New Zealand smells: fragrant, spicy ,earthy, pungent, medicinal, sweet, ferny and of course like the ocean. My tramp Otaki Forks to the Otaki River in the Tararua Forest Park was another example of that richness. I am constantly amazed by the depth of scent in the air, how from the river up to the meadow the smells can change so dramatically. Perhaps I am noticing them so well because they are unfamiliar?
At the trail head there is a sign-in to state "intentions". I looked at it... and decided I was only going for a short walk, so why fill up the book with unimportant/trivial excursions? I do however heed the sign which indicates good walking shoes recommended.
Down the track to the river and over the suspension bridge. A sign indicates choices, I take the short "40" min choice to Otaki River. ( I thought this was the Otaki River?) Very pleasant walking up to a meadow/plateau/bench, they call it a "flat". Easy, although the sun is getting hot, another crossroads (crosstrails?) and I continue along the edge of the flat. Then into the bush along a narrow trail, roots etc. Out of the sun descending rapidly. I'm thinking (again) nobody knows where I am, what if?... I slip a bit and arrive at the river. What a beautiful spot for a swim! It doesn't take long to get hot again so off with the clothes and into the water. Yes, it was cold but I put up with that and did some strokes back and forth across the pool. The current was quite fierce and I ended up in a back eddy that had me swimming hard, but hey no worries. Dry off in the sun get dressed and head out to turn my ankle on the first step up the hill. Yow! Luckily for me I know how to fall (I have done so , sooo many times) and previous experience has shown walking on it works best. In other words, ignore it and move on.
Some hikers passing by take my picture, suddenly this is action central and a group of about 12 goes by loaded down with huge packs smiles on their faces.
On the way in I stopped, as the view was quite dramatic, to take a picture until I noticed someone behind me, so stop again well off the road. Somehow they don't really give the sense of being perched on an unstable cliff edge driving along a very narrow road.
Out the woods and back on the highway, I stop in Waikanae for fuel, me and the van. No wireless at the library, but I am able to plug in and charge while I type up the mornings adventures.
Saturday, 30 January 2010
onward to Otaki Beach
Driving seems endless sometimes, I am amazed at how fast these folks drive, zipping past me and yet many hold back preferring to ride my tail for miles and miles until the passing lane appears. The motorcycles though are the worst, coming up out of nowhere and suddenly right beside me this shocking noise and then gone. One fellow passed me doing at least 120. A cop appears at the next intersection on the right, waiting to join the stream. Motorcycle goes by, I go by, the guy behind me goes by, the cop pulls in behind him and stops him for what, speeding? I am going just under the limit so he can't be going over... Duh.
I pick up a hitchhiker after buying some fruit in Foxton.
Did I tell you how hard it is to find grapefruit? Actually it is not that difficult to get grapefruit from the USA although often there are none in the stores. What I want is local NZ grapefruit. They look like ugly fat oranges and taste very different. Anyway a guy at the fruit stand sent me into town and I found some.
This hitchhiker is going to Levin, he has been working on a pig farm (hmm should I have picked him up?) when he gets in I figure he is a German tourist because of his accent.... No. That is my ear not used to the NZ accent. I tell him I'm going to the festival so he suggests a route. I take it and end up not that far away but , "you can't get there from here" It is over the next road but I need to back to the highway to get there.
It turns out to be a wild goose chase. Camping is sold out and I am not encouraged to stick around. I feel old around all these young folks, families etc. Certainly there are some old guys like me but they look a little over the hill and I don't! Friday is a set up day/evening so lots of coming and going confusion, first I can't then a maybe. I walk around looking at the sights, dreads on heads on chins, bikinis and lots of small children. The usual arrays of cheap cottons from India, Indonesia and where ever else, jewelry, vegetarian food and coffee. Big signs on the approach NO ALCOHOL, YOU WILL BE SEARCHED etc. I have JUST purchased a12 pack of Tui, I have mead I purchased a couple weeks ago... I'm thinking "this is not going to work" The guys stop me at the gate , ask me if I have a ticket? No ? then go see info, park over there...
