tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73845228864856953302024-03-13T12:52:19.430+13:00MEGAN DIMOZANTOS - ADVENTURES FOR THE SOULMegan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.comBlogger208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-37597135039741335202016-09-02T17:22:00.000+12:002016-09-02T17:22:15.896+12:00The Reasons I Volunteer for Land Search and Rescue
It's pouring rain outside and I just got home from work. We have a meeting I am hosting at my place in half an hour. A text comes through. I drop everything, throw together a pack and get changed into my waterproofs. I stick a note on my door "sorry, meeting postponed" and drive to the Police station. On the way to our job, I text my partner and ask her to arrange someone to feed the dogs, I Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-19508403719225802602015-09-02T22:19:00.000+12:002015-09-02T22:19:01.112+12:00One Fine Night... Moondance on the Mountain
I feel the need to tell a story to go with the enclosed photos, which have, over the past few days, received far more attention than I expected. Before I begin, though, I would like to add a disclaimer that there is no way that any photo could have possibly captured the true and accurate beauty that sat in front of us that evening and that morning... Nothing could do it true justice... And Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-18655203711222235892015-06-13T22:36:00.000+12:002015-06-13T22:36:44.013+12:00Exceeding Expectations - Bacon in Disguise
I was at a function a couple of weeks ago. It was lunchtime. I was hungry. And there were these little mini quiche thingys sitting on the table. Egg and bacon quiches... Delicious. I made my way to the table, salivating at the thought of bacony goodness. Then I took a bite and was sorely disappointed to discover that actually, it wasn't bacon... It was sundried tomato... How very disappointed I Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-40553245369840067552015-06-09T21:58:00.000+12:002015-06-09T21:58:22.265+12:00Biting Off More Than I Can Chew - A Collection of Stories of Overcommittal
It's been quite some time since I sat still long enough to write down my thoughts, and not for lack of stories to tell... In fact, probably much the opposite. It seems rather ironic that the catalyst for me gracing these pages again would be an "eyes bigger than my stomach" type of tale.
I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew in every aspect of my life. I over-commit to Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-81671305377891505152014-07-17T07:04:00.000+12:002014-07-17T07:04:47.627+12:00Dusty Sunset Upon the Top of a Snowless Mountain - Northern Crater Camping
I really am quite a fortunate soul. It seems that wherever I happen
upon crazy ideas for adventures, I also happen upon the people to bring
them to fruition with. My life is one that is filled with experiences
and people that deliver meaning and joy, and for that I am grateful. I
was having one such conversation with my friends Claire and Ben a couple
of weeks ago (in amongst the obligatoryMegan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-59926142727740014612014-06-18T22:20:00.001+12:002014-06-18T22:22:19.822+12:00A Lonely Early Morning Foray on Ngauruhoe
"Good morning Ngauruhoe! Looks like you've put on a stunner for me today!"... It was 5am and I was standing in the dark and cold at the Mangatepopo carpark pulling my (surprisingly light, for a change) backpack onto my shoulders. It had been some time since I had done something which I deemed to be sufficiently crazy, and getting up at 2.30am, leaving Rotorua at 3am and arriving at the mountain Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-86049921461448612772014-06-04T23:10:00.000+12:002014-06-05T08:40:58.792+12:00Snow, Sunrise and Skidz at Welcome Rock
There
we stood, seemingly miles away from any sort of civilisation, on the other side
of a peak we had just hiked over. A tiny mud hut sat in the centre of our view,
dwarfed by the expansive backdrop of the south island mountains that surrounded
us. We were insignificant blobs of human life enveloped in this landscape. Our
bags and our bikes had been dropped next to the hut by the station owner,Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-796583739930851892014-05-14T23:20:00.001+12:002014-05-14T23:20:26.248+12:00Food For the Soul - Sunset, Stars, Sunrise
There's something foreboding about being on top of a mountain as dusk settles over the landscape. That sense that I shouldn't be there combined with the immense beauty of infinite silence that lingers as the last light of day glistens in the snow, like burning embers on a fire. Our tents sat atop the edge of Red Crater, below the summit of Mount Tongariro and were dwarfed by the immense presenceMegan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-39933411604634809082014-05-06T22:28:00.000+12:002014-05-06T22:51:04.167+12:00Yesterday I Crashed My Bike
So I was riding in the forest this evening and this poem started to etch itself into my brain... I have no idea why... I never even really write poetry... So I got home and wrote it down to share...
Yesterday I crashed my bike
It’s something that I didn’t like
I found a tree and hit my head
It filled me with a sense of dread
The pain I felt just hung around
As I lay there on the ground
No one Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-28700018821239692452014-03-27T22:52:00.003+13:002014-03-27T22:58:42.227+13:00Great Adventure, Great Company, Great Barrier Island Cycle Touring
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There's
a lot to be said for sharing experiences with that special person in your life.
For years, I have invariably resigned myself to the fact that my adventures
would be done aloneMegan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-84509963104169678892014-02-20T22:34:00.002+13:002014-02-20T22:34:23.168+13:00Making Peace With The Past - Finally Some Insight on My 2013 World Champs Experience
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Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-35109192813312636572014-01-05T23:25:00.001+13:002014-01-05T23:25:14.021+13:00New Years on Top of the Mountain - Alpine Camping on Ruapehu
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Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-20046320969959391352013-12-30T22:49:00.000+13:002013-12-30T22:49:41.838+13:00The Pinnacles - Goose Down Pillows, Bush Tucker and Gorgeous Sunrises
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Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-27757119694667909012013-12-30T18:56:00.004+13:002013-12-30T18:56:57.519+13:00Excuses, Excuses!!!
