SCUBA diving

Adam (son) does a great deal of diving. He dives on wrecks and for crayfish. He brought his dive gear up with him, and spare equipment, so Pete could go for a dive with him, which he did one afternoon. He also took Jack, (grandson) out for 5 dives. Jack completed his Junior dive certificate in the last week of school, so it was good for him to get more dives in and cement what he learnt on his course.

Jack and Adam did two night dives, just to look around and then three daytime dives out of the reserve area, to see what seafood they could find. They got crayfish and a John Dory fish. We gave some of the crayfish away to others at the camp - who loved them, and Pete, Jack, Adam and Candice ate some as well. We took 5 home and gave them to my brother. I don't like them.

Leave a Comment Diving, family, Holiday

Camping at Matai Bay

On Christmas Day we loaded up the trailer and my daughter's car, leaving ours ready to have everyone's bags, the esky's (chilly bins) and camping fridge to go in on Boxing Day morning. We were up early Boxing Day and on the road by 6.20 am - facing a 7 hr car journey up to Matai Bay, in Northland, NZ.

We arrived at the DOC (Dept of Conservation) campground and found only one site empty, so we grabbed it quick and started setting up camp. Fortunately, another campsite, 2 away from ours was packing up, so we spoke to them and told them we'd take that one as well, as we were not going to fit our dome, 2 roomed tent and three smaller tents plus our vehicles on one site. Also, my son, his partner and grandson were arriving in another 2 days with a popup camper.

We were so fortunate to have beautiful weather. NZ summer can be quite fickle, and the further north you go, the more rain you can get, with some of the tropical storms that hit Australia, coming down and across the top of the north island.

There are toilets, cold water and cold showers provided at the campsite. We took solar showers and a shower unit that plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car and had a shower tent set up, so warm showers for us. It's really good for the kids to be aware of water conservation - having to wet oneself, turn off shower, soap up, rinse off and get out. Hair washing is done in a similar way, although the kids were encouraged to wash theirs during the day under the cold showers after having a swim.

Cooking was done on gas cookers, dishes in a tub of hot water. Meals were simple, but nutritious and tasty. The kids spent ages swimming, walking on the beach, playing "spotlight" at night with other kids at campground and generally amusing themselves during the day. My son, Adam, took Jack, grandson for 5 dives, as Jack had just got his junior dive licence. He loved it.

Yachts moored overnight in the shelter of the bay

We stayed there for 9 nights, packing up in the rain on Jan 3rd, before a storm hit the North Island, causing quite a bit of damage and flooding in places. It was a long slow trip home until we hit north Auckland and then it was back to light traffic and normal speeds. We spent the next two days drying tents - hanging them up in the garage one at a time, and doing loads of washing. It was good to be home in soft beds with "real" showers, but I could easily have stayed there for several more weeks.

So beautiful

Maori totem poles

Clear clear water

The grandies got my phone - aren't they delightful :)

Fishing in the evening. 

2 comments Camping, family, Holiday

Nitmiliuk National Park by Helicopter - Sunday Part 2

After completing our boat journey up the first two gorges of the Katherine Gorge, Pete and I went on a helicopter ride over the gorge, up as far at Gorge 11. We landed for a short time and could look down into the gorge and see the river. This was one of the best experiences I've had, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. We'd both love to go back and do the two hour "art" experience flight, which takes you further into the National Park to an Aboriginal Art Site where you can see the art up close and swim as well. One day! Our helicopter pilot, Matt was fabulous. Seeing the Gorge from the air certainly gives a totally different perspective than that gained on the boat trip. The Nitmiluk National park is enormous and stretches as far as the eye can see. From down below you have no idea what it looks like on top of those cliffs. It isn't smooth, easy walking, it is rocky, undulating, hot, hot land.

Matt flew us over the North Hole waterfall, that you can't see unless you take a flight or walk one of the many walking tracks. We also saw the "double waterfall" that isn't visible from river itself.

Double waterfall

North hole waterfall

Our landing spot

Looking up the gorge

Looking back down the gorge

An Alien egg rock

Our pilot and mode of transport

On the way back out by car, we saw these birds in a marshy area. I think they are Jabiru's, the black necked stork. 

1 comment Helicopter ride, Holiday, leisure, Nitmiluk National Park

Darwin Day 1

Very early start with Pete's alarm going off at 3.30 am. He left at 4 to drive out to his work "camp" to catch the bus there. Some days he'll walk 1 km here in town to another spot where he can catch one. I managed to doze for another hour or so. We both found the mattress very hard and neither of us slept that well, with my shoulders waking me frequently when I lay too long on my side. Today I asked for something to make it softer and was given a big fluffy blanket to put under the bottom sheet - hopefully that will help a little.

I went to the gym about 6.30 for 40 mins and did strength training. Unfortunately there are no "free weights" so just had to be adaptive and use body weight and the big machine they have that has lots of different uses. I sent off my 'sets' of exercises to my PT who approved them, just changing two sets to earlier in the work out.

