New Zealand-2015, North Island

Wairakei to Rotorua_Day 19

February 22, 2016 Edgewise Wendy

Wairakei Thermal Park

We skirt around the east side of Lake Taupo in the morning, in a chilly drizzle at 9 degrees C , and steer north towards the, hopefully warmer, Wairakei Thermal area. Geothermal power plants have produced electricity from the massive amounts of underground steam vents up there since 1958.

In places the steam is too thick to see through.

Sometimes people have steam vents suddenly open up in their yards, which could be scary, but it can also be useful for hot tubs and heat. We keep seeing these makeshift boxes in peoples backyards with tin roofing thrown over them which mark their personal hot spots.

The Maori used to ( and still do sometimes) cook over these.

The Maoris have all kinds of stories about the power of steam and the nearby Waipato River which are both being utilized today to generate electricity.

The clear blue Waikato River flows out of Lake Taupo , dropping down Huka Falls with the tremendous force of more than 40 cubic meters per second. This river system supplies about 15% of New Zealand’s electricity and is also used to cool the hot water as it leaves the steam plants. Paddlers and jet boats play on it as well. It is amazing to me that cold water and hot steam live so close together.

There are many parks built around all the theraml activity of the region and we hit as many as we can.

Craters of the Moon

You would not want to venture off the walk here because the ground is obviously unstable and new steam vents open all the time.

All kinds and colors of minerals are brought to the surface with the steam.

Specialized Plants Grow In Thermal Areas

You might not think that plants would grow near these vents, but some plants and algae are especially adapted for heat and acidity.

Wairakei Terraces

The original Pink and White Terraces of Wairakei, were historically natural rock silica rim-pools and mineral water baths, but they were destroyed by the eruption of nearby Mt Tarawara in June of 1886. Nearby Maori villages were also destroyed and over a hundred people died that night.

A new man-built replica spa was built and opened in 2011 using the natural hot springs in the area. The new terraces and hot pools are slowly beginning to look more natural with the waters’ own silica and mineral deposits growing new layers.

The owners have built large outdoor hot spa pools and landscaped with traditional looking Maori buildings and sculptures. Although no longer a Natural Wonder of the World, it is still worth a walk through the landscape, although we did not spring for the more expensive Spa and Massage, nor the Maori Experience

Since it was close to Christmas when we were there, the New Zealand Christmas tree was blooming nicely.

Pohutikawa Tree Flowers

This evergreen native Myrtle, or Pohutukawa, is a threatened species and they are trying to replant and protect them.

Driving again through typical New Zealand green farmland, taking a back road…Next stop-

Orakei Karako

This park has a cave amid a thermal area on the other side of a small lake. To get there we board a little shuttle boat with a Maori pilot who flings the boat back and forth across the tiny lake and seems to keep himself amused by the speed at which he flips the boat around and in towards the docks. He is very good at it. It starts raining again, but that is OK, the boat has a shelter roof and it is kind of nice to be out in the rain in such a strange place.

We step out of the boat and are faced with a wet, rocky bald area, with steam rising from it, carved out of the woods, oozing bright orange hot water and green slime.

Orakei Landscape — Orakei Karako Landscape

Wooden walkways lead us around in circles all through the woods and we keep coming out to clearings with more vents, geysers and flowstone terraces.

A Huge Geyser Spouts From This Hole

This is a zoom shot of a where a geyser blows boiling hot water out the side of a hill for a few minutes about every 20 minutes. We ate our lunch and watched it while sheltering under a little open sided hut in the rain. it was like watching a monster come roaring out of its cave .

The actual cave in the woods, that we came here special to see, is closed, and seems to be full of water anyway. They say it is one of only two caves in the world that are thermally active. We were disappointed we couldn’t go caving, especially since it was raining outside, but the rest of the park was fascinating, with all the geysers and bubbling hot springs and mud pools. On the way back out of the park, we notice there is even steam venting through little holes in the gravel parking lot…

Onward towards Rotorua via the Waimangu Valley.

Waio-Tapu Thermal Park

Continuing on, we stop at the Waio-Tapu Thermal Park .It is no longer raining. This place seems to be on a larger scale.

Waterfalls Into Lakes — Hot Water Flowing Into Lakes

Skinny Legged Bird On Hot Water — Skinny Legged Bird

The Pied Stilt looking for insects seems to be in hot water but it is shallow here and has cooled. It is very acidic though.

The are most beautiful greens and oranges along the edges of this hot spring.

Sulphur Yellow Pools — Sulphur Yellow Devils Pool

This was a beautiful park with lots of varied scenery and pathways that got you close without risking your life. There were plenty of places a person could get hurt but the signage was clear enough.

Then we stopped nearby at a roadside thermal mud pool to watch viscous mineraly mud bubble for a bit. Jeff loves watching mud bubble and has many movies. Onward to Rotorua…

Rotorua

We set up camp for the night at Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park, which had a really well organized kitchen, great campsites and best of all, large clean hot tubs fed by hot springs, which did not cost extra.

There were quite a few people with different set ups camping in the non powered sites, like this upstairs roof tent.

The kitchen had five separate cooking stations so you could be with people without being in each others way. Each L had a sink, stove and bench top. Also, there was a long communal counter with hot water, toasters, microwaves and a dining area with a porch. Everybody kept it really clean, too.

The hot tubs fed by the local hot mineral water were clean, about 3 meters square, newly refurbished concrete, and the perfect temperature. They were three in a fenced area open to the stars with change rooms connected. We met some nice folks there and had a good time talking together about our travels. It was the best hot tub yet.

The day had finally cleared and turned warm and the night was the warmest yet. We were glad to have our screened and ventilated tent attachment. We noticed the other camper vans were all steamed up in the morning, while we had plenty of fresh air in ours.

Tomorrow, there is lots more to see around Rotorua and then we will go out to the coast.

Wendy lee, writing at Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters

New Zealand-2015, North Island

Tongariro Crossing_Day-18

February 21, 2016 Edgewise Wendy

Tongariro Alpine Crossing-Day 18

In the morning, I stumbled over to the kitchen for some hot water to make my instant coffee/hot chocolate mixture, and we ate a quick yogurt, fruit and granola breakfast to get us fueled for our Tongariro hike. The bus that was to take us to the desert trail head pulled in and we loaded on with about 24 other sleepy eyed folks. There was an earlier bus that came while it was still dark, but we are not here for punishment. We did not realize until now that means we can’t do the side track to Ngauruhoe Summit, because it takes too long. We are going to hike 19 km up and across Tongariro, a big actively venting volcano. Our hike through volcanic fields and craters starts at 1150meters, goes up to 1886 meters, and back down to 1454 meters on the other side.

Crossing Profile

We each have our CamelBak packs filled with 3 liters of water, granola bars, cheese, nuts, carrots and apples to eat, rain pants and jackets, gloves, fleece, the works. The driver starts right away, making cracks about how long it is going to take “you two older folks”. Meaning us. Seriously? Jeff and I might be the oldest but that doesn’t mean we aren’t in at least as good shape as some of these others on the bus. We all get dropped off in a bleak looking wilderness at the base of Tongariro. It was cold, foggy and didn’t look like all that much fun.

We had to put our rain gear on right from the get go, which did not bode well. We let everybody else go rushing up the trail ahead of us since we don’t like walking in crowds and we are not in a hurry.

In order to make the first bus back to the Tongariro Base Camp at the other end of this trail, we have to hike 19.4 km in six and a half hours, but there are two later buses, so we are not worried. As long as we make it out by the last bus we will be fine. How hard could it be? The gently sloping trail winds through tufted native grasses at first.

Then it turns into a wooden walkway and starts climbing up through volcanic rubble with a few springs seeping through. I like the way the Kiwi trail builders always add a wire or plastic mesh to wooden walks whenever they are in a damp spot and likely to grow algae. We have noticed them everywhere we go.

