Warning: Possum cuteness can impair your judgement in the ongoing struggle to protect native trees from these destructive cute little leaf (and egg) eating marsupials.

Leaving Auckland at about 7.30pm we drove out past Huia to do some Night Tramping. Falling back to the last place I’d tramped, I suggested Goat Hill as I knew there is a carpark we could park in which is not locked up at night there. The tramp was a bit more serious that Michelle and Brian were thinking, but with a Morepork calling in the background, we headed up Karamatura valley, navigated the stream crossing, mostly stayed on track (“is this still the track?”) and climbed the hill for views back at Auckland’s lights (way too late for sunset). We came straight back down the hill, fairly steep that way, but quicker and no stream crossing. Saw glow worms and a couple of possums, one of which (pictured) after startling Michelle just hung around watching us. Came out by the Huia Dam and returned to the car by road. Car hadn’t been stolen or burnt out, so managed to get back to Auckland by 11(?).