A walk in one of the regional parks and forests is a great way to explore the diverse landscape of greater Wellington.

    From coastal sands to historic paths,farmland to green native forest,the parks and forests offer a variety of countryside and scenery to suit all ages and levels of fitness.

    Most of the walks offer the chance to take a break and enjoy picnicking or swimming.

What to take

    Many of the walks go through areas exposed to winds and changeable weather.Please take with you some water and sun hat especially on walks marked with hiking symbol.Always take some warm clothing and a rain jacket.

All times stated are estimates for the return trip.

    Where indicated, mountain bikes and horses riders may use tracks.

Opening hours

    The parks and forests are open daily from 8 am till dusk.Parks or walks marked with a farm animal symbol may be closed for lambing Aug—Nov.Please check with the ranger or on our website www.gw.govt.nz.

Caring for your pack

●Pack in and pack out.Take your rubbish home and recycle it when possible.

●Keep dogs under control and remove droppings.

●Do not remove, disturb or damage native plants or animals.

●Light no fires.

●Poison may be laid in the parks and forests to control the field mouse.Do not remove notice or disturb baits, lures, trapping lines or the mousetraps.

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    Americans think that everything we British people say sounds smart. We think that they sound low-class, but secretly we think they sound cool. These are just stereotypes about British and American English, but there is some truth in them.

    What is certainly true is that the differences between British and American English continue to interest us.

    When the US was only around 20 years old, people were already saying that British accents sounded more intelligent, according to Erin Moor's book. That's Not English: Britishisms, Americanisms, and What Our English Says About Us.

    However, there are many different accents in Britain—Moor says the UK may have just as many regional accents as the US, even though the population is around one-fifth the size. In the UK, accents are much more related to class, but to many Americans, even an accent that British people think is “low class” is thought of as intelligent and superior, according to MPR News.

    American slang has been part of British people's vocabulary for a long time—the amount of American television, movies and music enjoyed in the UK means that British people have been using words like “cool” and “awesome” for years now. But sometimes words from the UK make it to the US—like “gobsmacked”.

    “Gobsmacked” started as slang (俚语) from northern England. “Gob” means mouth, so the word means “surprised as if someone smacked (掌掴) you in the mouth”. Reality television brought it to the US, Moor said. When the singer Susan Boyle became famous for her unlikely great singing voice on the show Britain's Got Talent, she used it all the time. “I'm gobsmacked,” she repeated, and it got popular.

    “Americans love a colourful piece of slang as much as anyone else,” said Moor. And this is just one example of how Britons and Americans can leave each other “gobsmacked” with their different types of English!

    It was rainy, and I had no desire to drive up the winding mountain road to my daughter Carolyn's house. But she had insisted that I come to see something at the top of the mountain.

    So here I was, reluctantly making the two-hour journey through fog that hung like veils. By the time I saw how thick it was near the summit, I'd gone too far to turn back.

    Nothing could be worth this, I thought as I inched along the dangerous highway.

    "I'll stay for lunch, but I' m heading back down as soon as the fog lifts," I announced when I arrived.

    "But I need you to drive me to the garage to pick up my car," Carolyn said, "Could we at least do that?"

    "How far is it?" I asked.

    "About three minutes," she said, "I'll drive—I'm used to it."

    After ten minutes on the mountain road, I looked at her anxiously. "I thought you said three minutes."

    She grinned. "This is a detour."

    Turning down a narrow track, we parked the car and got out. We walked along a path that was thick with old pine needles. Huge black-green evergreens towered over us. Gradually, the peace and silence of the place began to fill my mind.

    Then we turned a comer and stopped—and I gasped in amazement.

    From the top of the mountain, sloping for several acres across the mountain side and valleys, were rivers of flowers in numerous colors. It looked as though the sun had tipped over and spilled gold down the mountainside.

    A series of questions filled my mind. Who created such beauty? Why? How?

    As we approached the home that stood in the center of the property, we saw a sign that read: "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking."

    The first answer was: "One Woman—Two Hands, Two Feet, and Very Little Brain." The second was: "One at a Time." The third: "Started in 1958."

    As we drove home, I was so moved by what we had seen. I could scarcely speak. "She changed the world." I finally said, "one bulb (球茎) at a time. She started almost 40 years ago, probably just the beginning of an idea, but she kept at it."

    The wonder of it would not let me go. "Imagine," I said, "if I'd had a vision and worked at it, just a little bit every day, what might I have accomplished?"

    Carolyn looked at me sideways, smiling. "Start tomorrow," she said. "Better yet, start today."

    Many of us have had this experience: we lie down in a bed other than our own, perhaps at a friend's house or in a hotel room, and find it difficult or impossible to fall asleep. Is it because the bed is uncomfortable? Maybe, but perhaps there can be other reasons.