There are tiny alpine plants growing in the rocky volcanic rubble that is strewn about all over the slope. We can’t see a mountain ahead. We can’t see up the trail very far at all.

A lot of the plants are blooming in shades of dark red and creamy white.

A cold wet breeze is blowing in our faces and the landscape is different than any I have seen. After awhile, it feels like we are on the moon as the ground flattens out and the rocks get sparse. It is tradition to add a rock to the cairn.

Climb To The Top

Then the gradient changes to seriously steep with about a thousand steps to climb straight up into the cloud. We lost quite a few people at this point, where the sign warned them it was going to get worse before it got better and it was their last chance to turn back. A lot of younger people than us turned back. We just kept plodding on, huffing and puffing like everyone else.

We were thinking we would never get a view , and how was it going to be worth this trek.

Some folks stopped for lunch, where it felt like it might be the crest. It was so windy and cold that we had to hunker down behind rocks to keep from freezing to death, even with ALL our layers on and gloves. I wasn’t hungry but I needed the stop.

Back on the trail, we had to grab a chain rail to keep from falling down the steep slope that we couldn’t even see below us.

Ans then we came over the top and…Wallah! The clouds parted and we could see!

The view kept getting more amazing, the wind was non existent on this side, the sun was shining- it was like we stepped into a totally different day.

Now we could see down into the Red Crater.

There were hot yellow sulfur vents, iron red colored formations,

and as we followed the rim trail around, we could see emerald colored pools below.

The path down to the pools was really steep and you had to sort of jump like a West Virginia cow, sideways hopping down the hill, in deep loose earth. Some folks had a hard time with this but we have it down, being mountain people.

The water was a beautiful green and not hot at all.

These guys were braver than me. All I could think of was, what is the chemical make up of that water? I hope it did not peel their skin off. We sat here and ate our lunch in the nice warm sunshine, with them for entertainment. After relaxing awhile we got up and started walking again.

It was hard to leave such beauty and go back to desolation…

In a place like this you can feel the power of the earth. I certainly did. As we walked by the last lake a big wind came up, tore my hat off my head, and knocked me down on the ground. Good thing it was in a semi flat area.

It is all downhill from here for the next couple of hours.

We are back in Alpine plants , with hot vents wisping up on the right and yesterday’s lake, with the Maori sacred island, in the distance.

Now that it is clear we can see a long ways out and Lake Taupo is bigger than I thought.

We keep walking, and walking, zigging down the open alpine meadows, through sulphury smelling rocks, with great views. We look back where we were and it is all covered in clouds again. We got lucky.

The path suddenly starts a descent into forest, which was totally unexpected, and we walk and walk and walk. Seems like forever.

Then we are reminded we are still in volcano country by the Lahar Zone sign. If there is an eruption, a mudslide of debris and pyroclastic ooze is likely to take this valley out. Moving along.

All of this continuous downhill slogging has worn me out. I prefer hiking uphill, but it is a good thing the uphill came first. The last few meters on the trail my feet are killing me and I feel like there is gravel grinding my toes off. We arrive at the car park where the bus will meet us and find we are number 6 and 7 back from our group. So there. Old folks, huh? First thing I do is take my boots off my poor feet and sit down on the ground. It turns out I got a nasty blister on my toe right there at the end. I am really glad I did not get it sooner.

It was a great hike and when we get back to base we nab the hot tub (ahh…) for awhile before anybody else gets back. At dinner, we share the picnic table and drinks with our German neighbors as we all talk about our exhausting day. I am glad Jeff managed to talk me into doing Tongariro- it was worth it.

Wendy lee, writing at Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters

New Zealand-2015, North Island

Thermals, Redwoods, and Waterfalls_Day 17

February 20, 2016 Edgewise Wendy

Rotorua Thermals

Kuiaru Park, which is a nicely landscaped free, public park, right in the middle of the town of Rotorua, holds ball fields, play sets and walking trails, but is also full of mud pit holes, dangerous steam vents and hot thermal pools.

The trails wind all over between the hot spots and most of them are fenced so little ones can’t fall in.

A new hot vent opened up last week , in the soccer field, so it has temporary plastic construction fencing around it. I would hate to have something like that open up in my back yard but it happens fairly often here.

Of course, there are sometimes fatalities from people being stupid or suicidal ( a truly horrible way to die) but I appreciated the way they tried to beautify and make accessible the unique features. What else could you do with them in the middle of town?

People picnic and jog and walk the trails all over the hundred acre park, through lawns, woods and lakes. The play sets are fun too.

Plus they have free, hot, foot baths, as well as a farmers market area and pool facilities. There were even people camping in their vans for free.

Considering how many of the thermal parks charge entrance fees, it was nice to see such a nice free one.

As we leave Rotorua we notice that cars are lined up way out on the highway. Has something happened? They are queuing for gas. Last night when we arrived gas was $1.62 / liter, now it is $1.42. Makes us wonder if it is a mistake or if something happened in the world (Dec 17, 2016) that we don’t know about. We don’t need gas so we keep going.

Wakarewarewa Redwoods

Now, a stop at the Wakarewarewa Redwood forest that was planted in 1901 and later dedicated to Forest Service folks who gave their lives in WWII.

It was initially an experiment to grow Redwoods as a replacement tree for all the Kauri timber that was cut down, but they grow so slowly that they gave up on that idea.

Now they replant Pinus radiata, also from California, in all the tree plantations instead, which grows much faster. Tree ferns grow happily amid the stand of experimental Redwoods, which are happy growing here, just too slow for commercial lumber operations. It takes only 40 years to grow the Pine and 90 to grow the redwood the same size (about 5 feet in diameter). The trunk of the Tree Ferns can also be used to make things like privacy fences and small bowls.

An extensive network of Mountain biking, horseback and walking trails run all through this park and they have a new treetop walk under construction.

One of the trails leads out to views of a big geyser in the valley below and we did that one first. People pay big bucks to go see this geyser but when we zoomed in we had a great view.

Jeff forgot his hat and the sun came out, hence the shirt on the head get up. He was already getting burnt.

There were mud pots down another trail, buried behind ferns.

The mud pots smelled like boiled eggs and looked like chocolate pudding cooking on the stove. Blup, blup…Jeff is totally fascinated by them.

Wild digitalis and other pretty flowers were blooming on the edges of a recent clear cut in the same park.

We ran across a pack of kids all decked out in protective gear, mountain biking the designated trails. There was an Enduro Race here a couple of days ago and the trails are well marked with degree of difficulty.

We bought some little wooden boxes made of 45,000 year old swamp Kauri trees from the parks gift shop and sat outside at the picnic tables and ate our lunch.

To pretty the place up they opted for sculpted metal cutouts to hide the port-a-potties. It was after lunch now and place was getting crowded so it was a good time to leave.

Saying goodbye to the redwoods.

Okere Waterfalls and Tutea Caves

We parked our van and headed up the Okere Falls trail to the first of two falls. Jeff was saying,

“No way, Nobody goes down that.”

I said that I would, with the right boat and a good guide, probably not in a boat like ours. We kept hiking down the trail towards the caves.

Ledge of Steps Down to Haku Cave — Ledge of Steps Down to Tutea Caves

Walking down the narrow steps feels like an adventure into a hidden little people land.

Steps Down to Haku Caves — Steps Down to Tutea Caves

There are a couple of caves, not very big , but fun anyway.

This one is low and you have to stoop to walk.

Looking Out of Haku Cave — Looking Out of Cave

The next one is taller and has a great view. Over the sound of the rushing water, we hear people carrying on, screaming (in a fun way) and we scramble up the steps again to get a better look. Here comes a raft over the falls.

