s a journey.
And I’ve had to get my head around not every corner is always as I want it – in fact no corner is really. But I’ve got a massive list of mini and major projects and I just get at them when I can – one step at a time, and I can see a difference. I remember attending a session at Cornwall Park on their 100 year plan once and the vision that the designers have is awesome. I’m not that grand by any means but having a master plan has meant progress is actually not too bad, and helps me to relax about the bits that still need attention, or won’t get done until 2025 say.
The country – you can see further, and you need to think further too.
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