Jen's Pick: Versatile avocados fit in everywhere

I'm not sure how many people actually still make New Year's resolutions.

I'm good at remembering that something I've done was a New Year's resolution once, but it doesn't worry me that a new activity or resolution was thought about two or three years ago - I enjoy starting new things, wherever the motivation has come from.

A bush walk on a very sunny Saturday, with a long weekend in front of me, was the perfect new thing.

I tend to stick to the tracks I know, and go when we have visitors.

So heading up past Katikati to the Waitawheta walk was new for me, and as we set off along the beautiful stream heading under cover of native bush shortly afterwards, I thought, wow, this is the life.

New Zealand bush and the amazing role DOC and a huge team of volunteers play to keep the bush healthy, accessible and usable is impressive.

We had set out to do a four hour walk, and my tramping club husband suggested we'd get three-quarters of the way to the hut, then we could stop for lunch and return.

But I've just started training for a bigger event in March so was wanting to push myself a little.

The walk follows the old train line which used to bring kauri out until 1928. The ground underfoot is rocky, and quite tough, but the incline is definitely not hard.

We covered 10km to the hut in two hours and found the warden and a DoC ranger readying the hut for the 26 overnight occupants.

We joined them on the veranda and caught up with some history of the hut, as the ranger had been around a few decades in the Bay and knew a lot of history and stories of other tracks and people nearer to us in the Kaimais.

We munched on our ciabatta rolls with ham and avocado, and I watched the ranger, Warren, as he took out two slices of bread, a banana and an avocado.

He peeled the banana which went straight on the bread, then sliced, pitted and added half an avocado.

Topped with a second slice of rustic German bread and that was one heck of a sandwich.

Oh yes, he said he loves avocado. Perfect with so many things.

Last week he had chopped dates and figs with his avocado on bread, a combination I'd love to try, though I'm not sure I'd put it on bread.

He asked if I'd tried mussels with avocado - which sounded sort of weird, but I'm keen to try that combination too.

We had the previous evening been at the Tauranga Domain enjoying a glass of wine listening to Bic Runga and Brooke Fraser.

We hadn't planned much ahead so I took crackers and the one avocado left in the tray that had been kindly provided to my team from a generous packhouse.

But around me were much more serious picnics - with much more serious preparations.

And both picnics had avocado as a centrepiece - or at least an important component.

Which justifies my loop from bush walks to music in the park to park rangers.

Avocados fit into so many stories and prove how versatile they are, not only as ingredient, but as subject.