Nelson/Tasman region

Pelorus Bridge and Smith’s Farm

August 28, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

We spent two nights with our friends near Nelson, and left Monday morning. After visiting some mutual friends for awhile, we finally got underway again around 1:00 and headed toward Picton. It was raining as we went through Nelson and over the hills; we couldn’t see much of anything. We stopped for a little while at the Pelorus River. There is a one-lane bridge over the river, with a footpath along the side. I crossed it, then went back to the van to wait while the others walked a trail to a swing bridge just downstream. I had hoped to get to see it this time (the other time we were there, I had a 3-week-old baby and wasn’t doing much hiking). With the rain, though, I decided it was best if I just went to the van and fed the baby. The boys, Esther, and their aunt seemed to enjoy the walk, though!

This is Mr. Sweetie on the footpath of the bridge.

The boys teased their aunt by swinging the bridge as she crossed.

Mr. Inventor is pretty good at skipping stones.

The bridge from down by the river.

Mr. Sweetie

The river, from the bridge.

We decided to stop for the night at Smith’s Farm Holiday Park, between Havelock and Picton. It is a small motel/campground on a farm. Because it is winter, they gave us a good deal on two cabins under one roof, sharing a covered veranda, with a ramp down to the kitchen/toilets/showers/laundry. The rooms were warm and cozy—it couldn’t have been much better!

As we were talking to the owners about accommodations, I noticed a sign on the wall about their glowworms. When we asked, they told us that we could walk out to the hills to see the worms, which were on open banks in the forest along a creek and waterfall. It was only a 20-minute walk, so we all headed out as soon as we had the camper unloaded. The walk out there wasn’t too bad; it was still daylight and we could see where to walk to avoid getting muddy. As soon as we crossed the creek and entered the trees, however, it was suddenly quite dark and we were glad for our headlamps! We soon saw glowing specks of light on exposed banks, and when we looked closely, we could see a little worm, with strands like spider webs dangling in front of it. Apparently, the light is to attract insects which get caught in the webs. One of the boys carried Little Miss out there, but about as soon as we found the worms, she decided she wanted to eat. I didn’t want to sit in the dripping, muddy woods to feed her, so took her and headed back. Gayle started back with Mr. Imagination about the same time, and the other children and their aunt stayed to explore a little more. The trip back was rather more difficult than the trip out! It was now pitch dark, and raining some. The trail went diagonally across a paddock, over a bridge, across another paddock to a stile, along a fence to a gate, across another paddock to another gate…. I remembered most of the paddocks and gates, but there was one place where I was lost for a couple of minutes! I finally found the right gate into the last paddock before getting back to the cabin. And all this time, I had a screaming baby, and kept slipping in the mud. (Thankfully, crocs are washable!) Gayle had a hard time, carrying Mr. Imagination, too. He couldn’t find the last bridge, and had to jump across the creek, and Mr. Imagination’s croc fell off, into the water. It got caught in a branch 20 meters downstream. All in all, it was quite an adventure—we really enjoyed finally getting to see glowworms!

Going up the trail through the woods.

A glowworm

Mr. Inventor showed Little Miss the pet sheep in the morning.

Several pukekos visited in the morning.

We walked across these paddocks to the base of the hills and up into the bush a little way, to see the glowworms.

The park’s letter box!

Kaiteriteri and Split Apple Rock

August 27, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

On Sunday we went to church with our friends, and then after a quick lunch went out to Split Apple Rock. We had been there with them a year ago, but wanted to show it to my sister-in-law. We didn’t see any penguins this time, but the rock was just as spectacular as the other time! The golden sand in Kaiteriteri is always impressive as well. The boys played on the flying fox (zipline in America) for awhile.

Little Miss was pretty tired by this point of our trip.

Mr. Diligence riding the flying fox at Kaiteriteri.

Mr. Inventor returning the flying fox for the next person to have a ride.

Giving Mr. Imagination a ride

Mr. Sweetie

The beach at Kaiteriteri

Mr. Diligence in a cave at Split Apple Rock, holding a handful of metalic sand.

Some of the boys walked out to the rock itself; the tide was fairly low when we got there.

They harvested more mussels! They cooked them that evening, and Mr. Intellectual found a pearl in one he ate!

The trail down to Split Apple Rock.

Shags on the rock.

Mr. Imagination and Mr. Sweetie looking at the water.

Split Apple Rock.