They made it down and more kept coming. There was a photographer up on the landing that would blow a piercing whistle in response to the rafts to give the all clear.

We watched about five rafts and a guide in a kayak all come over. the falls. Then I went running down the trail to watch them do the next set. Only one flipped upside down and they were fine. They all got wet and they hollered when they hit the cold water, but obviously it was do able. Now I wish I could do it. Alas, that would take time and planning…

After we watch a second rafting company come through with their rafts we finally get back on the road again. The scenery in New Zealand is never dull. There is always something new around the next bend in the road.

Kaiate Falls

We take a little side trip down a narrow road, as in one lane, to visit Kaite Falls. It is starting to rain again so we figure we will make it a very fast trip. A photographer arrives just ahead of us and actually runs down the trail, staying two steps ahead of us the whole time. It is strange. Not as strange as the vibe I get from the teenage boys that were hanging about in the parking area though. They had no car and looked like ours would do in a pinch. I did not get a good feeling.

The trail was steep and filled with numerous really nice waterfalls and the rain sort of held off.

We always seem to find the best swimming holes when it is too cold to swim. This one would have been great on a hot day, or better yet if it was fed by a hot spring. We ran back up the trail and found our van untouched, luckily, but we still got out of there fast.

We ended up at Sapphire Springs Thermal Resort to camp for the night. Our campsite was right next to a rocky stream which would lull me to sleep. The kitchen was fine and we were able to do our laundry right next door while we cooked our dinner. A short walk down the path there were thermal pools and a swimming pool which were disappointing because they were not hot enough. I could not stay in very long, but getting out in the cold night air was worse. Apparently they are never quite hot (I think they were only 32 degrees C) and they got a bad review in the NZ Frenzy books because of that. We slept well and moved on the next morning. Still headed for the coast.

-Wendy Lee writing at Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters

New Zealand-2015, North Island

Farewell Spit-Foxton Fizz-Day 15-17

February 18, 2016 Edgewise Wendy

Farewell Spit-Day 15

As we leave Wharariki and the Puponga Farm Park I say,

“Stop the car! I see a face”

There is a an old man’s face in a natural rock formation across the valley. I managed to see this without realizing it was there, which made it that much more fun. There are signs for those that need them.

We soon feel the need to take a small detour to a visitor center located on the hill above Farewell Spit. There is a sign at the center saying it is no longer in operation, it is for sale, but you can still walk the track, plus there is a skeleton in the yard. I believe it is a Pilot whale from one of the many strandings that occur in this shallow bay.

Random Marine Skeleton at Old Visitors Center — Pilot Whale Skeleton at Old Visitors Center

We climb the hill for this view to the north. The tide is out and the mudflats are huge here. We look the other way, towards the west and see the spit. From the air it looks like a slender scythe blade, curving around a bay.

If we were staying longer I would like to walk the spit to the end, but that is not going to happen this trip. There are so many multi-day tracks to do here it is a little frustrating when we have to leave each place. So many places to go…

We get back in the van to retrace our route back, stopping at Takaka town for groceries. When we come out, in the pouring rain again, we have a totally flat tire. Great. We call the Spaceship people for advice as we are supposed to but there is nothing they can do. It is Saturday night, everything is closed. Shops are closed Sunday as well. We eat some cheese and crackers and wait for the rain to let up, which it does, eventually. At least we are in a parking lot with lights and not on the side of a shoulder-less mountain road. After reading the tire changing instruction card, we manage to install the temporary tire, and get back on the road. We have way more kilometers to go than the limit of 90 km stated on the tire, and we have to go back over that steep mountain with all the switchbacks yet, which makes me really nervous. On the way we see evidence of the coming Christmas. I think today is December 12.

New Zealander’s seem to have a sense of humor when it comes to things we see along the side of the road. Apparently Santa rides his irrigation line in where he can’t find reindeer.

We made it over the mountain, with little fog and no rain, and all the way back to the Mapua Holiday Camp by about 10:pm. We parked in the same spot as the night before, and didn’t even bother to tell them until the morning. They had a nice laundry house so we washed and dried our clothes before we left, and played with Joey, the bird. Onward to Picton!

The sun has actually decided to come out and warm us up! There are all kinds of bays, islands and peninsulas on the way.

We bought our ticket for the Inter Island ferry Line for $152. I think that if you plan ahead and know when you will want to sail, you can get discounted fares. We didn’t plan like that.

While we waited for our departure time, we found a service station that was actually open (on Sunday) and he fixed our tire up right. Then we spent a little time in the Aquarium ,right on the docks, which had live animals.

There was also the Edwin Fox Museum, which houses the oldest surviving merchant ship on earth, next door. We had to go line up our van for the ferry though. We were out of time.

It takes 4 hours to cross the Cook Strait and it can be a rough ride. The ferry we were on was so big it had 10 levels, held 1600 passengers, had movie theaters, food, recliners, you name it. We did not feel the water at all, but we spent a lot of the time on the top deck and it was super windy up there. It wasn’t cold though, and it wasn’t raining either.

We couldn’t stay inside and relax. We had to wander the top deck the whole time, going from side to side for the best views. Occasionally we hunkered down behind a bulkhead to get some relief from the wind. There were Salmon farms, Mussel Farms, mountains, sailboats…

You could always see some little piece of land. The mountains are big enough to see from very far off. There are windmills strategically placed in the windiest spot. I am surprised we did not see more windmills on the South Island, but they generate most of their power from water melting off the mountains.

As we enter Wellington harbor we see it is surrounded by what looks to be quite a large city, so we drive off the ferry and get away as soon as we can. I know there are good museums there but now the sun is out again and I do not want to be inside.

The road hugs the west coast for a bit as we head north, with flat coastal farmland on our right. There is a whole lot of beach , more traffic than we are used to, and we keep driving until we reach the little town of Levin, where there is a camp site for us.

There is also a Rosemary Hedge taller than me outside the very nice kitchen block.

Foxton-Day 16

We had a good nights sleep and continued on our way in the morning with the sun still shining. I spot a big Dutch windmill as we drive by the village of Foxton and we stop to check it out.

We took the self guided tour through three levels and then went around the outside on the upper deck. This working flour mill was built in 1970-72 using high quality craftsmanship and impressive handmade wooden cogs and gears.

It also housed a little museum of sorts for a local soda pop, The Foxton Fizz, which has a humorous advertising campaign worth clicking on the link for.

We bought a small bag of freshly milled flour, had a piece of carrot cake down in the adjoining shop and then started noticing all the murals.

Some of the Murals were about earthquakes. Foxton and all of New Zealand, gets earthquakes regularly. I don’t know how we managed not to feel any while we were here. Click the green link to get the latest on that. Apparently Foxton has experienced 29 quakes (above mag 1.5) in the past year and Christ Church just had a 5.8 magnitude earthquake a few days ago, on February 14. That is a little unnerving.

There is a blog by KiwiDutch with some more good photos of the Foxton Murals and other travels as well.

The Town of Bulls

I had forgotten about this little town called Bulls. They have a big sign as you enter that says “Welcome to Bulls-A Town Like No Udder!”

A little Kiwi humor for you.

Volcanics

So, onward towards the volcanics!

Sorry. I had to include some real world ugly roadside with the gorgeous mountain in the background. There was an I-site here and we made reservations for a hike on the Tongariro Track tomorrow, along with two nights at base camp and a shuttle back and forth from the trailheads. I am not really looking forward to this seriously exhausting hike but I am trying to be positive about it.

Jeff got a speeding ticket through here but we didn’t find out about it until after we got home. The road was really straight and the scenery was a bit distracting.

We made a quick stop at at a bridge over a crevasse called Tree Trunk (video link) where really good kayakers manage to run Waikato gorge . We looked down at it and thought NO WAY, but obviously we are just novices and chickens besides. Oh, well.