Then I had breakfast at the cafe, poached egg, bacon and mushrooms, followed by fresh melons. Then it was time to spend on the computer while waiting for my breakfast to go down. I then went down to reception and got a "pool" towel. I decided to walk back up the stairs - we are on floor 14, however, I only entered the stairwell at floor 3. Lots of stairs and hot in there. I ended up doing it twice over the course of the day.

I swam 40 laps - 1 km then lay on one of the loungers and had 10 minutes of sunning on each side. There were four other women down there, sunning themselves and cooling off periodically in the pool. I wonder if they are all wives/partners of men who work up here doing FIFO work.

After doing some knitting I walked down to the Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery. Well, I definitely need to win lotto or persuade Pete to do a few more months work up here to buy all canvases I loved. Such diversity and talent. A real difference between Central Australia and the Top End art work. The lady running the gallery today was so informative and friendly. She was happy to answer all my questions and tell me the stories behind the paintings I loved. Then she left me to wander and browse. I'll be going back, and back and back.  I asked before taking photos.

I then went to Lyon's Cottage, an Aboriginal Bush Traders business. The items in there were amazing, woven baskets made from recycled fishing nets etc removed from the sea and coast and recycled materials; beautiful silk, wool and cotton woven scarves, shawls and tea towels that one lady there told me a customer buys and makes into jackets. I saw the scarf I want to buy my mum for Christmas - hope she doesn't read this and beautiful soaps and Xmas decorations. I'll have to sweet talk Pete :)

On my walk back to the apartment I saw these very upright, narrow growing trees and didn't recognise them at all. I don't think they are gums, their leaves didn't smell eucalyptus at all. Then a bit further down the road I saw this mural painted on the side of a building.

It was a hot walk down town and make with the humidity increasing as the afternoon progressed, which meant I needed a swim on my return to the apartment. Then I got tea organised - very simple, cold chicken from the cooked chook we bought when we did grocery shopping last night, salad and I'll cook some mushrooms to go with it. Depending on how Pete feels, it may be another visit to the gym after tea.

I've enjoyed my first day in Darwin and with the help of the pool and air conditioning I haven't felt the heat too much.

1 comment Darwin, Holiday, leisure

Glenorchy and Paradise

On Thursday, after driving up the Remarkables, Pete and I drove out to Glenorchy, which is at The Head of the Lake (Lake Wakatipu that is).  Glenorchy is the last stop before the Routeburn Walking Track and was originally known as the meeting or resting place by early Maori, who would make the hazardous journey from the West Coast to the Head of Lake Wakatipu in search of the unique grey-green greenstone, or pounamu, only found in the Dart and Routeburn Valleys.

In 1862 the first settlers came from Europe looking for new grazing and were closely followed by prospectors looking for gold and later scheelite. Tourism is now a major contributor to the town's economy.  In the early years, steam ships would be the only way to access the Head of the Lake and the TSS Earnslaw is still used for tourism today.  The first road from Queenstown to Glenorchy open in 1962.

The photo to the right is of Pig Island, in the forefront and Pigeon Island behind. These lakes lie at the Head of the Lake.

The road from Queenstown to Glenorchy is tarsealed all the way, but windy.  Slow drivers who are not used to such windy roads can cause some minor road rage (not us, no, never :)), especially when they do not pull over where it is possible and let the built up traffic trailing them pass.  To the left is a small section of the road up to Glenorchy. Drivers must remember to watch the road and not the amazing scenery!

Wind sculptured tree stumps.

This building is/was historic in that it originally served as the unloading/loading point for all produce coming in and out of Glenorchy. Unfortunately, in a big flood, it was partially destroyed so was relocated further up the shore and rebuilt, using new timber.  The history of Glenorchy is able to be viewed inside the shed.







The Dart River enters Lake Wakatipu at the Head of the Lake. Here is a photo of the Dart River, taken just out of Glenorchy on the road to Paradise.  Many of the rivers in the South Island are very wide and "braided". In periods of snow melt or heavy rain, they can become full from bank to bank.

Further on from Glenorchy are the Dart and Rees Valleys and Paradise. We didn't venture up either valley, being time poor and not having a second 4WD with us, if we got into strife. Another visit will see us do the Dart River tour, by both 4WD and jet-boat. We did drive up to Paradise, which really is paradise. An area of beauty, accessible on a dirt road, that winds literally through a Beech Tree forest; in places the road is only one lane, and meeting a vehicle coming the other way can necessitate one of you backing up until the road is wide enough for the vehicles to pass. At this time of year, you have to 'ford' a stream to get to Paradise. Paradise is not even a village, it is a group of farms in a certain area. If we had had more time, we would have driven to the end of the road, but unfortunately, we didn't. Another time. Both Pete and I agreed we could easily live there, although in winter, it would be very cold and at times, cut off from "civilisation" - not always a bad thing in my book.