Motueka

August 25, 2015 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

Because of the trouble we had with the van, our plans for Saturday were changed. We packed up and left the campground in Collingwood as early as we could get around, and went over Takaka Hill back to Motueka, hoping to be able to get a used alternator. The used car parts place was closed, however; the information we had been given in Takaka that it would be open on Saturday morning was obviously wrong. We ended up buying a new alternator in Motueka, then going back to a garage in Riwaka that was open seven days a week. Then, we had to decide what to do during the two hours plus that it would take to change alternators. Gayle offered to take us to a beach, but it would have taken a good twenty minutes to get there, then twenty minutes back, and after the job was done he would have to go back out to get us. We opted to just start walking and see what was to be seen around Riwaka. We first went toward Takaka Hill; Mr. Intellectual wanted to find a fruit stand we had seen. After going about half a kilometer, however, I saw that we were nowhere near the fruit stand, so we turned around. As we went back past the garage, Gayle came out and joined us, which was great! Not only was his company welcome, but Mr. Imagination had woke up that morning not able to walk. His foot seemed slightly swollen and maybe bruised, but we have no idea what happened. He simply couldn’t put any weight on it. A three-year-old gets awfully heavy in a hurry when you’re carrying him while walking. We did a lot of trading off! Little Miss seemed quite light, compared to him.

We enjoyed a close-up look at the orchards along the way, and the lemon, orange and grapefruit trees in every other backyard. The first stretch we walked along, at the edge of a busy highway, we were on a narrow shoulder of grass with a deep ditch beside it. We were thankful when we reached a bicycle trail we could walk on, instead! When we reached the outskirts of Riwaka, we stopped to rest for awhile at a tiny playground. After feeding the baby and reading a few chapters of our book (I was glad that I had left my Kindle in my purse!), we went on into Riwaka. Gayle and Mr. Inventor went back soon, to see if the van was done, and the rest of us continued on. We stopped at a few fruit/vege stands. We bought a bag of apples at the first, and had a welcome snack, and then bought some kumara (sweet potatoes) at the next. At the last one, we bought several kilos of golden kiwifruit. We ended up each carrying a load, with two little children and all that fruit! We kept going, though, and were soon out of Riwaka and onto the bridge over the Motueka River. When we got to the other end, I sat down to feed Little Miss again while everyone rested and ate some kiwifruit, and then I stayed there with a few of the boys while Esther, her aunt, and another couple boys went on. We were able to flag Gayle down when he showed up with the van, and then we found the others. We calculated the next day that some of us walked 5.5 kilometers, and the rest about 7! They got a few blocks into Motueka.

This is a typical apple orchard in the Motueka area. They are all dwarf apples, rigourously trained up. Not all are completely enclosed in netting the way this one is, but it’s not uncommon.

Mr. Imagination who couldn’t walk all day. He crawled from the picnic table to this swing!

By this time, it was around 2:00 in the afternoon, and we were famished. We headed out to the waterfront and found a park at which we could eat our sandwiches. There were picnic tables beside an old quay with a wrecked ship beside it, and a flock of screaming seagulls circling overhead, begging for food. One seagull was especially funny. He would open his mouth wide and push his head way forward, and tell the other seagulls off. Apparently, he was the big boss! After lunch we walked around and enjoyed the green grass and beautiful bushes, and walked out the quay. The boys found a trail of stepping stones across the mud flat to the wrecked ship and looked inside it.

We had had a big enough day already, with that long walk, that after doing some necessary grocery shopping in Motueka we went on to the home of the friends we were planning to spend the weekend with. There was enough time before dark to set up a tent and get the camper ready for the night.

Pohara Beach

August 24, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

When the van battery went flat and our day was rearranged, we set out looking for a place for most of us to spend the afternoon while Gayle got the problem looked into. I wanted a beach with a picnic table and a toilet. We just took off from Takaka on a road going out to the sea, and when we got to the far side of Pohara we found just what we wanted! The beach was on one side of the road, and on the other, beside a tennis court, was a small parking area, a grassy spot with a picnic table, and the cutest toilet block I’ve seen in a long time!

After eating a quick lunch, Gayle and Mr. Handyman headed back to Takaka and the rest of us set off to explore the beach. Mr. Diligence, in the second picture down, had a set of “clam farms”. The boys had found some clams, and that gave him the idea. He found a set of streams of clear water coming out from under the cliffs, bubbling up from the sand, and worked to dam them up and direct the water to his farms. When he tasted the water, he was surprised to find it salty!

Mr. Inventor badly wanted to climb into that hole in the cliff.

Mr. Imagination with a scallop shell.

The boys found a cave, and climbed through a crack in the back of it up to this area. This is Mr. Intellectual.

Little Miss got to touch cold salt water for the first time! She was delighted, and badly wanted to get into it more. It was too cold, though!

The cold didn’t stop the boys from playing in the water! This is Mr. Diligence wading.