There is a beer garden! People are walking around with plastic cups full of the stuff. Organic beer, many varieties.
I check out the swimming hole at the river more kids, more bikinis, more dreads playing Djembes. Some of those gypsy wagons are here, all painted up surrounding really ancient looking trucks. I wander past the info tent and hear the fellow who gave me the maybe being quoted as saying "sorry no available camping tonight" The message seems clear. I am outa here.
I decide I need a dose of beach. The first one I come to is Kuku beach road, it goes on and on and on. Finally I come to the entrance. A Maori fellow is sitting there on his ATV. There is a sign indicating this is Maori tribal land, please respect it don't litter etc. I wave to the guy drive in and discover I am not going far and the beach is waay off in the distance beyond some running water and dunes and a swamp. I try the other road where this fellow is now parked. We turn off our respective engines. He notices right away I am not local, and suggests going to Otaki Beach further south since, "this is not a great beach" Then "I just got off work milking and I am going for a swim". After I have turned around, I emerge and he is conversing with a young woman in a red car, maybe they will go swim together? NOMB
Drive on to Otaki , buy some takeaway fish and chips with scallop,oyster and mussels YUM! Park at the end of the beach where all the fishermen are fishing. After eating I walk down to the river mouth where I speak with a couple of fishers. One couple has short rods, they are fishing for Mullet in the river mouth, everyone else has a rod at least 12' long casting out into the surf for ....? except for the two kayak fisher who are waay out there with two short rods each.
The sun sets beside Kapiti Island and I stop writing to take a few pictures. I am attacked (not really) by a swarm of little flies. Just annoying really. I hide in the van till they go away.
This is freedom camping, out on an isolated beach (no facilities) parked for the night.
The moon is up, bright as day in the night and in the morning it is an orange orb on the Norwestern horizon. Sleep seem unlikely as the fishermen start arriving, so I drive to the facilities, have some breakfast and do my writing.
I pick up a hitchhiker after buying some fruit in Foxton.
Did I tell you how hard it is to find grapefruit? Actually it is not that difficult to get grapefruit from the USA although often there are none in the stores. What I want is local NZ grapefruit. They look like ugly fat oranges and taste very different. Anyway a guy at the fruit stand sent me into town and I found some.
This hitchhiker is going to Levin, he has been working on a pig farm (hmm should I have picked him up?) when he gets in I figure he is a German tourist because of his accent.... No. That is my ear not used to the NZ accent. I tell him I'm going to the festival so he suggests a route. I take it and end up not that far away but , "you can't get there from here" It is over the next road but I need to back to the highway to get there.
It turns out to be a wild goose chase. Camping is sold out and I am not encouraged to stick around. I feel old around all these young folks, families etc. Certainly there are some old guys like me but they look a little over the hill and I don't! Friday is a set up day/evening so lots of coming and going confusion, first I can't then a maybe. I walk around looking at the sights, dreads on heads on chins, bikinis and lots of small children. The usual arrays of cheap cottons from India, Indonesia and where ever else, jewelry, vegetarian food and coffee. Big signs on the approach NO ALCOHOL, YOU WILL BE SEARCHED etc. I have JUST purchased a12 pack of Tui, I have mead I purchased a couple weeks ago... I'm thinking "this is not going to work" The guys stop me at the gate , ask me if I have a ticket? No ? then go see info, park over there...
There is a beer garden! People are walking around with plastic cups full of the stuff. Organic beer, many varieties.
I check out the swimming hole at the river more kids, more bikinis, more dreads playing Djembes. Some of those gypsy wagons are here, all painted up surrounding really ancient looking trucks. I wander past the info tent and hear the fellow who gave me the maybe being quoted as saying "sorry no available camping tonight" The message seems clear. I am outa here.