Tokeanu Hot Springs

We went on up the road and stopped at our first thermal pools instead.

NZ frenzy says you can get into some diverted hot pools here but they look totally uninviting- dirty cement bath tubs with hardly any water in them-that you have to sneak onto private property to get to.

Cement Troughs with Hot Spring Diversion Channel

So we did the walk path around, checked out all the bubbling mud pots and hot springs, and then went inside the building there and rented a really nice (private, clean, and open to the sky above) hot pool for 20 minutes. It was heaven and more than 20 minutes would have cooked us to mush. You don’t get pictures of this…

There were two Maori historical sites we visited. One was Opotaka village/ campsite and the other was a battlefield where they first used firearms to kill each other. The island in the lake is a sacred site and the mountain in the background is where we will be hiking up to the volcano tomorrow.

There were some friendly ducks and pretty flowers at the Maori site.

We are staying near Lake Taupo and there are black swans and small lava rocks floating on the edges. Pocket size and not heavy. Steam vents are visible on the hills all around the lake.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we have to be fed, packed and ready for the shuttle bus. The camp kitchen is packed, so I am cooking on the Coleman stove tonight. Our friendly German neighbors are also going on the Tongariro hike and we all turn in early.

Wendy Lee- Writing at Edgewise Woods Gardens and Crtitters

New Zealand-2015, South Island

Kaikoura to Wharariki Beach-Day 14-15

February 17, 2016 Edgewise Wendy 1 Comment

Kaikoura-Day 14

We finally reach Route 1 North, headed towards Kaikoura on the East Coast, with the clouds doing their best to follow us. Fingers of solid rock would block the coastal road if not for all the single lane tunnels they have built. Update: On November 14, 2016, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake wiped out much of this road.

Route 1 Near Kaikoura-Many Tunnels Coast Road

It looks like the weather is going to break enough for us to go out on a Whale Watch boat. We had our doubts with all the rain in the mountains yet.

When we get to the launch site, the water has turned a turquoise blue and we are warned that the sea is a little rough today, but still safe to take the boat out.

We will be going out pretty far into open water and will have to stay inside the cabin until we get to the whales. I usually ride standing in the bow of a boat when it is rough to avoid getting seasick, so this makes me somewhat apprehensive. The tour costs $145 NZ each and takes about two and a half hours.

The boat has nice padded, car type seats and the guide is a Maori woman who entertains us with stories and slides while we motor out on the water. There for awhile the waves are crashing over the boat and we are slamming down into the troughs and it is all I can do to not lose my breakfast. I manage to wait until we are allowed outside before I finally spew over the side, just missing a guy downwind. After that I feel a little better and can concentrate on the one whale we finally spot.

This is a Sperm Whale about 40 feet long. Individuals are identified by the shape and markings of their tails. They come up for air and to rest about once per hour for 10-15 minutes .

This one is a male named Tutu. The females stay in warmer waters because they do not have as much blubber to keep them warm. The males who reside near here dive to 1000 meters into the cold Kaikoura trench to eat large fish and giant squid.

Coming back in, the light on the water raced ahead of the clouds. The next place we stopped, as we headed north, was at Oahou Point, near Halfmoon Bay, to see a bunch of Fur seals. They were all over the rocks.

The seals like to hike up a freshwater creek to a waterfall and hangout there, napping. It seems like it would be a hard trek on flippers.

It is very strange for us to see Seals in the woods.

What? You've Never Seen A Seal in the Woods? — What? You’ve Never Seen A Seal in the Woods?

One seal had just given birth to a pup.

The seals don’t seem too bothered by people watching them and mostly nap the day away. We leave them to it and continue our trip North towards Blenheim.

Organic Winery Gate — Organic Huia Winery Gate

I am impressed by an organic Winery along the way. Growing grapes organically is a hard thing to pull off in the states with all the diseases and pests we have. I hope it is easier here.

We are heading inland again and the hills are looking dry.

This mountain has that volcanic blow-out shape. The house has the typical metal roof and low profile we have noticed just about everywhere.

I don’t know how they manage to keep the mountains from sliding down when they clear cut such steep hills. I am also glad I am not the one planting it back or operating the equipment on these slopes.

We skirt around Picton, where we will be catching the ferry in a couple of days, and head towards Nelson, which turns out to be a major seaport town. The weather has turned cold and rainy again and it is getting dark fast. We were thinking this would be a good place to eat fresh fish for a dinner out but it was a weekend night and everything was booked. We finally found a little place right on the water as we left town. It turned out to be quite expensive, but the food was delicious, and we went all out and had wine and desert too. The fish we had was called John Dory, and there was fresh asparagus, a scalloped potato side, and fresh greens, with a lemon curd and raspberry tart.Restaurant on the Water’s Edge

Mapua

We left the restaurant very full and finally found a camp for the night at Mapua. I think we found the camp listed on our GPS. We drove across a private causeway and stopped at the office, but no one was there. They had left a note to call their cell phone as they were at a party nearby. When we called we were told to just park somewhere near the kitchen block and catch up in the morning.

There were signs in the showers telling us that no togs were allowed in the showers, and that during February and March, clothing was optional in camp.

In the morning we met the resident Yellow Crested Cockatoo, Joey. His one phrase was “Hello Joey” and he loved to have his head scratched. So far, it was not raining and soon we were on the road again, headed towards Abel Tasman Park. The farmland we passed on the way was neatly lined with wind breaks.

Riwaka Spring

We have a thing about springs and waterfalls, so we stopped at the Riwaka resurgence, a sacred Maori Spring coming out of the base of Takaka Mountain. No one is allowed to touch the water where it first emerges but there were some kids further down stream taking a quick dip in the really cold and clean water.

As we continued our journey up the mountain, fog was starting to flow downwards. It got darker and darker towards the top.

It was like driving in the middle of the night, except our headlights hardly made a dent in the dense fog. And the road was a windy mountain road. We even came across a poor guy on a bike.

We finally came down out of the clouds, drove through the little town of Takaka and then stopped at Waikoropupu Springs. it was raining hard as we walked the pathways around to the huge springs there.

These giant springs flow at an average 11.5 cubic meters per second and are considered some of the cleanest springs in the world.

Our goal today is to get to the sea caves on Wharariki Beach and then the Cape Farewell spit, at the northern tip of the South Island. As we drive through the more level land on this side of the mountain there are huge pipes irrigating alfalfa fields in the rain, which seems like a waste. There are also acres of red and white bird netting installed over the Kiwi and grape vines and cherries. Flocks of birds are really bad for eating fruit.

Wharariki Beach

When we arrive at the Puponga Farm car park for our hike to Wharariki Beach, we are greeted by a peacock from the tiny Holiday Park there. This would have been a great place to camp if the timing had worked for us. The guy who runs it is very creative, and has built a magical outdoor bar with hammocks and tree tables.

As we step over the stile, we meet a welcoming committee of sheep,

Our narrow track runs right through the middle of this gorgeously green and picturesque sheep meadow on the way to the beach.

More sheep wonder why we are passing through.

We wind through dunes covered in wind blown looking coastal trees, through sandy tunnels,

over a small creek, and eventually emerge on top of the last dune for a view of the beach.

The sand has been blown undisturbed with very few signs of people out here.

Some of the stacks are surrounded by water.

Others have slots you can get into.

There are seals laying about, tucked into sheltered corners.

There was one one big male seal perched way up on a huge rock, overlooking his domain.

Grandfather Seal Looming Over Young Buck

An obviously younger male seal, tried very hard to climb up the steep rock face to him, which looked extremely difficult using flippers. When he finally got to where he could peer upwards, the old Alpha male just shot him a disgusted look- daring him to take one more step. The young one slowly slid back down the rock, slumping exhausted onto the sand, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.

