Unsworth Heights - Jack Hinton Drive

Unsworth Reserve

North Shore Nordic Walkers met at Jack Hinton Drive, Albany on Sunday.  It was freezing and frost was still clinging to the ground at 8.00 am as we made our way across Rosedale Park.

We passed the cable works and some interesting works being undertaken for the new stadium, continuing past the duck pond and crossing at Paul Matthews Road to take the tunnel through to Unsworth Heights.

Walking Through A Very Frosty Rosedale Park

Jack Hinton was a soldier in WWII who received the Victoria Cross. He was born at Colac Bay in 1906 and joined up in September 1939. Hinton, tired of retreating from a column of German soldiers that had arrived at the port of Kalamata Greece in April 1941, launched an impressive attack by throwing a couple of grenades at the soldiers who fled from their posts. He then led a group of New Zealanders into an attack and they managed to chase the garrison into nearby houses.  They then held the guns and position until they were overwhelmed by German soldiers and unfortunately Jack was shot.

Mist On The Duck Pond At Unsworth Reserve

Jack became a prisoner of war in prison camps in both Greece and Germany.  Apparently he was quite a character and did undertake several attempts to escape. The Kommandant presented him with a copy of the VC medal and offered celebratory champagne at his officer’s club to which Jack is reported to have told the Kommandant to put his champagne up his waistcoat.  After the war he returned to New Zealand and passed away in Christchurch in 1997.

We walked through the bush to the boardwalk which has been finished, but it was very slippery and we had to take great care crossing most of the wooden walkways as a lot of them have metal mesh, which when frozen become quite treacherous.

At the end of the boardwalk we congregated at Barbados Drive and waited until everyone had caught up.  We crossed the road and then followed the pathway into Unsworth Reserve. A lot of work is still going on in this area and the pathways and bush have been cleared.  It looked quite strange and solemn as the frost was still on the grass and trees whilst the storm water pond being home to dozens of ducks was swirling in mist.

Caribbean Drive

It was at this point that some of the group suddenly stopped, we realised that we had left people behind and one of our walkers was most definitely having problems.

This area is in the Albany basin and in winter can be exceptionally cold - certainly more than the surrounding areas.  I headed back to the group and one of the ladies was visibly distressed. She was in pain, wasn’t coping well with the cold and her circulation to her hands had suffered.

Some of our ladies turned back with her to one of the local cafes and Margaret kindly stayed with her until she had fully recovered.

Making Our Way Back

Auckland’s weather can be deceiving as some parts can be mild whilst other parts can be very cold. Having endured lots of terrible winters in the UK and also suffering with “White Finger or Raynaud’s Syndrome” and the consequent chillblains, I can appreciate the great discomfort that poor Pam was going through.

I want to share some advice when out walking in cold weather.  Wear layers, invest in a couple of Merino tops or polypropylene, use good quality socks, wear a hat and wear gloves. I know some people don't like getting over heated so carry a pack that allows you to take off layers as you go. I had a friend that knitted me cuffs to wear in winter and ladies need to wear long pants, preferably lined to keep in the heat, don’t wear jeans. Try wearing a gillet under your jacket as an insulating layer, keeping the core warm is essential, and keep moving.

Some Of The Reserve Has Been Re Landscaped - Look At The Mist!

We quickly continued our walk and headed to Cafe Drina just on Paul Matthews Road where the ladies had gone for a warm. We were all relieved to see that she had recovered well, the staff were very kind. We stayed a while for a chat over coffee and I had my usual English Breakfast Tea with poached eggs on toast, most definitely with a hint of vinegar this week.

Information and Resources:

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/page/jack-hinton-wins-victoria-cross
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/features/southern-military-history/3918686/Who-ll-come-with-me

More on Walking in Cold Weather: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fitness/HQ01681/