I decide I need a dose of beach. The first one I come to is Kuku beach road, it goes on and on and on. Finally I come to the entrance. A Maori fellow is sitting there on his ATV. There is a sign indicating this is Maori tribal land, please respect it don't litter etc. I wave to the guy drive in and discover I am not going far and the beach is waay off in the distance beyond some running water and dunes and a swamp. I try the other road where this fellow is now parked. We turn off our respective engines. He notices right away I am not local, and suggests going to Otaki Beach further south since, "this is not a great beach" Then "I just got off work milking and I am going for a swim". After I have turned around, I emerge and he is conversing with a young woman in a red car, maybe they will go swim together? NOMB
Drive on to Otaki , buy some takeaway fish and chips with scallop,oyster and mussels YUM! Park at the end of the beach where all the fishermen are fishing. After eating I walk down to the river mouth where I speak with a couple of fishers. One couple has short rods, they are fishing for Mullet in the river mouth, everyone else has a rod at least 12' long casting out into the surf for ....? except for the two kayak fisher who are waay out there with two short rods each.
The sun sets beside Kapiti Island and I stop writing to take a few pictures. I am attacked (not really) by a swarm of little flies. Just annoying really. I hide in the van till they go away.
This is freedom camping, out on an isolated beach (no facilities) parked for the night.
The moon is up, bright as day in the night and in the morning it is an orange orb on the Norwestern horizon. Sleep seem unlikely as the fishermen start arriving, so I drive to the facilities, have some breakfast and do my writing.
Friday, 29 January 2010
Kaupokonui Beach
Driving along the surf highway is great, except you don't see the surf! Every other road it seems leads to a surf beach, 3km or more. I felt the need to make some mileage (kilometerage?) and proceeded past. Wasn't sure I could trust the old guys memory but I found it, after backtracking cause the sign faces the other way! sign on the door says "park anywhere. I will find you in the morning. $10 to camp"
I walk along the black sand beach without my hat, I didn't even think of what might happen to my ears... Tranquility with pounding surf and a couple of Maori fellows here for a swim. We sit and they make jokes about just about everything, they are quite friendly and we shoot the breeze till they go threatening to return with beer. Unlikely. I go make some dinner and stand at the microwave with the laptop on it typing away till it is dark outside. Have a beer myself sitting at a picnic table overlooking the river mouth while the golden light fades over the Tasman Sea.
Morning comes and Taranaki is still visible so I snap another, walk down on this side of the river to survey the remains of the fishermen's detritus. Why is it folks will haul in full bottles but can't be bothered to remove the empties? When I took the sunset pictures, they were still down there casting into the rising tide.
When it came time to leave brush teeth etc, I discovered the shampoo bottle had opened up and everything was yuck. Clean-up and then on the road again. Lucky for me my kit is so small. No phone service till I got back up on the highway. I call the hostel hoping to catch Ben before he leaves to thank him for the tip. I spent too much time dawdling on the beach.
On the way to Wanganui I saw a homemade gypsy wagon and another couple on arrival here. Check out Gypsy Fair NZ. Unfortunately I will be on the South Island. Sounds like a very cool event.
Next stop Levin and the Organic River Festival.
I walk along the black sand beach without my hat, I didn't even think of what might happen to my ears... Tranquility with pounding surf and a couple of Maori fellows here for a swim. We sit and they make jokes about just about everything, they are quite friendly and we shoot the breeze till they go threatening to return with beer. Unlikely. I go make some dinner and stand at the microwave with the laptop on it typing away till it is dark outside. Have a beer myself sitting at a picnic table overlooking the river mouth while the golden light fades over the Tasman Sea.
Morning comes and Taranaki is still visible so I snap another, walk down on this side of the river to survey the remains of the fishermen's detritus. Why is it folks will haul in full bottles but can't be bothered to remove the empties? When I took the sunset pictures, they were still down there casting into the rising tide.
When it came time to leave brush teeth etc, I discovered the shampoo bottle had opened up and everything was yuck. Clean-up and then on the road again. Lucky for me my kit is so small. No phone service till I got back up on the highway. I call the hostel hoping to catch Ben before he leaves to thank him for the tip. I spent too much time dawdling on the beach.
On the way to Wanganui I saw a homemade gypsy wagon and another couple on arrival here. Check out Gypsy Fair NZ. Unfortunately I will be on the South Island. Sounds like a very cool event.
Next stop Levin and the Organic River Festival.