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Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-41144496934370978932013-10-11T23:31:00.000+13:002013-10-11T23:31:25.959+13:002013 World Champs - This Goes Out To The Ones I Love
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Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-85244193193541419792013-09-11T21:49:00.000+12:002013-09-11T21:49:25.748+12:00Day Night Borer - 12 Hours of Riding, Eating and Threadbare Shorts...
I enjoyed my 12 hour race on Saturday. I felt strong and focused and I generally had a good time and achieved what I had set out to accomplish for the day, but I would stop short of calling it a "thriller"... Maybe the event organiser should consider re-naming the Day Night Thriller to more aptly describe the mere 4km course, comprising largely of firetrail and wide double-track, which I was Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-21825433947762726952013-09-01T22:55:00.001+12:002013-09-01T22:55:06.742+12:00The Secret to Not Growing Old - Live a Life Less Ordinary
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I find it amusing how some people seem to dread the thought of aging another
year... They would rather curl up in a corner with a bottle of rum and
Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-17042051614850017292013-08-10T22:43:00.001+12:002013-08-10T22:43:32.502+12:00A Pummelling For The Legs - 9 Weeks Out From World Champs and NDuro Winter #2
These last couple of weeks have treated me very well indeed. After an
amazing weekend of mountaineering in Tongariro National Park and racing
in Raglan, my squash team won their finals (no thanks to my abysmal
loss in three games), then, despite the foggy weather I was treated to
the delights of some stunning sunrises, and some unseasonably warm
mornings (amongst some very cold mornings!) Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-23802435638623047692013-08-05T18:13:00.000+12:002013-08-05T18:13:01.082+12:00A Big Weekend, Even By My Standards - The Win
The drive from Turangi to Raglan was a long one... About three and a half hours, to be exact... I was pretty tired, definitely hungry, and knew I was going to be sore the next day, especially considering I had come straight off the mountain and into the car. I felt bad that I was arriving in Raglan so late. My buddy Sarah had arrived earlier in the day and had been hanging out in Raglan... I Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-15138963747013907952013-08-04T18:47:00.000+12:002013-08-04T18:47:57.528+12:00A Big Weekend, Even By My Standards - The Summit
The general consensus amongst people I know tends to be that I am a little bit crazy... My weekends (in fact, my weekdays, also!) tend to be jam-packed full of weird and wonderful activities and followed up with a barrage of equally weird and wonderful photos and some good lengthy story-telling (because that's just how I roll). Last weekend was no exception to this... In fact, it was a big ask Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-13102734537534197712013-08-03T20:29:00.001+12:002013-08-03T20:29:04.910+12:00SAREX - If It Ain't Raining, It Ain't Training...
I've said on a number of occasions now that joining Search and Rescue
as a volunteer here in Rotorua is one of the best things I ever did and
it's for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's a great way to give back to
the community. Secondly, we get some awesome training. And last, but of
course, not least, it would be rare to come across such an awesome
bunch of good natured, hardy Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-33379762474521016792013-07-25T07:34:00.002+12:002013-07-25T07:34:35.616+12:00Chasing the Sunrise - Frosty Trail Treats
I’m not
quite sure how this happened, but I have become a morning rider… The thought of
straddling my bike for a hard couple of hours of riding in the cold at the end
of a work day is enough to have me sitting on the floor, facing into a corner
slowly rocking backwards and forwards. This means, inevitably, that during the
Winter months, I am out in the forest well before sunrise, and well Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-69020858260955029792013-07-17T20:35:00.002+12:002013-07-17T20:35:20.603+12:00Winter NDuro - The Best Thing About The Cold Season!!!
I have very fond memories of the NDuro Winter Series. Ever since I
moved to New Zealand six years ago, I have traipsed from wherever I was
in the country to grace the trails at Rotorua for these stellar events.
In that time, I have seen the series run by three different organisers
(Dean, then Marcus, and now the almighty Ra), and have enjoyed
conditions ranging from warm days, to ice Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-82394086277802338182013-07-07T22:08:00.000+12:002013-07-07T22:08:06.308+12:00My First Summit - A Place That Seems Not of This World
I think I've mentioned on many occasions before that I have this philosophy about the people that come into your life... Some come and go, and never leave a trace of their presence, and some people will come into your life and change it forever in ways you have never imagined... So for the latter, what the hell do you get them when it's their birthday? Well, on this occasion, I decided to take Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384522886485695330.post-78886606013503463972013-07-01T22:54:00.001+12:002013-07-01T22:54:22.781+12:00Climbing Mount Taranaki - Icy Slopes and Blue Skies
It's been three weeks now since we headed to New Plymouth for a few days out and to have a stab at climbing Mount Taranaki, but it sticks in my mind like it was just yesterday. Mountaineering is a newly discovered hobby of mine, and whilst my skills on the ice and in the snow are still developing, my years of rock climbing, riding and adventuring in general seem to serve me well and instil me Megan Dimozantoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15065825885869941010noreply@blogger.com1