Murchison

me on the longest swing bridge in NZ

this was on a walk round old gold workings but it was a bit hard to find the actual fault upthrust

Marui Falls - you can see the faultline here

me at Maruia Falls

exciting road - at a wide spot...

...exciting road with ford

Malcolm by a river disappearing down a narrow gorge under Horse Terrace Bridge

The weather hasn't been so good this week but we've spent most of it in or near Nelson.  Finally we  got the bus fixed (hope I don't jinx it now) and have continued westwards.  We are spending time around the Buller area.  We paid $5 each to go over NZ's longest swingbridge which I thought would be freaky but it wasn't - the wires were very taut.  On the other side of the river there were a couple of walks and some relics of gold mining days.  Then we went to check out the Maruia Falls, formed when the river changed its route after the 1929 earthquake.  (There was info about the faultline at the Buller Gorge Swingbridge place too).  Next we went exploring up the narrowest, windiest road yet - it also had about 5 'fords' or you could say 'quite big streams' flowing across the road.  This was the Maruia Saddle Road. 

Lake Rotoiti

freedom camping in Clarke Valley

tophouse cafe

 

inside the tophouse

coffee and scones - it's a hard life!

lake Rotoiti

Lake Rotoiti

Lake Rotoiti

 

After leaving Nelson  - after another visit to the market where Malcolm bought a new hat to replace his very sad old leather one - we took the road toward Murchison, staying in a reserve in the Clarke Valley.  On Sunday we did a tiki-tour around.  First we went to the mud house at Tophouse, which is a historic cob homestead, now a B&B, cafe and the smallest and highest bar in N.Z.  We had coffee and date pinwheel scones, feeling like real tourists.  We also saw the bullet holes connected to murder in the bad old days.

Lake Rotoiti was blue and clear.  Not many people around at either bay.  We walked around the peninsula, a pleasant hours walk in the bush close to the water's edge.  Then we drove up a narrow road to the top(ish) of Mt Robert which had great views but was, surprisingly, full of parked vehicles - their owners obviously off walking in the forests.

Now we are in Wakefield, doing chores and taking the bus in tomorrow.

Goodbye to Golden bay

high level housework

rush hour at Collingwood

Takaka

 

Cobb Valley

 

a dam view

DOC hut at the top of the Cobb Valley

How to boil a radiator!

All good thinks must come to an end - time to leave Golden Bay.

We made our way back through Collingwood - we went back up the Aorere valley to check out the remains of a gold mine.  Then on to Takaka and had lunch at the famous Wholemeal Cafe before continuing to Upper Takaka where there is freedom camping at a riverside reserve.

While we were in the neighbourhood we went up the Cobb Valley which is very mountainous.  There is a hydro lake and a DOC hut up in the wilds there.

Then back over Takaka Hill - the bus was struggling!  So we are going to get the radiator re-cored next week.  Back in Nelson - in the WOW carpark again.

Farewell Spit

Malcolm at Cape Faewell

Wharariki Beach

That's me at Wharariki Beach

 

the walk back from the beach

lambs and a gnome

 

Farewell spit - heading to wash the gnome shit of my sandals

cute fur seal

oyster catchers

 

This was another hot, sunny day.  We set off first to look at Cape Farewell, where we saw seals playing below the cliffs.  Then we drove on to Wharariki Beach where we did the circular walk which goes to the beach, then along and over to the next beach, then up and past some lakes and over farmland back to the car park.  (Julia & Kevin and Mo will remember we walked to here from Puponga some years back.)  The first beach was pretty deserted and there was no-one round the headland on the second beach.  There were lots of caves and islands with holes through and the sea was good to paddle in though probably still too cold to swim. 

We drove back to Puponga and walked across some more farm land to Fossil Beach where we saw some fossil shells in the rocks, some seals on the beach and lots of pairs of noisy oystercatchers.  We walked along the outside of the spit then across the width and back to the inside of the lagoon.  Not many people here either.  Stunning scenery all round!

Yes, I do like it here.  I think it's all the lovely beaches and coastal scenery.  Also sea breezes keep the sand flies away.

Whanganui Inlet

Whanganui  Inlet - I'd never even heard of it!