Kayaking Sugar Loaf Island Marine Park
After a very poor sleep, anticipating walking up in time to get to the kayak place. (which is such a joke. I wake up at 6am whether I want to or not!) I sat in the dining area and chatted with some folks from Christchurch and a German tramper. She is doing as many walks as seems possible and dearly wants to scale Taranaki. Not much point when it is cloudy which it has been for days. The South Islanders give me some distance times and recommend the glaciers.
Off to the kayak place, I scoped it out yesterday so I knew where to go. The fellow there puts roof racks on the van and loads this very light polycarbonate .... the name MAY come to me. spray skirt PFD (life vest, I think) paddle,paddle float a dn a dry bag for the camera and cell phone. he assures me if I get into trouble "some fisherman will help" hmm.
The launch point is on the otherside of town, not far from where I just came from, at the port. i carry it down to the beach and fall in trying to enter. I told the guy my Prijon is a bit "twitchy" so he gives a boat with a round bottom. Oh well nothing hurt but a bit of pride. I do my usual stretching, twist to the right, the left and tilt the hips both ways and I am off. I find it doesn't track well so reach around to flip the rudder down... Paddle back to shore and unhook the bungie.
Smooth sailing around the breakwater, a large seal is scratching his/her mouth with front flippers and erratically swimming past me. Doesn't even look up! these are big animals. They make our harbour seals look like big otters. Two huge freighters (aren't they all huge?) leave right behind me. I feel small!
Out to the big Sugar Loaf and around wide. I am feeling cautious, not used to the boat but regretting the camera is stowed in the forward hatch, a little unsure of the wave action which is quite begnign really. Almost flat calm with swells. Those swells are crashing against the less than friendly looking rocky island. Definitely nowhere to land. The reflected waves, known as clapiotis are mostly unpredictable unless you know the place well. I skirt the giant surf crashing over the unexposed reefs (the tide is falling) and circle around most of the islands, cutting through between the outermost which has extensive crashing surf on the outer edge. I head for the shore , I need to pee and I could use a break from sitting, it is hot, I'm tired, hungry and thirsty. gee somehow that whining just doesn't translate well.
As I approach I can see these little sticks on the beach moving back and forth. Hmmm? Closer I can see they are actually people , some with surf boards. That nice looking surf break from this side looks gentle. Reality check, those folks are surfing! I carry on looking for somewhere with non existant surf. Seems unlikely I will find a spot to land. I see folks swimming , girls in bikinis! Hey! Not possible to land there, around a corner though and one of the Islands has a lee shore and I slide right onto the beach. I take off most of my clothes and swim into those huge waves, body surfing towards shore. I get a smile from her.
Take a few pictures and decide I like my camera too much to risk losing it. Back in the bag in the hatch. Launching successfully I paddle back out to the big island. More confident I get in close to see the rocks, seals and blackback gulls. The island is really an enormous rock, pounded by the ocean on most sides. Where there is a cave or opening the waves make a huge drumlike boom as they smack the back face spraying up like a geyser. The rock itself seems rotten or unstable, great chunks have fallen out leaving large openings like amphitheatres, on top is bush and on one side sandstone carved out like in the gulf islands, big and little holes.
There ARE fishermen out here. Boats keep buzzing in from way out at sea and little putputs trolling around. A long passenger boat coloured up like a circus tent cruises by, I can hear someone with loudhailer waxing elequent I am sure, about the geology and biology of the place.
When I was leaving the kayak hire guy said I should text him if decided to go somewhere else after. And where would that be? I had a good time, quality trumps quantity for me. So I paddled back around the breakwater (which by the way is made of gigantic concrete legolike chunks tumbled together willy nilly), tide now way out, tons of kids frolicking in the waves and digging holes in/on the beach. The van is like an oven, thank goodness I left my food back at the hostel. Deliver the kayak and stop at the library to catch up on my blogging. Elke is good, she catches me most times. Of course we are not allowed to talk in the library. So we text, while viewing each other on Skype.
Time flies when there is lots to say/write and sometimes I need to step away from the screen....
