I set off to walk around the Orakei basin at 10am today. It was such a pleasure, not only to be in such a beautiful place, but also to walk comfortably for an hour at that time of the day. If I walked in Ipoh in the late morning,  I would collapse into a puddle of perspiration after half an hour! We are spoilt for choice when it comes to walkways in Auckland. There are so many dedicated footpaths in green spaces, usually with wonderful views and populated by large numbers of birds. This morning I enjoyed the views of the city dominated by the Sky Tower and the green slopes of Mount Hobson and Mount St John. I loved walking among the trees and watching the shags drying their wings while perched on a tree stump over the water.