 

Patarau River south of Whanganui Inlet

 

...the beach at Patarau River

 

on the road to Anatori, South of Paturau River

Whitebaiters at Anatori

 

coastal view between Anatori and Paturau River

 

road beside the inlet

 

 

Lake Otuhie, from under cave overhang

Kaihoka Lakes

A hot, sunny day and what an amazing place!  Half way between Collingwood and the start of Farewell Spit there's a turnoff to the west which leads to Whanganui Inlet, a big, tidal, lagoon-like harbour.  We went exploring in the car.  First we went around the north side of the inlet and walked (15 mins each way) to the Kaihoka Lakes.  The walk went through thick groves of Nikau Palms and the lakes were clear and beautiful.  The background was mountains and bush, the only sounds tuis and frogs.

Then we drove to the southern end of the Inlet, the narrow (unsealed - of course)road winding through mountainous terrain - part of the Kahurangi National Park.  At the coast there's a river mouth and sandy beach and a free, privately-owned area for camping.  There were a couple in a bus there fishing.

We drove further along the coast with sand dunes on the seaward side and a station with cattle, sheep and a peacock which shrieked at us when we slowed down for sheep on the road.  The end of the road is called Anatori where a shanty town of caravans provided lodgings for a group of whitebaiters.  It is possible to ford the river and continue on a four-wheel drive track but we didn't. 

We retraced our steps a bit and took a walk to Lake Otuhie.  If you're ever here - don't bother with it!  We had to walk through a ford, negotiate dungy paddocks and muddy drainage ditches before we got on a bush trail to the lake.  Which was ok - and the cliffs around the valley were quite amazing - but on the whole, probably not worth getting muddy shoes for.

We drove back to Collingwood for supplies but there isn't a store there, though there is a takeaway that sells some food, etc.  But not cold meat, salad stuff, feta cheese or in fact anything we needed.  There are no stores at any of the settlements here, last shops were Takaka, though there is petrol at Collingwood.  So we will have to take bacon sandwiches on our walk tomorrow - what hardship!  back at our freedom camping spot for showers, wine and reading...

Not sure why these went down here...Whanganui Inlet

café Tangaroa - I think Malcolm's socks drying on the wipers just add to the ambience!

Golden Bay

Takaka sculptures

waterfall walk

freedom camping Pupu Hydro

waterfall

me beside water race at Pupu Hydro

Collingwood

view from bedroom window, Collingwood

old time store - with coffee machine

Explorer Malcolm finds a waterfall

Malcolm looks at a tree trunk and 1,000 oystercatchers look at Malcolm

Takeka is a cute little place, rather like Coromandel township in size and vibe.  There are plenty of hippies old and young around the place and it has lots of crystal shops, whole-food stores, a Saturday market selling ethnic clothing and hand -made soaps... etc.  Just outside the town is the Labyrinth Rocks Park, which is just that - a maze of tracks through canyons and caves of limestone.  Free and actually quite freaky.  We did an hour  walk to Wainui Falls, which crosses over one of those narrow wire bridges that DOC seems to love.

We parked up freedom camping on Pupu Valley road, past the turn off for the springs and beside the entry to the Pupu Hydro Walkway.  Then on to Collingwood where we freedom camped beside the road just on the way into town.  Waterfront location!

We took a drive up the Aorere Valley visiting a rock formation called the Devil's Boots.  They didn't actually look that much like boots, but possibly more than they looked like the devil's hat or any other item of clothing.  We also looked at the remains of a historical footbridge that had been swept away in a flood, replaced, then 3 years later in 2010 swept away again.  It is mentioned in the tourist literature as if it still exists - but it is all a bit slow and laid back here.  We visited the Bainham Store, unchanged since 1928 except that now it has a cappuccino machine.  The lady who runs it is the great granddaughter of the guy who built it.

Next stop, just tucked away south of Farewell Spit in a freedom camping area beside the beach which is thick with pied oystercatchers and other seabirds.   When the tide is out it looks like you could walk back to Collingwood or even Takaka!  Malcolm went to look for pipis (didn't find any) and he was just a dot in the distance.