Collected my food/ice and said my goodbyes. I was tempted to stay another night, that might have turned into a week! Anyway Ben had some advice. Stop at Kaupokanui Beach, cheap, showers and great beach. And that was so true.
Off to the kayak place, I scoped it out yesterday so I knew where to go. The fellow there puts roof racks on the van and loads this very light polycarbonate .... the name MAY come to me. spray skirt PFD (life vest, I think) paddle,paddle float a dn a dry bag for the camera and cell phone. he assures me if I get into trouble "some fisherman will help" hmm.
The launch point is on the otherside of town, not far from where I just came from, at the port. i carry it down to the beach and fall in trying to enter. I told the guy my Prijon is a bit "twitchy" so he gives a boat with a round bottom. Oh well nothing hurt but a bit of pride. I do my usual stretching, twist to the right, the left and tilt the hips both ways and I am off. I find it doesn't track well so reach around to flip the rudder down... Paddle back to shore and unhook the bungie.
Smooth sailing around the breakwater, a large seal is scratching his/her mouth with front flippers and erratically swimming past me. Doesn't even look up! these are big animals. They make our harbour seals look like big otters. Two huge freighters (aren't they all huge?) leave right behind me. I feel small!
Out to the big Sugar Loaf and around wide. I am feeling cautious, not used to the boat but regretting the camera is stowed in the forward hatch, a little unsure of the wave action which is quite begnign really. Almost flat calm with swells. Those swells are crashing against the less than friendly looking rocky island. Definitely nowhere to land. The reflected waves, known as clapiotis are mostly unpredictable unless you know the place well. I skirt the giant surf crashing over the unexposed reefs (the tide is falling) and circle around most of the islands, cutting through between the outermost which has extensive crashing surf on the outer edge. I head for the shore , I need to pee and I could use a break from sitting, it is hot, I'm tired, hungry and thirsty. gee somehow that whining just doesn't translate well.
As I approach I can see these little sticks on the beach moving back and forth. Hmmm? Closer I can see they are actually people , some with surf boards. That nice looking surf break from this side looks gentle. Reality check, those folks are surfing! I carry on looking for somewhere with non existant surf. Seems unlikely I will find a spot to land. I see folks swimming , girls in bikinis! Hey! Not possible to land there, around a corner though and one of the Islands has a lee shore and I slide right onto the beach. I take off most of my clothes and swim into those huge waves, body surfing towards shore. I get a smile from her.
Take a few pictures and decide I like my camera too much to risk losing it. Back in the bag in the hatch. Launching successfully I paddle back out to the big island. More confident I get in close to see the rocks, seals and blackback gulls. The island is really an enormous rock, pounded by the ocean on most sides. Where there is a cave or opening the waves make a huge drumlike boom as they smack the back face spraying up like a geyser. The rock itself seems rotten or unstable, great chunks have fallen out leaving large openings like amphitheatres, on top is bush and on one side sandstone carved out like in the gulf islands, big and little holes.
There ARE fishermen out here. Boats keep buzzing in from way out at sea and little putputs trolling around. A long passenger boat coloured up like a circus tent cruises by, I can hear someone with loudhailer waxing elequent I am sure, about the geology and biology of the place.
When I was leaving the kayak hire guy said I should text him if decided to go somewhere else after. And where would that be? I had a good time, quality trumps quantity for me. So I paddled back around the breakwater (which by the way is made of gigantic concrete legolike chunks tumbled together willy nilly), tide now way out, tons of kids frolicking in the waves and digging holes in/on the beach. The van is like an oven, thank goodness I left my food back at the hostel. Deliver the kayak and stop at the library to catch up on my blogging. Elke is good, she catches me most times. Of course we are not allowed to talk in the library. So we text, while viewing each other on Skype.
Time flies when there is lots to say/write and sometimes I need to step away from the screen....