Colors and Textrues in Rock — Colors and Textures in Rock

Some of the rocks had fantastic colors and layers of fossils.

There were sea caves all over the place.

It is wonderful how so many dunes are wild and intact in New Zealand.

The wind blows the sand into patterns, wildflowers grow…roadside horses say howdy on the way out …

We could stay here a long time but need to start back. We have to get as close as we can to Picton and the ferry tonight so we can catch a ride to the North Island tomorrow. Good bye Wharariki Beach.

Wendy Lee, writing at Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters

New Zealand-2015, South Island

Pancake Rocks to Hanmer Springs-Day 12-13

February 16, 2016 Edgewise Wendy

Day 12 on the South Island

It is day twelve of our four weeks in New Zealand and we already wish we had more time here. The South Island has so many tempting mountain tracks to tramp and such a variety of beaches to explore that we could easily spend months here. We like to play the “what if we lived here” game and imagine what it would be like, but so far have not found any place here that would make us leave home permanently. The oceans are beautiful but too cold, the mountains are gorgeous but many are treeless, some because of the snow and ice, others due to clear cutting ages ago and then sheep farming. I love coming home to our Appalachian mountains after being away, no matter where I have traveled.

The past few days, the sky has colored itself a stormy grey and the rain keeps coming and going but it is not enough to get in our way. I am glad to not be traveling on a bicycle though. We made sure we brought good rain gear on this trip and it has kept us dry and comfortable. We wear quick dry hiking pants and breathable rain pants with side zips that slip on easily over our hiking boots so we can adjust to weather changes quickly. I wear a long sleeved T-shirt, my many pocketed travel vest, with a breathable rain jacket/ wind breaker on top as needed . When it gets colder, I add a fleece jacket underneath and gloves. I have not needed my long johns, but it is the beginning of summer here and I have not trekked any serious mountain tops. I have a set of ear pops to keep the wind out of my ears, which I love so much that I bought my daughters each a pair for Christmas this year. They are made of fleece and have a tension spring built into them that holds them onto your ears without touching your hair, making them almost invisible, and are so comfortable I forget I have them on.

Today, we start from our camp north of Greymouth and continue heading up the west coast in search of cool rocks, wildlife and vistas.

View From Kaipakaki Point — View From Punakaiki /Pancake Rocks

The morning starts off grey and drippy again but it stops raining as we get out of the van at Punakaiki and the limestone layered Pancake Rocks, just a little ways up the coast from camp.

Stacks of Pancake Rocks

The rocks really do look like stacks of pancakes and the path winds through some of the rocks, using the natural ledges as steps, reminding me of the stone Appalachian Trail steps going through Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

The trail winds around up on the cliff, with a view of rocks jutting out of the Tasman Sea and seals hanging out relaxing on just about every rock down below.

At first they look like rocks themselves, but then your eye gets tuned to seeing them and they are everywhere.

Mama Seal with Babay — Mama Seal with Baby

One rock was covered in black birds that I was hoping may have been Westland Petrels, which nest nearby in burrows, but they are probably a more common shag.

If we had come at high tide we could have seen Blowholes in some of the sea caves here. Thunderous surge pools bring in waves of kelp and mermaid grass, swirling around and ebbing back out.

New Zealand Flax is blooming red along the pathways, and someone has woven a frond into a cool shape.

There is a ground dwelling bird called a Weka hanging out near the path. New Zealand has a lot of birds that don’t really fly, which is why many of them are endangered. It is too easy for predators to grab them on the ground and where dogs are even allowed in a park, they must be kept leashed.

We wander back out of Pancakes along a path that looks a lot more tropical than it feels at the moment. I can’t seem to get used to the palm trees that show up everywhere we go.

The next stop is at the Fox river where there are sea caves and a tunnel that locals used to get to a hidden beach on the far side of this point, before there was a road and bridge built.

After walking through the tunnel we crossed back over the road and were searching for the trail head to the sea cave. It looked like you had to walk right through the private gardens of some little cottages to get there, and I did not want to be trespassing. I saw a guy walking across the road bridge, so I back tracked to ask him about the way to go. He turned out to be the caretaker told us to go ahead, it was a public path. The three cottages were tucked away and very private except for that, but it turned out no one was in residence just then, so we didn’t end up bothering anyone anyway.

The cave was open to the sea on two sides and to land on the third, so it wasn’t too dark inside, and it was much larger than I expected.

A very well hidden path around back of the smallest cottage went through a crack in the rock, over a pile of driftwood, and came out on a well hidden beach. We would not have seen this if folks were about.

Over Driftwood to Hidden Beach at Fox River

It started raining hard again as we read the sign for the nearby Inland Track.

A major portion of the loop was closed due to a recent Typhoon so we did not feel too bad about not hiking it this trip.

We got back in the van, stopping at Cape Foulwind (where the wind and rain was really very foul) for views of large seal colonies, before heading inland towards the mountains once again.

Even the seals couldn’t find any sun to bath in. They were in the water out of the wind. We decide to drive East into the mountains in hopes of escaping the heavy rain that is forecast for the West coast for the next few days. The West coast of the South Island gets most of the rainfall because the clouds come from the west and get hung up on the mountains. Milford Sound averages 264 inches of rain a year, while Dunedin, on the East Coast, only gets about 28 inches. We are hoping to get ahead of the clouds.

Every now and then a little patch of sunlight pokes it’s way through.

The higher ( and closer) the mountains get, the more naked they appear.

Still trying to get ahead of the clouds. At least the roads are dryer and the wind is less.

Finally we come out into a wide valley with the clouds not quite making it over onto our side.

Into the Clear Valley — Into the Clear Maruia River Valley

Once we reach the Maruia River Valley follow it upstream and south along Rt 65 heading East again and crossing the mountains south of Nelson Lakes National Park. It was a shame to miss that whole park but the rain was unrelenting at that point. We did get a chance to check out a wild hot spring on the way over, which was situated at the base of a fresh rockslide. I still would have gotten in except that as soon as I knelt down to feel the water, a humongous cloud of biting sand flies descended on my head.I had to give it up. No way was I getting naked with that many hungry sand flies. The water felt nice though and it was a shame to walk away.

As the sun was getting low we entered Hanmer Springs, which is a resort town with fancy golf courses and hot springs. We took a risk and checked into a Top Ten Holiday Park because there did not seem to be much available near there and we were tired. It had good showers and a decent kitchen but not much else going for it. We slept and left first thing in the morning, before anybody else even got up.

Tomorrow we continue to head East and then we’ll swing around North and go back West towards Able Tasman. We might go whale watching if the weather holds off long enough.

-Wendy Lee writing at Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters

New Zealand-2015, South Island

Fox Glacier to Rapahoe Beach-Day 11

February 8, 2016 Edgewise Wendy 2 Comments

Lake Wanaka to the Glaciers and Beyond- Day 12

After emerging from the long road to Rob Roy we drove down the entire length of Lake Wanaka, which got less and less inhabited, and stopped at Boundary Creek for this late afternoon view.

View of Lake Wanaka from Boundary Creek Overlook

We were traveling up towards the Haast Pass, following the river valley, and pulled into the Makaroa Camp as night fell. There were a fair amount of hikers but none of them seemed very friendly.

The kitchen/ dining building was a great space and the showers were appreciated. I cooked up some Ramen noodles with fresh veggies thrown in, had a glass of wine, and went to bed.

In the morning we packed up and started up the valley to the Haast Pass.

Clouds Hanging On the Southern Alps at Haast Pass

The clouds hugging the peaks looked cold but it was nice and warm in the valley.