I was glad I had a spare set of pants for Mr. Imagination.

One of the boys found this spiny starfish.

Barnacles

Mr. Sweetie

Mr. Sweetie building dams for the clam farms.

Mr. Diligence and Mr. Sweetie

We also spent a little time getting some 6-month pictures of Little Miss. She loved crawling in the grass!

Mr. Inventor collected mussels and oysters to take back to our house to cook that night.

Pupu Springs and Labyrinth Rocks

August 23, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

The second day we had in Golden Bay, we planned to go to Pupu Springs (short for Te Waikoropupu Springs), and then find Labyrinth Rocks before deciding what to do with the rest of the day. Well, the first part of the day went according to plan! We arrived at Pupu Springs and walked around admiring the beautiful forest and water.

Mr. Inventor, Mr. Sweetie, and Mr. Diligence waiting for the rest of us to get ready to go.

The water is so clear, with almost a greenish quality. The river flowing out of the springs is as beautiful as the springs themselves!

The trail through the springs area goes through a lot of native bush. It was cold; we saw frost right beside the trail; but so beautiful!

This is the biggest spring. You can see the water coming up under the surface.

This was off to the side of the main spring. We saw small springs welling up out of the bottom, with sand dancing on top of the stream of water.

The rock walls along the trail in some places are left over from gold mining in the late 1800s. This is Mr. Inventor and Mr. Diligence.

After taking our time walking around the springs area, we all got into the van and Gayle turned the key. Nothing. He tried again. Nothing. The battery was totally flat. We had bought a new battery five days before, because we were having problems with the battery. Apparently, our problem was worse than an old battery! We quickly asked some other tourists, who Gayle had been talking to, to give us a jump, and instead of going to another attraction we went to Takaka to find a garage. The mechanics were out for lunch, so we went on to find a beach where most of us could spend the afternoon while Gayle got the van looked at. I’ll describe the afternoon in another post.

It turned out that the alternator was doing nothing—we were given a bad one. When Gayle came to pick us up, after finding the problem and getting the battery charged, we finally made it to the second place we had talked about going that day—Labyrinth Rocks. This is a five-acre area of rock canyons and native bush.

This was called the Alligator.

As it got darker, and we hurried through the maze, we were very glad to have a map! This was truly a labyrinth.

We all agreed that we’d like to go back sometime when we could spend some time there. Because of the van trouble we only had 15 or 20 minutes before it got too dark.

Wharariki Beach

August 22, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

The same day we walked on Farewell Spit and visited Cape Farewell, we also went to Wharariki (pronounced Farariki) Beach. Yes, it was about too much for one day, but as it turned out that was our only day to do all those things. Last time we were at Golden Bay, we wanted to visit this beach, but didn’t have time. This time, we made time, and it was sure worth visiting! The walk from the carpark to the beach was a lot more strenuous than I expected. I stayed in the van to feed the baby while the rest of the family went to the beach, and then I followed when she was done. It turned out that the “20 minute walk” was a fairly rugged kilometer or so, up and down hills, through a patch of trees, over several stiles, through an area of sand dunes, and finally across a long stretch of sand dunes to the sandy beach with rocky outcroppings in places!

Mr. Imagination and his daddy crossing a stile. By the time we got back, Mr. Imagination was too tired to climb over the last stile by himself—he was sitting on it waiting for me to catch up, saying his feet hurt.

Mr. Sweetie

Gayle holding Little Miss, and Mr. Imagination, in the cave you can see in the picture above. The baby seal below was on top of a rock way up under the roof of the cave.

Sunset over the Tasman Sea

Mr. Inventor

We saw a few seals in a rock pool.

The full moon had just risen when we were walking back to the van.

Cape Farewell

August 21, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

After eating a late picnic lunch after the long walk at Farewell Spit, we drove around to Cape Farewell. It received its name because it was the last land seen in New Zealand by Captain Cook and his crew as they headed home in 1770. The cape is included in land operated by the Department of Conservation. The land is used for grazing animals, and we had to walk past a few cows to get up to the viewpoint. A crew of DOC people were cutting up a huge macrocarpa tree. We really enjoyed the bright green lush grass—such a beautiful sight in comparison to our drought-stricken area!

Mr. Handyman, Mr. Intellectual and Mr. Inventor heading up the hill. I gave them strict instructions to stay at least 10 feet from the cliff edge or be sent back to the van. They did well at obeying.

Mr. Imagination coming up the hill with his daddy.

The tree-cutting operation. They were putting branches on a bank to stop erosion.

The boys had fun rolling and bumping down the steep hills. This is Mr. Imagination and Mr. Diligence.