Collected my food/ice and said my goodbyes. I was tempted to stay another night, that might have turned into a week! Anyway Ben had some advice. Stop at Kaupokanui Beach, cheap, showers and great beach. And that was so true.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
New Plymouth and Pukeiti
It was nice to take some time and not rush off. Hanging out, went downtown with Ben an exsurfer from Sheffield, he's been kicking around off and on for years, tells great stories about these amazing camps he's been to here and in Auz. A beach near the coral reef, world class windsurfers, fishing , fishing. Oh and in Canada too, building a cabin south of Jasper, flyfishing and pulling in masses of trout. I couldn't begin to repeat his descriptions or the slang he uses. Bollocks! He took a board keel on the front of his skull, a "hard core fin chop" had a stroke while they was savin him and walks with a limp on the left. Truly a character.
The info sites are great for helping out travelers, I booked a kayak trip for tomorrow out to the Sugarloaf Islands in the morning before the "gnarly" surf comes up. Ben , he rebooked his flight for an earlier date... running out of money... We did a little shopping then had the ubiquitous meat pie for lunch. I headed off to Pukeiti Gardens about 20 k towards Mt. Taranaki. Looking at the map Taranaki is the central focus of just about everything here, even the surfers pay homage. At the info site there are dioramas and multi-media presentations describing the history and geology of the area and the mountain itself. An evening event here at the hostel is the slicing up a cake in the shape of Mt. Egmont (guess who called it that!) One slice per. If you climb it a flag of your country is placed into the icing...
The road to Pukeiti is like most of the roads, narrow and windy, lots of sharp turns and one lane bridges. Along the way I spied a black volks bug festooned in sequins (something shiny? "brilliant") suspended on tubular metal legs. I so wanted to take a picture! But no where to pull over, so on and on. I figured to snap one on the return.
The garden is quite beautiful, this is not the season for the best show, but there were flowers. I walked along the "river" to catch some shade, it was smokin hot. The ferns are quite impressive, some with a texture like leather, the photos don't come close. I was the only visitor wandering around the 20+ acre grounds. Huge Rhodos, fancy Hydrangeas, and some identification of the native species which I found quite helpful.
After wandering for an hour and a half I headed back. The volks was gone! The legs lying loose on the lawn. Bummer dude.
Ben and I made dinner together "mighty fine tucker it was too" as more backpackers arrived, some for the dorms, some staying in the motel section, mostly folks from New Zealand. Some from Germany and I didn't catch where else.
The mossies are out, time to close down.
The info sites are great for helping out travelers, I booked a kayak trip for tomorrow out to the Sugarloaf Islands in the morning before the "gnarly" surf comes up. Ben , he rebooked his flight for an earlier date... running out of money... We did a little shopping then had the ubiquitous meat pie for lunch. I headed off to Pukeiti Gardens about 20 k towards Mt. Taranaki. Looking at the map Taranaki is the central focus of just about everything here, even the surfers pay homage. At the info site there are dioramas and multi-media presentations describing the history and geology of the area and the mountain itself. An evening event here at the hostel is the slicing up a cake in the shape of Mt. Egmont (guess who called it that!) One slice per. If you climb it a flag of your country is placed into the icing...
The road to Pukeiti is like most of the roads, narrow and windy, lots of sharp turns and one lane bridges. Along the way I spied a black volks bug festooned in sequins (something shiny? "brilliant") suspended on tubular metal legs. I so wanted to take a picture! But no where to pull over, so on and on. I figured to snap one on the return.
The garden is quite beautiful, this is not the season for the best show, but there were flowers. I walked along the "river" to catch some shade, it was smokin hot. The ferns are quite impressive, some with a texture like leather, the photos don't come close. I was the only visitor wandering around the 20+ acre grounds. Huge Rhodos, fancy Hydrangeas, and some identification of the native species which I found quite helpful.
After wandering for an hour and a half I headed back. The volks was gone! The legs lying loose on the lawn. Bummer dude.
Ben and I made dinner together "mighty fine tucker it was too" as more backpackers arrived, some for the dorms, some staying in the motel section, mostly folks from New Zealand. Some from Germany and I didn't catch where else.
