Photo Journey- Lake Brunner to Hokitika

Here are some photos that got left behind in the last couple of weeks...

Iveagh Bay, Lake Brunner from the water-

You'll remember David saving the swan signet, well we went out in the boat the next day to check on them. He was a little worried his saved signet had joined the wrong family....that one at the back looks a little smaller don't you reckon? 

Lake Brunner reflections-

Whitebaiting at the Hokitika River- this was last Tuesday, November 8th. Looking down from the bridge as one 'baiter returned from an island in the middle of the river.

This was taken today, a week later with the river in flood (after a few days of rain including 54mm overnight), the kayak above was sitting on the shingle in the middle of this pool.

Stands along the town side of the river-

Last week the stands below hardly reached the river and in fact, the one in the foreground was nowhere near the water-

And today, you can see the blue tarpaulin from the photo above, tucked into the scrub below-

Some whitebaiters fished from the town steps-

Today the water was one step from the top-

This stand is on our side, the south side, of the bridge, it's totally under water today.

And I had this one ready to post the other day, the title was 'High & Dry'- today he'd need a snorkel.

Sailing on the next tide? I took these photos of Sunset Point, at the mouth of the Hokitika River, today just after high tide. People come here to capture the sunset from the lookout on the concrete ship. It won't be long before the ship will be marooned on its own island, the waves were crashing over the point into the river behind-

I take my sunset photos from the other side of the river and over the fence from where we're parked....sometimes I'm just too lazy to stand around for half an hour waiting at Sunset Point. These ones from last week were a lucky surprise. And not only because of the lovely colour and the added interest of the cows.

It wasn't until I was processing the photos I suddenly spied not one, but two White Heron/Kotuku in amongst the cows! You can see one of them on the right in this shot. I'd been looking for herons in the paddock all day, I know they are regularly seen around the park and in fact we saw one resting on the house roof next door but I hadn't managed to spot them in the paddock.

It had been overcast for most of the day, then the clouds parted just as the sun went down. I didn't have time to get across the park to the clubroom deck where there is a clear view so I leant out over the fence (and received an electric shock for my efforts) and snapped away. The cows are wondering who was making all the noise! 

And here's a few more photos from Lake Mahinapua where we stayed the other night at the DOC camp and where we were when the 'quake hit. There's a good view of the snow covered Southern Alps behind those clouds.

Sunburst sailing dinghies, boats we are very familiar with. A very long time ago when we were in Napier, David had business making fibreglass Sunbursts for many secondary schools; it's the boat they use to train their sailors in.

While I was watching the yachts, I spied a White Heron/Kotuku hiding in the nearby reeds. 

Later I went for a couple of short walks, I thought I might get a good lake shot from Swimmers Beach. 

The 1km walk was lovely along a nice wide path through bush and ferns and over a couple of open glades. Towards the end a sign told me the beach wasn't too far away. 

Imagine my surprise (and anyone else who walked the track thinking they might take a swim) when it ended here. A small gap in the undergrowth with thick bush on either side. That was a huge disappointment. 

I suspect a long time ago when the lake was a popular place for early settlers to spent weekends picnicking and boating, and when there was a paddle steamer plying its trade on the lake, the beach was once a proper beach where people came to swim. Now the bush has regenerated and this is all that's left, it's now a name only. Maybe DOC should put that on their sign to save the disappointment.

Oh look, weka are back in my good books. This family of one adult and 3 chicks were feeding around the van at Lake Mahinapua.

The chicks were quite independent but came quickly when the adult found something to eat. They were all very submissive to the parent and came in from underneath when begging for food.

The parent was quite tough on the youngsters too, pecking and chasing them if they did something wrong. The chicks cowered down on the ground if they thought they were in trouble and waited until the parent moved off before dashing away.

Other times she took no notice when one or the other stuck like glue to her side (I'm thinking it was the mother).

How's that for an eclectic mix of photos!  

But wait there's more.......in another short blog coming soon (if there's a internet connection down the line)