    According to a new study published in Current Biology, a significant reason is what the scientists call "first night effect". They believe that one side of the brain acts as a "night watch" to warn us about potential dangers. It forces us to stay awake on the first night in a new environments.

    For the study, 35 young volunteers were asked to sleep in a sleep lab for several days. Meanwhile, researchers watched their brain activities.

    According to the researchers, on their first night, the left brain was more active than the right brain and people had a hard time sleeping. However, left-brain activities decreased as days went by, falling even to the point of complete calm. In this process, the participants got an increasingly better sleep experience.

    The findings suggest that the different rhythms of the sides of the brain affect our sleep. When the two sides work differently, the balance between them is broken. Thus, the brain can't relax and is sensitive to anything strange in the surroundings, just as it is in the daytime.

    "At some level, the brain is continuing to analyze things, even though you are not aware of the analysis, " US professor Jerome Siegel told Smithsonian

    "If something unusual happens - if a door opens or you hear a key in a lock --you can be alert, even though the intensity of the stimulus (刺激强度) is quite low." More surprisingly, this phenomenon is similar to the way some animals sleep.

    The researchers think that it is the result of evolution (进化), and works to protect us in potentially dangerous environments.

    If you have ever had what you think is "first night effect", researchers suggest that you bring your own pillow or sleep in a room similar to your bedroom next time you sleep away from home.

The age of technology is a great and convenient thing, but it does have effects on us in many different ways.

It causes long-term memory loss. Thanks to Baidu, we don't really have to remember much of anything. Questions are answered at the drop of a hat because Baidu is all-knowing! Is that a good thing, though? People aren't digging through their brains anymore to find answers. Here's the good news: we can still exercise our long-term memory by simply thinking before we Baidu. If we don't want to go down that road, we can search Baidu for some memory games to play. Turn Baidu into an asset instead of an enemy.

It makes us lack patience. Baidu gives us what we want. Everything is instant. In fact, if we have to wait for even a handful of minutes for anything, we start losing our minds. This idea of instant satisfaction carries through to many other aspects of our lives, too, like when we go out to eat, drive in traffic, or even deal with workplace accidents. Instead of using Baidu to lessen our anger, try searching for some mindful meditations (沉思).Focus on our breath and realize everything doesn't have to move at lightening speed. We can actually listen to some peaceful spa or meditation music on our Pandora, too!

It wastes our time. Be honest, how much time are we spending on Baidu every day? Whether we're doing research for our own personal needs, buying clothing, or writing a research paper, we all spend a ton of time on the trusty Internet. Are we always being efficient with this time? For the sake of our precious time, if we haven't used Baidu Drive, we should. Keep spreadsheets, text does, PDFs, slideshows, and even recordings exactly where we can easily find them. Keep a running list of websites we know we'll revisit.

Overall, things are different these days. Yes, there are noticeable negative side effects because of the Baidu invasion, but we don't have to fall into that trap. Stay sharp and don't let ourselves become imprisoned doing the Baidu god's bidding.

Civilization began with agriculture, and though humanity has changed significantly, agriculture remains very important. In certain countries, its significance is more apparent, but the reality is that every country in the world depends on agriculture for one thing or another.

It provides employment. Whether it's working as a farmer, a harvester, a technician for farm equipment or a scientist, there are plenty of jobs available in this field. In developing countries, agricultural jobs help reduce high rates of unemployment.

It's crucial to a country's development. Economic development is tied to a country's agricultural sector. When trade, national avenue, and employment are combined in a positive way, a country enjoys reduced poverty and boosted economic growth. Because strong agriculture results in benefits fairly quickly, focusing on it is one of the best ways to speed up development and improve a country's standing across the globe.

It drives innovation in technology. Because healthy agriculture is so essential to a country's well-being, it's been the setting of some of the most exciting innovations in technology. Through artificial intelligence, blockchain software, and more, scientists and farmers have been figuring out ways to increase crop productivity, use less water, and reduce negative impacts on the environment. For scientists and tech companies, agribusiness is one of the most fascinating and productive fields to work in.

It's the source of our food supply. Arguably, the most important aspect of agriculture is that it's the source of the world's food supply. No matter where or what you are eating, the ingredients in your meals come from somewhere. All roads lead to agriculture. In countries dealing with food insecurity and severe malnutrition, their agricultural sectors are suffering. When agriculture thrives(蓬勃发展), fewer people go hungry.

It can help heal the environment. Agriculture possesses the power to cause harm or heal. When farmers prioritize biodiversity on their land, it benefits the earth. Having more biodiversity results in healthier soil, better water conservation, and healthier pollinators(传粉者).

All in all, agriculture plays a critical role in the entire life of a given economy. Agriculture culture is the backbone of the economic system of a given country.