The mossies are out, time to close down.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Driving the Forgotten Highway was great, lots of sheep! And vistas that fell away for miles with hills like the mountains I used to draw as a child, rounded but steep. The sheep are everywhere (this is New Zealand right?) dotted on the hillsides, packed together against fences, standing still when it is raining really hard. I find it hard to capture the grandness of it all in one photo. I take pieces of the landscape and stitch it together like a crazy quilt, a cliff face here, a river gorge, hills and valleys. At one point a couple of the campers from last night were stopped beside the road, someone had draped close to a dozen boar hides on the fence, a hoof on the fence post.
I am a sucker for waterfalls and turned down an 18 km road to visit Uruha Falls, definitely lacking in signage, I trusted my instincts to find it and did. There were a couple from LA looking for the Heritage Poles from a previous Maori settlement but they lost interest when we could not determine which track to follow. I took one that seemed likely and had a little adventure, on my return I found the actual trail which we had both walked right past.
This road has heritage all over it , almost every junction has a sign indicating something way down there if you care to go check it out. The signs though are so old they have lichen growing on them, at home it takes 10 years or so, here maybe 3, but this road has been here a long time. One could spend three months exploring this area alone, folowing the signs and tracks that seem to completely cover the place, oh in between sheep stations.
Not much roadkill today, I am keeping a bit of a tally, so far mostly possums, hedgehogs and a variety of birds, I have feathers from many of them. The goat was a surprise, it is wild to see them clustered on the hillsides with the sheep, obvious in their black and brown hides.
The library in Staford has kindly accommodated my blogging today, time to move on toward the coast and New Plymouth.
I am a sucker for waterfalls and turned down an 18 km road to visit Uruha Falls, definitely lacking in signage, I trusted my instincts to find it and did. There were a couple from LA looking for the Heritage Poles from a previous Maori settlement but they lost interest when we could not determine which track to follow. I took one that seemed likely and had a little adventure, on my return I found the actual trail which we had both walked right past.
This road has heritage all over it , almost every junction has a sign indicating something way down there if you care to go check it out. The signs though are so old they have lichen growing on them, at home it takes 10 years or so, here maybe 3, but this road has been here a long time. One could spend three months exploring this area alone, folowing the signs and tracks that seem to completely cover the place, oh in between sheep stations.
Not much roadkill today, I am keeping a bit of a tally, so far mostly possums, hedgehogs and a variety of birds, I have feathers from many of them. The goat was a surprise, it is wild to see them clustered on the hillsides with the sheep, obvious in their black and brown hides.
The library in Staford has kindly accommodated my blogging today, time to move on toward the coast and New Plymouth.
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Ongaruru Bay Sunrise to Bay View (Hawkes Bay)
Red sky in the morning, travellers take warning? In half an hour most of the cloud overhead had burned off, although on the horizon were piles of cumulonimbus threatening... A trip back to town to the toilet(!) and a couple of pictures, the old boarded up banks seem to carry a feeling of despair or abandonment.The sun shines softly across the hillsides. They look like corduroy as if some ancient civilization had terraced the entire place. I wondered if it was slippage with so many animals wandering across for generations. The light was perfect for highlighting the contour. And sheep, sheep everywhere. The sun rose higher, the day got warmer and the next beach, Waihua, had me swimming and sunning. Lots of freedom campers, the children were in the surf attempting to surf on their little boogie boards, dad watching while dogs frolicked all around. Around another headland and the beaches of Gisborne, endless surf and surfers, fishermen and lots of families camped at the side of the road like strip villages.
Gisborne itself is a fairly decent sized place, a river runs through it (hmm) and being Sunday not much was open. I got on the net, their computer, $5 an hour at the Infocentre. Out front a "Canadian" totem pole (no credit to the carver) presented to the community by the Canadian Gov't a few years ago. This internet thing is a bit of a challenge. On the one hand it is a great way to stay in touch keep you all informed and provide me with a decent record of my journey. On the other, it becomes a compulsive effort to keep up, in affect an interruption (sometimes) to the flow of the day. I get a bit wired by it .