Mr. Sweetie

The sun was in the wrong place to get a good picture of this rock formation, but trust me, it was spectacular.

Mr. Imagination was bumping down the hill on his bottom. I was trying to get a picture, and just happened to snap this as he flipped around to grin up at me. I love that look of delight!

Mr. Diligence found a cave, and Esther was there with her camera.

Mr. Inventor rarely slows down.

He did here, though!

How do you like the look of determination on Mr. Sweetie’s face? He wants to keep up with the big ones!

Mr. Diligence

Farewell Spit

August 20, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Farewell Spit is a fascinating place to visit. The world’s longest sandbar, it stretches some 18 miles out into the Tasman Sea from the northern tip of the South Island. It is the breeding ground for many kinds of birds. Tourists are not allowed on very much of it; if I remember right you are only allowed to walk on the first 2.5 km or so from the base of the spit. We walked out there, across the spit to the outside beach, and back. Actually, Mr. Imagination, Little Miss and I didn’t get that far; we turned back after only a couple of km. The rest of the family did the whole track, though; it took them about 3 hours.

This is looking out along the spit from the base, where we started the walk. I found the ripples in the sand quite interesting. They are very firm. At high tide the water comes way up this beach, but quickly goes way out again as the tide goes down.

We found this jellyfish washed up. It was about as big in real life as it is on my screen here, about 2 inches in diameter.

Mr. Inventor dug these huhu grubs out from under a rotten log. He wanted to cook them and eat them, but finally decided he didn’t want to haul them around all day!

Paradise ducks.

Mr. Sweetie and Mr. Inventor—not sure what they were doing.

Possibly Roseate Spoonbills? They were too far out to be sure.

Thrilled to be on the ground and able to explore the carpet of seashells! Of course, she had to taste some.

While they waited for the rest of the party to catch up, the boys enjoyed the sand dunes. This is Mr. Intellectual, Mr. Sweetie, Mr. Inventor, and Mr. Diligence.

The beach was covered with shells.

Black swans

There were a lot of dead crabs, or else crab shells, on the beach, too.

Going across the spit to the outer beach.

The outer beach is a lot sandier than the inner beach.

Mr. Handyman, Mr. Diligence, Mr. Intellectual, Mr. Sweetie, and Esther.

Collingwood

August 19, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

We stayed at the Collingwood Motor Camp for three nights while we were in Golden Bay. We were there for two nights when we went to Golden Bay three years ago. That time we tent-camped. This time, we have a camper, and decided to get a cabin for some of us. We can’t all fit in the camper (if we really crowd small people, we can fit five into it), and Gayle seems to have an allergic reaction to it. When we arrived and asked for a basic cabin and site for the camper, they offered us a house for not much more! We were all able to be under one roof that way, in comfort, with the kitchen and bathroom in the same building. The owner of the campground brought us firewood and started the fire for us, and we lived in luxury on this “camping” trip! The campground changed management in October, and the new owners are really cleaning the place up. We had a beautiful view of the estuary!

This is the house we stayed in. Last time we were there, we slept in tents close to where I stood to take the picture, and cooked in the open-air kitchen on the far side of the van.

I got to walk out along the shoreline one morning at high tide, and enjoyed this flock of seagulls and oystercatchers.

Mr. Imagination and Little Miss enjoyed the freedom of being on the floor to play, after a long day in their carseats!

Esther read her brothers a bedtime story. From left to right are: Mr. Handyman, Mr. Inventor, Mr. Imagination, Esther, Mr. Sweetie, Mr. Diligence, and Mr. Intellectual. No, this isn’t posed.

The rest of these pictures aren’t at the campground, but I thought this is as good a place as any to post them. I loved the reflections in the estuary as we left Collingwood the morning after our arrival there, on the way to Farewell Spit!

The reflections were almost as good as we approached the spit.

We stopped along the way to photograph some herons stalking about the mudflats as the tide went out.

Motueka Valley and Takaka Hill

August 18, 2015 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

On the first day of our trip, we went all the way to Golden Bay. Google maps said it would take 5.5 hours; I figured that meant 8 or 9 hours for us, since we have to stop occasionally and were towing a camper with our van. The van really slows down going up hills by itself, let alone with a camper, so going over the mountains, I knew would be slow. We left here at 8:30 in the morning, and it was 5:30 when we arrived, so I wasn’t too far off. We did make a few stops, to fill up with diesel twice, once to view Maruia Falls, once to do a bit of grocery shopping in Motueka so we’d have enough food for the next few days, and again for a short walk to an overlook on top of Takaka Hill when we saw that we were making good time.

This first picture was taken while we were still heading for the Motueka valley; I liked that rock formation on the hill.