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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    Welcome to the pumpkin weigh-off at Half Moon Bay (半月湾), California. The event has always been very popular among most pumpkin growers. Thousands of people line up along the city's High Street and watch the proud pumpkin owners from across the country. Each pumpkin is carefully picked up by forklifts (叉式升降机) and placed on a digital weighing scale.

    Organizers are offering $30,000 in total prize money for a new record pumpkin entering Half Moon Bay. But in order to receive the “New Record Prize”, the grower will have to bring a pumpkin heavier than the 2,624-pound one grown by Mathias Willemijns in 2017. If the heaviest pumpkin in the contest is unable to surpass (超过) the record, its owner will receive $6 for every pound it weighs.

    When: Monday, October 9, 2018. Weighing will begin at 7 am and will end at 11 am. Growers will start lining the street as daylight breaks by 7 am.

    Where: I.D.E.S. Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, California.

    Prize Money:

    New Record Pumpkin: $30,000 (in total)

    1st Place: $6 per pound

    2nd Place: $2,000

    3rd Place: $1,500

    4th Place: $1,000

    5th~10th Place: $500 each

    11th~20th Place: $100 each

    Special Prizes: $500 for the most beautiful pumpkin, judged by the audience (color, shape and size).

    The top five pumpkins will be on display for the thousands of visitors to Half Moon Bay's famous Art and Pumpkin Festival that will take place on October 14-15, 2018.

    If you think you have two left feet but would love to be a good dancer then why not try your hand at dancing?

    That's exactly what I did five years ago and I immediately fell in love with dancing. To me, dancing is a magical experience: I've become fitter, look younger and feel more confident. I enjoy it so much that I will never give up this healthy pastime.

    It's very sociable as well. You meet people and make new friends while dancing the night away. Haven't you heard stories about how dancing inspired new romances or rekindled (重燃) old ones? My friends Joe and Rena just had their big day a few weeks ago after they met each other at a Ceroc workshop some three years before.

    The word “Ceroc” comes from the French language. Without the complicated footwork, it is easier to pick up by beginners. Another good thing about Ceroc is that while it is a partner dance, you don't have to bring a dancing partner.

    Other popular styles of dancing in the UK include ballroom, belly dancing, lindy hop, salsa, tango and tap dancing, just to name a few.

    No matter what types of dancing you do, one thing is for sure: you will become fitter. For office workers like me, dancing is good cardio exercise after a long day sitting in front of the computer screen. It also strengthens your muscles, improves your coordination(协调) and increases your physical confidence.

    Few people will end up being queens of the dance floor. The aim is not to win a competition but to enjoy the interaction(交流). As long as you do the right moves, keep the rhythm and most importantly keep an encouraging smile to your dancing partners, you will always be a winner!

    If you want to keep fit, please refer to the following;

    Move More

    Make it a rule to find ways to move your body. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. Walk your dog; play with your kids. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute dance class. But that's great when you're up to it. At the same time, move more.

    Quit Smoking

    Ever since 1960 when it was announced that smoking was harmful to health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products. Just recently, we've seen more and more teens smoking. Could it be the Hollywood influence?

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Take care! Warn your children against smoking.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day can help protect against heart disease, more than can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney (肝肾) disease and cancer.

    Reduce Stress

    Easier said than done, stress comes in many ways.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like such as walking on the beach or in a park, read a good book, visit a friend, listen to relaxing music, and watch a funny movie.

    Protect Yourself From Pollution

    If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is good.

A. Avoid Excessive Drinking

B. There are many things you can do to move your arms and legs.

C. Think carefully about what you will do.

D. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low.

E. It seems that the stars in every movie smoke cigarettes.

F. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook.

G. Some techniques given by experts are to think positive thoughts.

    As any plane passenger will confirm, a crying baby is almost impossible to ignore, no matter how hard you try. Now scientists believe they may have worked out why. A baby's cry pulls at the heartstrings(扣人心弦) in a way while other cries don't, researchers found.

    Researchers found that a baby's cry can trigger unique emotional responses in the brain, making it impossible for us to ignore them—whether we are parents or not. Other types of cries, including calls of animals in great pain, fail to get the same response—suggesting the brain is programmed to respond specifically to a baby' cry.

    A team of Oxford University scientists scanned the brains of 28 men and women as they listened to a variety of calls and cries. After 100 milliseconds—roughly the time to blink(眨眼)—two parts of the brain that respond to emotion lit up. Their response to a baby's cry was particularly strong. The response was seen in both men and women—even if they had no children.

    Researcher Dr Christine Parsons said, “You might read that men should just notice a baby and step over it and not see it, but it's not true. There is a special processing in men and women, which makes sense from an evolutionary view that both men and women would be responding to these cries.” The study was in people who were not parents, yet they are all responding at 100ms to these particular cries, so this might be a fundamental response present in all of us regardless of parental status.

    Fellow researcher Katie Young said it may take a bit longer for someone to recognize their own child's cries because they need to do more “fine-grained analysis”. The team had previously found that our reactions speed up when we hear a baby crying. Adults performed better on computer games when they heard the sound of a baby crying than after they heard recordings of adults crying.

    You have just won ten million yuan in a lottery (彩票) - how would you spend it? Before you know it, ten minutes had gone on daydreaming. There is a time and a place for daydreaming, but we don't have much control over that. Isn't it worrying that an estimated 30 to 50 percent of our waking time is spent daydreaming? What if your dentist is having that lottery daydream while removing your rotten tooth?

    Some studies suggest daydreaming makes us unhappy because we are not focusing on what is around us but are instead thinking about the past or future. However, a recent study published in the journal Neuropsychologica finds that mind-wandering can be of benefit to us. The researchers measured the brain patterns of more than 100 people using an MRI (核磁共振成像) scanner. This data was compared with tests on creative ability and a questionnaire on how much their minds usually wandered. Those whose minds wandered the most scored higher in creative ability tests and had more efficient brain systems measured in the MRI machine.

    Being efficient at mind-wandering means you can zone out and then naturally switch back in without missing any important point or step. Christine Godwin, the lead author of the latest study from the Georgia Institute of Technology, says that if you are focusing on difficult tasks, your performance will drop if your mind wanders. “But when tasks are easy, people who have high cognitive ability can let their minds wander because it does not affect their performance. You may be thinking about upcoming goals or problem-solving. These are some of the positive sides to mind-wandering."

    Mind-wandering can vary between being more practical or more emotional. What mind-wandering seems to be best at, researchers say, is coming up with new solutions to old problems. So, it's not always a waste of time!