Pulled off the road to harvest some peaches, yum, ripe and juicy. Took a short road to the mouth of the river and regarded Young Nick's Head or Te Kuri across Poverty Bay ( Cook had quite an ethnocentric viewpoint) Continuing on past Mohaka the road goes inland into Whareata State forest where logging the Pines is very much in progress. The straight rows of the recently planted look cute across the hillsides. At Nuhaka I turned left and drove out onto the Mahia Penninsula. Out to Mahia beach, a dramatic backdrop of immense cliffs and a sweeping white sand beach make this a destination worth visiting. The sand on the beach is a mixture separated by gravity and seems to be particles of clay and pumice. It looks like ground down kitty litter. It is cool to walk on while the sand is smokin hot! I couldn't resist jumping in and body surfing in those relentless waves. Surfers sitting out on their boards , waiting for the perfect one... heading back I noticed and recorded how the road seems to have a tenuous existence here, the land is eroding dramatically.
The next leg of the journey took me through some steep and challenging river gorges, the road literally carved into the cliff with hairpins and deep descents, much like Alison Pass in Manning Park. This road is narrower and the pines are green. These words do not begin to describe what it was like hurtling down (and up) this narrow road, transports, tourists and locals impatiently waiting to pass me and each other, with very few opportunities. At one point I came around a corner and there above me at the top of a hill, headstones! A cemetery seemingly in the middle of nowhere. On the map part of this road is called Devils Elbow, I can relate! I felt squeezed, hot in the sun and somewhat frustrated. After an hour or so of that I needed a break.
The Tangoio Falls Scenic Reserve takes one up a steep incline on an obvious labour of love trail to a couple of sweet waterfalls through native bush. I got good and muddy, but it was great to be in the shade listening to the birds, cicadas (?) and the rushing streams.
Westshore Napier: Internet at this campground $10 for 24hrs! Been at it awhile. Time to do some traveling.
Gisborne itself is a fairly decent sized place, a river runs through it (hmm) and being Sunday not much was open. I got on the net, their computer, $5 an hour at the Infocentre. Out front a "Canadian" totem pole (no credit to the carver) presented to the community by the Canadian Gov't a few years ago. This internet thing is a bit of a challenge. On the one hand it is a great way to stay in touch keep you all informed and provide me with a decent record of my journey. On the other, it becomes a compulsive effort to keep up, in affect an interruption (sometimes) to the flow of the day. I get a bit wired by it .
Pulled off the road to harvest some peaches, yum, ripe and juicy. Took a short road to the mouth of the river and regarded Young Nick's Head or Te Kuri across Poverty Bay ( Cook had quite an ethnocentric viewpoint) Continuing on past Mohaka the road goes inland into Whareata State forest where logging the Pines is very much in progress. The straight rows of the recently planted look cute across the hillsides. At Nuhaka I turned left and drove out onto the Mahia Penninsula. Out to Mahia beach, a dramatic backdrop of immense cliffs and a sweeping white sand beach make this a destination worth visiting. The sand on the beach is a mixture separated by gravity and seems to be particles of clay and pumice. It looks like ground down kitty litter. It is cool to walk on while the sand is smokin hot! I couldn't resist jumping in and body surfing in those relentless waves. Surfers sitting out on their boards , waiting for the perfect one... heading back I noticed and recorded how the road seems to have a tenuous existence here, the land is eroding dramatically.
The next leg of the journey took me through some steep and challenging river gorges, the road literally carved into the cliff with hairpins and deep descents, much like Alison Pass in Manning Park. This road is narrower and the pines are green. These words do not begin to describe what it was like hurtling down (and up) this narrow road, transports, tourists and locals impatiently waiting to pass me and each other, with very few opportunities. At one point I came around a corner and there above me at the top of a hill, headstones! A cemetery seemingly in the middle of nowhere. On the map part of this road is called Devils Elbow, I can relate! I felt squeezed, hot in the sun and somewhat frustrated. After an hour or so of that I needed a break.
The Tangoio Falls Scenic Reserve takes one up a steep incline on an obvious labour of love trail to a couple of sweet waterfalls through native bush. I got good and muddy, but it was great to be in the shade listening to the birds, cicadas (?) and the rushing streams.
Westshore Napier: Internet at this campground $10 for 24hrs! Been at it awhile. Time to do some traveling.
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