Cold Water and Warm Air Equals Fog in Valley

Melting Glaciers and snow pack from the mountains up ahead make for some seriously cold water. This valley floods in a big thaw but we are past that time now.

We climbed the last peak and everything started to flatten out, the types of trees changed and we crossed the Haast River one last time.

We appreciated the clear signage on all the single lane bridges. This one means those on the left heading towards the coast must stop (small red arrow) and yield to those coming at them Big Black Arrow). This was a rare bridge with a lay by in the middle in case you got caught out there.

The West coast loomed up suddenly and the trees changed again, into salt tolerant layers that leaned away from the wind.

Tasman Sea at Tauperikaka Marine Reserve

The sky cleared off as we followed a walking trail through the dunes and reached a white sandy beach covered in driftwood.

The sand turned to pebbles as we walked North towards the point.

This beach was formed by runoff from the glaciers as they retreated into the mountains behind here. The stones on the beach have many different origins and have been worn smooth by first glacial grind and then ocean wear.

This whole area is now a Marine Preserve and a small kiosk at the car park tells of finding bits of wreckage of an old wooden sailing ship, the Schomberg, lodged in this creek. The ship went down in 1855 just shy of Melbourne Australia, and parts of it floated 2000 km east, across the Tasman sea, to land here.

Next stop is at Fox Glacier, about 2 hours North.

You don’t need to be able to read to know what this means. Glacial runoff can be quite unpredictable.

The Long Walk to What is Left of Fox Glacier

The glacier has retreated so far that it is a long walk up to it theses days.

The glacier creates its’ own weather and there is a cold head wind blowing off it as we walk in. The ground is all gravel wash.

This is as far as you are allowed to go without a trained guide and special equipment. People die trying to get too close. Look at the tiny mouth of the drainage in the distance, zoomed in below. People actually try to get in there even though it is constantly collapsing.

Closeup of Ice Cave Drainage Under Fox Glacier

Even Jeff was not tempted to do that.

Looking Back at Last Climb With Sign That Says-"Don't Stop for Next 400M! Rocks Falling" — Looking Back at Last Climb With Sign That Says-“Don’t Stop for Next 400M! Rocks Falling”

By the time you decide to visit here, the glacier may be totally gone. The only way to see what is left these days is by helicopter. They fly by every 15 minutes and are loud and obnoxious. You might want to arrive before they start flying for the day, or be in the helicopter yourself.

The next Stop is at Franz Joseph Glacier.

We are greeted by a sign.

After walking down the trail to where it crosses the river, we get another sign.

Trail to Franz Joseph Closed Due to Flooding and Storm Surge

So much for that. We drive back out to the coast, go over yet another single lane bridge…

…and arrive at Rapahoe Bay Holiday Park , a private oasis set up in an old one room schoolhouse right on the beach. It is run by a woman who lives in a tiny building connected to the camp who obviously loves to garden. She has a handyman on site as well. There is nothing fancy or upscale about the place but it is welcoming , restful and full of charm.

Our site was tucked away in a corner and surrounded by tall green hedges with a wild sort of path through the shrubs onto the beach.

It was only a few steps through the brush to reach the pebble beach.

The entire beach is covered in super smooth grey rocks, which makes me think that the sea is really rough here and it might not be such a great place to swim, if it was warm enough, which it is not.

The school house has a well outfitted kitchen, easily set up to share pots and pans and all kinds of hanging utensils. We join the other folks in there and get to talking as we cook. One woman is by herself and this is the first time she has ever gone “camping” or even away by herself. She is hesitant to join in the group conversation but warms up after awhile.

One woman of a couple has stories to tell about being the 111 operator in Christ Church during the big earthquake a few years ago. She tells us that if we knew how limited the emergency services on the South Island were we would not want to come. She had to pull help from anybody she could think of to get people help. If she knew somebody with a good tractor or a chainsaw or a winch, she lined them up. Friends with 4 wheel drives became ambulances, people who knew somebody with a helicopter got called in. She ended up leaving her job because of the stress, 12 hour shifts, and low pay, and is much happier now. But she says just about everybody quit and now help gets routed through the North Island and they don’t know any neighbors who can help down here.

There were nine of us at dinner, sharing tables to eat. The ex 111 operator brought out a homemade banana cake and shared it all around. We sat, drank wine and talked until way past bedtime.

The sound of ocean waves on the loose stones rocked me to sleep.

Next Post- Pancake Rocks and beyond.

-Wendy lee , writing at edgewisewoods

New Zealand-2015, South Island

Keye Summit Hike_Day 9-10

February 4, 2016 Edgewise Wendy 1 Comment

Knob Flats Campground Day 9-10

We woke up to a beautiful morning at Knob Flats, the rain finally moved on. It was going to be a beautiful sunny day.

First stop was at the Earl Mountain Track and a river crossing over a single strand wire bridge with a short hike to a waterfall. I have never seen another bridge like it but it worked just fine.

Of course you have to bounce up and down on it some to get the full effect.

This was the excellent view from our parking spot.

The next stop was at The Divide, where the Routeburn track meets with the Keye Summit Track. We were heading up to Keye Summit.

The weather was warming up from the 5 degrees C last night and it was already 11C. Layers started to peel off.

The regular trail ended but the Frenzy Book told us to keep on going out past the marsh on a little used path.

It kept going and going and sort of petered out, but we kept going because it was too peaceful and gorgeous to stop. And the weather was absolutely perfect.

Hard to believe the beauty, isn’t it?

We were about three and a half hours in by now and it just kept getting better.

There were alpine plants and marshes way up there. We had climbed 1750 feet from the beginning of the trail. no body else was up there but us.

This is looking Northeast down from our unnamed track.

This was near the top towards the North West.

The different hues in the water indicate glacial melt the closer turquoise cloudy lake, and rain catchment of the clearer, darker color.

There were these shallow, clear, warmish pools on the upper tundra that looked like a good place to see frogs, but we didn’t see any. Little early maybe.

How could you NOT follow this trail? It called to us.

We ate our lunch and soaked up a few rays and finally headed back down the trail,only because there is so much we want to see here. If you ever go you have got to do this trail out beyond Keye Summit.

Next post will be closer to Milford.

-Wendy Lee, writing at edgewisewoods

New Zealand-2015, South Island

Milford Sound to Rob Roy Glacier-Day 8-9

February 3, 2016 Edgewise Wendy 4 Comments

Milford-Day 8

As we leave the Divide Parking area and Keye Summit track, we turn towards Milford again, and see the solid rock mountains we have to drive through to get there. This area is often inaccessible in the winter months due to snow and avalanches. The government has an avalanche monitoring program and they sometimes they set charges via helicopter to bring them down with some degree of control.

The road has signs declaring the need for chains and warnings saying not to stop in avalanche zones during the winter months. Like if you didn’t stop, you could outrun an avalanche…

The Milford Road Hits the Mountains Dead On

The Homer Tunnel is coming up, which a hardy group of men bored through the solid rock mountain between 1930 and 1952 , having stopped construction during WWII. It is a long one lane tunnel and we have to wait about 20 minutes for the light to tell us when it is safe to go through from our side. This light does not work after dark and I would not want to wonder if someone was coming. We do it in daylight. While we wait, Jeff has to go snow caving in the last of the snow.

If you look close at the picture below you will see the tunnel mouth we have just come through.

Then we stopped for a short walk up The Chasm and we caught a Kea bird in the process of taking the gasket off a rental car’s windshield. He could smell some candy left on the dash through a window that was cracked open, and he wanted it badly.

The Chasm was an easy walk in a deep and narrow gorge with a rushing snow-melt river that would eventually empty into Milford Sound.

There were views along the trail of the gorgeous mountains.

When we got to the foreshore walk in Milford, the sun was getting low, the temperature was dropping, and it was windy.