 Another view of the Dart River is to the right. This was further up the valley and taken from a bridge that spanned it. I love the snow capped hills in the background.  The sign to the left is one that is at the beginning of the dirt road through the beech forest to Paradise and really "tickled our fancy".

Road through the beech forest

The stream we had to ford, not deep at the moment

Paradise with Diamond Lake in the background. 

Of course, those who are fans of the Lord of the Rings series of movies, are well aware that some of the film was made in and around Lake Wakatipu, with Lake Wakatipu becoming Lothlorien in the films, the home to the Lady in the Forest.

On the way back we did a small detour up alongside a little rocky stream which I can now not remember the name of. Schist is everywhere around this area. One day, I'm going to have a house built of it. We had a wee play with some of the stones on the side of the stream.















We also passed some old semi derelict cottages, which possibly have been around for many many years. I love old buildings. We also saw a new subdivision which had two copper tui statues at the entrance. The sound of tui's is one of the things I really miss.

1 comment Glenorchy, Holiday, leisure, Paradise

Flowers from my Cromwell Holiday

Granny Bonnets - they can be a bit weedy

I have been pleasantly surprised to discover the botanical names of the shrubs and flowers we have seen leaping back into my mind. I worked in horticulture for 18 years at a plant propagation and retail garden centre nursery up in Te Awamutu and finished there in 2008. I have forgotten quite a few tree names, but I reckon they'd come back quickly if I worked in the horticultural field again.  I am envious of all Rhododendrons, Azalea Mollis and other cold loving plants that can be grown down here, plants I certainly couldn't grow healthily on the Sunshine Coast.

A rose peaking over the top of a rock wall, covered in a vine

Valerian - has seeded itself along roadsides

Another gorgeous rose

Peony - they come in amazing colours

Rose of some name

Elderberry - Sambucus nigra

Wisteria - isn't it beautiful

Hawthorn - I've seen these in white, light pink and this dark pink

Russel lupin

Russel lupin

I wish I was going to be here long enough to collect buckets of Elderberry flowers and make Elderberry Champagne. I've read about it, but never seen anywhere where there were enough flowers to have a go. Then, when the berries set, Elderberry Jelly.  I used to grow Granny Bonnets in my garden in Hamilton - I do like them, but unless you cut the flowers off before they set and drop their seed, you are digging them out for years to come. They're good in a wild flower area, where they can seed happily. I grew Russel Lupins too and you can get quite a few different colours, but the above are the main too. Unfortunately they have become a weed along the southern rivers, although they do look very pretty when driving over the bridges that span the "braided" river beds and seeing these as far as the eye can see up and down the river.  Personally, I would not grow Valerian, it "runs" and is quite hard to eradicate from a home garden. Down here, Pete thought it looked lovely growing along the roadsides - another introduced plant gone rogue.

Viburnum plicatum 'Rosacea' 

Out at Glenorchy we stopped to use the toilet and get a bottle of water. I found these Viburnum Plicatum Rosacea - they are delightful. Not the easiest to grow from cuttings, but very rewarding when you do manage to.  I used to wish I had a shady stream flowing through my section so I could grow a variety of hostas. Alas, I had to make do with a shady corner and use lots of slug bait, otherwise all I got was holey leaves. I do so miss Rhododendrons. Every year at the nursery we'd propagate them and grow them on to sell in our retail garden centre. It was really too humid in the Waikato for them, and they often got attacked by Thrip, a nasty little sap sucking insect that lived on the underside of the leaves, turning them silver as they sucked the sap out. 

Hosta

Rhodos

 On our drive up the Remarkables (named that because they are only one of two mountain ranges that run North/South) and all around Queenstown, a bright yellow can be seen. At first, from a distance we thought it was the dreaded Gorse, but no, it is Broom, Cytisus. Here, once again, an introduced species as become a weed, a very pretty looking weed, but a week, none-the-less. I much prefer the pink and red varieties of broom in the home garden. They don't seed as readily and I like their colour better.  Hawthorn is also spreading on the lower slopes of the ranges/hills/mountains along with a 'wild rose'. In areas through the Kawarau Gorge and up on the Crown Range, Wilding Pine seedlings are being killed, as they are spreading rapidly and killing out the native tussock grasses, which our native geckos and other insects need to survive. I believe, the wild rose should also be sprayed out, as it is spreading rapidly and in a few years, people will not be able to walk through those areas without being "thorned" to bits.

Broom, Cytisus sp

Hawthorn - a very pale pink seedling

I have really really enjoyed seeing not only native Corokias, Coprosmas and tussock grasses in gardens and growing in their natural environment on the mountainsides but also seeing all the exotic varieties in home gardens - they give such a colourful display. It does make me a little homesick.  I hope you enjoy seeing these photos as much as I did taking them.

1 comment Gardening, Holiday, leisure