Milford Shore — Milford Sound From the Fore Shore

Milford Waterfall — Waterfall At Milford

It had been raining lately, so there were waterfalls on the fjord. We were glad we had done the boat ride across Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound so we were satisfied to just gaze on Milford from land. We started heading back the way we came towards the Homer tunnel again. we stopped just before it and another Kea came and visited us.

Kea checking Out Some Velcro on the Roof

After stopping at various waterfalls on the way, we pulled into Knob Flats to spend another night and enjoy the wonderful hot showers.

In the morning we got a late start and as we headed down and out the valley we saw all kinds of buses headed in, so that was a good thing. For some reason we kept seeing Chinese tourists taking pictures of their young teenage daughters jumping in mid air whenever we passed a view point. It was strange. Normally we saw them taking selfies on a stick.

We knew we had finally left the park when there were green meadows and sheep everywhere again.

We passed clean glacial lakes with, I hear, some huge fish in them.

Glacial Lakes Everywhere- Devils Staircase Lookout

We are heading in the general direction of Queenstown, but as we get there we realize it is not our kind of place at all. It looks like a touristy shopping frenzy, so we drive right through it and go up a loop road behind there, stopping at Arrowtown instead. This is a very small, old gold mining town, much quieter, although still touristy. We did the museum, which was well put together in an old storefront, checked out one shop and had an ice cream cone before leaving.

We are looking forward to hiking to Rob Roy Glacier tomorrow. On the way though, we come across the first commercial Bungee jumping operation in the world and have to check it out. With photos, not jumping. I have no desire to put my back to that test, ever.

Apparently you can specify how far down you want to go when you bounce. One of the options is right into the water. At least it’s clean and they have a rescue raft ready.

We start seeing acres of Kiwi and Cherry Orchards under bird netting, and vineyards in the valleys.

We ended up at Lake Wanaka for the night, in an ugly campground on the hill overlooking the lake and lots of wind. We did not have high hopes.

Our parking spot was right next to the kitchen and shower block, so at least we did not have far to go.

Surprisingly, while we were eating our dinner, we met a foursome consisting of two Brits and their French girlfriends who were camping in tents across from us. They shared their wine and we told stories to each other until almost midnight. It was a blast. In the morning we all went our separate ways, ours to Rob Roy.

Our English and French Friends at Wanaka

We didn’t do anything at Lake Wanaka itself, although there were flyers all over the kitchen bulletin board of all the local activities. New Zealand has some wild ideas of what fun is. There is Canyoning, which is throwing yourself down narrow whitewater canyons and hoping you emerge with no broken bones and still breathing air, for one. Then there are lot of jet boats on freezing cold water, jumping out of helicopters on skies, ice climbing, you name it. I would not have wanted to do some of these even when I was much younger.

As we drove towards our nice calm glacier hike, the hills were getting bigger and serious mountains with snow caps started to appear again.

We drove, and drove…the road turned to gravel…we drove through the creek nine times. There were sheep in the meadows and waterfalls coming down the sides of all the hills. The weather was perfect for a hike. And it wasn’t even windy.

Road Turns to Gravel and Crosses Creek Nine Times

Some of the creek crossings were pretty deep and splashed over the hood.

Most of them were fairly shallow. Finally, it was time to abandon the car and start hiking on this beautiful day. We loaded up our packs with food and water and headed up the trail.

There was a well built bridge over the river. A lot of folks hike this trail but it was not at all crowded on the trail and there were only cars in the parking area, no buses.

The trail starts climbing up the side valley and we take our first breather at the view over the main valley below.

We keep climbing. Rob Roy’s elevation is at 8,672 feet so we have a long ways to go. There is a glacial blue stream rolling over boulders on our left and layers of clothing are coming off as we steadily climb through shady forest.

We emerge out of the woods into clearings for great views of where we are hoping to go.

Every now and then we hear what sounds like thunder or maybe an explosion, which is a little scary. We start thinking about avalanches. There are signs periodically telling you how to react if there is one.

We finally come out into a wide open boulder field and see a thousand foot tall waterfall and Rob Roy behind it. That is when we hear another BOOM! and we see chunks of glacier calving off. It echos throughout the canyon for a good while. It is no danger to us since it is still so far away and on the other side of the gorge. It seems much closer until you try to hike to it.

It is the beginning of summer and there are wildflowers about. I think this plant is in the Ranunculus family. We stop for lunch at the end of the normal trail where there are about twenty people scattered about sitting on boulders and soaking up sunshine. There is a good view of the waterfall, the creek below, and the glacier, which is way across the gorge and still much higher than us.

Where Rob Roy was Calving

About once an hour chunks come off and bounce down the rock face with a powerful deafening sound.

We want to get closer to the main glacier, further back the valley, so we find a tiny remnant of path and continue up hill.

We have to wade through chest high gorse, and climb boulder trails, but it is a beautiful day so we don’t mind. We have finally gotten used to hiking and climbing after doing it so much, so it has gotten much easier.

The rock is a granite schist and comes in all kinds of colors .

We keep climbing and climbing without seeming to get any closer to the top, but every little bit is a new milestone.

We finally stopped when we realized that we could see just about all of it just over this rise. The glacier is obviously shrinking each year as a lot of them are these days. We made a little cairn of rocks to mark our spot, took some photos and headed back down the nonexistent path.

It was going to take us a long while just to get back to the marked trail.

So of course we had to hike down to the water to see just how cold it was before going back up to meet the main trail. I think it was actually colder than ice water.

Looking Back at Rob Roy

It is kind of amazing how far you can hike and still never reach the top.

After we made it all the way down to the wide river bottom in the main valley, we took a footbridge, while the sheep tip toed through the creek.

Notice one lamb’s banded tail has dropped off while the other is still holding on. We occasionally found some of these dropped tails while hiking…

According to the GPS, we had hiked seven and one half hours and did 12.9 miles with an elevation gain of only 1840 feet. No wonder we never reached the top. It was a great hike though, and we went further than most people do. After we got back in the van (and took our boots off!) we started back out the gravel road and came across these Kayakers that had just been dropped off by an outfitter. You would not want to fall into this cold water. They had a short trip, as we saw the outfitter waiting for their arrival ,down the road just a few miles.

The next thing we came to was cows wandering around in the road.

Then we reached pavement and there were sheep all over the road.

Then Elk which were fenced in…Finally we got back out on the main road and ended up getting to a camp in tiny Makaroa as night fell.

Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog. I want to share as much as I can without boring anyone to death.

-Wendy lee, writing at edgewisewoods

New Zealand-2015, South Island

Taieri Beach to Doubtful Sound-Day 5-7

February 2, 2016 Edgewise Wendy

Taieri Beach-Night 4

We spent our fourth night at the tiny Taieri Mouth holiday beach camp, a tiny little place tucked behind the dunes, with a path giving direct access to the beach.

We parked, did our walk through to get familiar with the kitchen and bath setups, and immediately headed down through the wildflower covered dunes, emerging onto a flat endless beach.

We picked up abalone shells and watched the sunset over the water and had to tear ourselves away to go back and cook dinner.

Cooking was fun because we shared the kitchen with two young French couples who had work visa’s as environmental engineers and were also tramping (Kiwi for long hikes) around the South Island for a year. They spoke mostly French, and since we do not, we had an amusing time trying to talk about our travels. This ended up being one of our favorite camps because it was so small and friendly and we had such great interactions with other folks.

The showers were basic rustic cement block but the kitchen was homey and we all fit around the table. After dinner we went back out on the beach to star gaze in the incredible unbroken darkness.

Taieri Sunrise

We met the camp owner at checkout in the morning and she said she had come here on holiday two years ago and ended up buying the camp so she could stay. She lives in a tiny camp house, keeps a few laying hens, grows a garden and works in Dunedin as a security guard for the hospital at night. There was also an older guy living in one of the single room camp huts with his labradoodle who just couldn’t bear to leave. He was barely getting by on his pension and was enjoying his simplistic arrangement.

Right after the sunrise there was a rainbow, and now it is raining and we are driving down a dirt road with sheep on both sides of the road. Always sheep.

As we drive down the coast, we stop at every little cove, waterfall, trail and lighthouse that we see. There are always seals or sea lions down below on the rocks, resting up from their swims and waiting to sun themselves on this still grey morning.

This area on the south east portion of the island is called the Catlins. You might think it would be chilly all the time this far south, considering that Antartica is the next place down, but the ocean currents sweep down from up near the equator on the West side of the island and then hug the shore on the East side heading back north, so the weather is tempered here. On warm days there are cool breezes and on cool days there are warm breezes. Breezes being the key word.

There are little Blue penguins and Yellow Eyed penguins that nest along this shore, where there are rocky places, protected pools and bush areas coming down to the waters edge. The parents hide the babies in the scrub brush while they go out fishing for the day, and then when it gets dark they come back and feed them regurgitated fish. We are going to see if we can spot some tonight at Curio Bay.

Tokata/ Nugget Point is the next stop on our way this rainy morning. A rocky promontory with a lighthouse out on the end and nuggets of rocks jutting out into the ocean, which has wrecked many a ship.

Tautuku Nature walk is a little further down the way and it finally stops raining. It is a jungle, one of the few left after the colonial settlers arrived and cut down all the timber.

Walking in it brings home just how daunting it would have been to arrive on this coast from a little wooden ship and try to make your way inland.

There are giant tree ferns, Liana vines, bayonet like sword ferns, huge trees and very little light. A machete would have been useful, but luckily there is something of a path for us. Suddenly you emerge through the tall strappy flax right onto a totally flat deserted sandy beach. NZ flax is not the blue flowered Linum that we know but rather Phormium tenax and Phormium colensoi, known by the Māori names harakeke and wharariki respectively. The Maori used the plant fibers for clothing, ropes and fishing baskets.

McLeans Falls- another short walk we came across. There are tromps and trails everywhere in New Zealand.

The last stop of the day was down the road a bit for a chance to see penguins coming in after nightfall to feed their young parked up in the bush. We sat among the petrified tree molds in the rocks at Curio Bay for four hours as the tide came in and the sun went down. It was windy and cold and then it got dark and even colder. As usual we had layered our rain gear over quick dry hiking clothes, so we were comfortable.

We sat out until 9:30 Pm and finally manged to see one Penguin emerge from the nursery in the shrubs, which was cool. By then the crowd of 30 people had thinned to five of us die-hards.

Penguin Parent

We ended up camping way up on the bluff that night, stashed among a giant flax maze, overlooking Curio Bayon one side and Porpoise Bay on the other. We arrived way after dark and were surprised in the morning to find just how close we were to the cliff edge. No wonder it was so windy that night. The van was rocking with it and we were worried the tent would blow off but we still slept really well.

Day 6

The main part of the camp was overlooking Porpoise Bay, where people swim with the endangered Hector Dolphins under the pretense of learning to surf. No body was out there since it was still too cold to swim. And windy. There are only three to four thousand Hector Dolphins left on the planet, with genetically separate groups surviving only around the NZ South Island. These porpoises don’t travel from the East coast to the West coast so the gene pool stays separate and limits their adaptability.

The light changes constantly, as does the weather, and the ocean was mesmerizing to watch.

Heading inland a little ways now, the next semi-planned stop is the Cliffden Caves, to see Glow Worms, and because Jeff just has to go caving or he gets antsy.

The entrance is small but it opens up inside and there are some gorgeous formations.

There are Glow Worms all over the ceilings which you can spot as glistening spider web like threads hanging down when your light hits them. You turn off your lights and they look like a sky full of stars over your head. The cave is in very good shape considering how easy it is to find and a little strange in that there are reflector tapes marking the way out. We were hoping to do a through trip but the pool of water at the other end looked really deep and we didn’t want to get soaked. It turns out, it was only knee deep and we could have done it without getting all that wet. The reflection on the water fooled us. At least we kept our boots dry.

And now, for the rest of the day we drive on towards Manapouri and Doubtful Sound, which the New Zealand Frenzy books
say is a better choice for a boat trip than the, for some reason more well known , Milford Sound. Since we had not reserved a space on a boat in advance, we stopped at the launch site for Real Journey’s on Lake Manapouri for information, and were inspired and lucky enough to get a space for a trip the next morning. I love it when things just work out like they are meant to be. They recommended the small, local Manopouri Holiday Park, which we had not seen advertised anywhere, and it also turned out to be a great choice.

The owners came here with their VW camper bus in the 1970’s from the U.S. ,and proceeded to build Swiss style mini chalets and campsites.

We parked in our un-powered site tucked into the trees and proceeded to make ourselves at home, doing laundry and cooking dinner in the clean and homey kitchen building. The photo on my New Zealand page is of the kitchen here.

Day 7- Doubtful Sound

In the morning we boarded the first boat to take us across Lake Manapouri, which was beautiful in its own right. At the far end is a mostly underground water powered electric station that normally we could have toured. Today, though it was under some kind of maintenance and closed to tours. That’s Ok by me as I am more interested in visiting the fjord. It is called a sound but that is not what it truly is and to get there you either have to enter from the sea (which is not likely as it is in the middle of nowhere) or you have to cross Lake Manopouri and travel overland 22 km to the Fjord and get on another boat to travel around it. When they built the power plant they built a road over that 22km stretch that begins and ends in water. There is a bus that takes us across the mountain on a one lane road where we board another boat to tour Doubtful.

It is an off and on rainy day and waterfalls are everywhere in the sound. The boat has a comfy sitting area inside where it is warm and dry and you can pour yourself some hot tea and listen to the guide. It is easy to get up and go outside and get some great photos.

Penguins and dolphins both come into the sound.

Every now and then it clears up a bit.

Rain Brings Waterfalls to Doubtful Sound

And then the clouds paint it back. We traveled up three arms of the fjord and they were all gorgeous.

If it had been sunny and hot it would have been very different. It was a perfectly beautiful way to spend a rainy day for us.

The captain and guide were unobtrusive yet friendly and observant, allowing us to get close enough to get sprayed on by one big waterfall.

Today was Jeff’s birthday and this is what he got, a good seven and a half hours long memory of a great day spent with a few nice people from all over the world.

When we disembarked it was time to look for our next home for the night, so we headed towards TeAnau and Milford Sound.

After a short stop at Mirror Lake we camped for the night at Knob Flats, which is run by the DOC (Department of Conservation). This was a great little camp with a ranger in residence who directed us to a great little trail to a waterfall in the woods right behind us, that we would never have known about otherwise.

We’ll start there an the next post.

-wendy lee writing at edgewisewoods

Wairakei Thermal Park

Craters of the Moon

Wairakei Terraces

Waio-Tapu Thermal Park

Rotorua

Tongariro Alpine Crossing-Day 18

Climb To The Top

Rotorua Thermals

Wakarewarewa Redwoods

Okere Waterfalls and Tutea Caves

Kaiate Falls

Farewell Spit-Day 15

Foxton-Day 16

The Town of Bulls

Volcanics

Tokeanu Hot Springs

Kaikoura-Day 14

Mapua

Riwaka Spring

Wharariki Beach

Day 12 on the South Island

Lake Wanaka to the Glaciers and Beyond- Day 12

Knob Flats Campground Day 9-10

Milford-Day 8

Taieri Beach-Night 4

Day 6

Day 7- Doubtful Sound

Near West Virginia and Far, Far Beyond