Camping at Pounawea, Catlins- Part 1; Partying

Real-time 

We'll have been parked up here at the Pounawea Holiday Park for three weeks this coming Friday and I can't imagine where the time has gone. We've had, and are still having, an awesome time enjoying the comings and goings of camp life during a very busy silly season.

It's helped that we had the park virtually to ourselves for the first few days. Then a few days before Christmas, campers started trickling in and filling in the gaps...

...including the family from Winton in their caravan and the 'Taj Mahal' (as Rachel calls their shelter). That's theirs the blue & yellow shelter; the caravan and awning are out of sight, tucked in behind it.

Boxing Day brought a few more in...

and the 27th December was the busiest day, with plenty of new arrivals squeezing into all available spaces; caravans, motorhomes and tents of all sizes and shapes along with a few boats, plenty of children's bikes...

...and a couple of dozen very well behaved dogs....or should that be very well behaved owners who kept them on leads and under control at all times. I think one of the reasons the camp is so popular is because families can bring all their family members on holiday.

Amongst the assortment of arrivals over the last 2 weeks has been this cutie...

...and these two behemoths.

They belong to two German couples who shipped their vehicles, first to Australia for 4 months to explore the country, and then onto New Zealand for another few months.

One of the men told me they hadn't had much luck travelling 'off-road' in New Zealand- I'm not so sure they'd fit through some of the backcountry station gates or along some of the narrow gorge tracks offroad, but I gave them a few places to check out when they got to Central Otago.

The weather has been far from perfect but we have had a number of blue sky and warm sunny days. This morning was the first day we've woken up to hear rain on the roof (although we've heard it regularly on and off during the night).

And we have had quite a few grey days with passing showers, often with a cold wind blowing. It helps that the camp is tucked into a sheltered corner and often, unless you move out onto the estuary, you wouldn't know it was blowing a gale. Lets just say the weather hasn't dampened the spirits of a resilient bunch of campers.

We had a very long and relaxed Christmas Day starting with brunch and present opening in the Taj Mahal...

...followed by a mid afternoon Christmas dinner.

It was wonderful to be able to share Christmas with Ruby & Ollie although we were a little sad to be so far away from our other two grandchildren, Maddie & Joel in Tauranga.

On Boxing Day we had a lovely treat when Adam (a fellow camper) brought us over some Koura to eat.

Koura, their Maori name, as in Kaikoura (kai= food, koura= crayfish), are small freshwater crayfish that live in streams and creeks. They can be caught in small yabby traps, set similar to crayfish pots, or be enticed out from their cover by a piece of meat on a line, but Adam is a 'Southern Man', he feels for them under the water, sometimes up to his shoulder, along the banks and under the tree debris, looking for holes and crevices that they might be hiding in. 

Sometimes they'll latch onto his finger and he can retrieve them that way or he'll pull them out by a leg or the tail. It's not only koura he finds in some of the holes; I've seen a photo of him cradling, 'hugging' and laying beside (to get a size comparison) the biggest, fattest and longest eel I've seen in a long while! Bloody hell, he has nerves of steel and the 'no fear' of youth. It was possibly even bigger than the ones we saw under the jetty at Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes. 

Ever since we've been on the road, I've been wanting to see some Koura, I have memories of Dad taking us hunting for them out the back of Hastings when we were kids. So everytime we are near a stream or creek that looks a suitable habitat I tell David, there'll be koura in there and I have a quick scan. I'm sure he thinks I'm pulling his leg because we've yet to find any.

Adam kindly cooked the tiny crays for us...

And David showed the kids how to break their heads off and peel the tails, just like oversized prawns. They taste much the same too. Although going by the look on Ruby's face, I'm not so sure she thought they were such a good idea. But, as her Mum encourages them to try everything at least once, she gave it a go, and ended up giving them the big thumbs up too.

There were a couple of photos I didn't include in the first post on Pounawea- one of them was of the Pounawea 'Dolphin' (just for you Jenny & Robin), a historic and slightly forlorn looking structure out in the middle of the estuary 

Now 135 years old, I hope there are plans to restore the 'Dolphin' or at least stop it from keeling over (click on the photo to enlarge).

Tucked around the corner in the Owaka River estuary is an old kauri scow that has seen better days. Scows have no keel and were therefore suitable for river trading early last century, the 107 year old Portland is the last hold scow in New Zealand. Many scows were used in the Pacific during WW11 and never returned.

The Portland is privately owned although I suspect the owner would rather wish he didn't own it now. After purchasing it from another private owner he moved it down the river to where it now lays after finding much of the rotting planking fell apart as it was being moved.

To be continued...

Beach Hop South- Lighthouse Walk, Castlepoint

Catch-up

I did ask you how many photos one can take of a lighthouse, didn't I? Well here's good selection of them for you. The weather forecast wasn't great so I was keen to do the lighthouse walk before it closed in. David was more keen to wash the dust, salt spray and road film off the vehicles so I headed off on my own, leaving him to his chores.

I love a beach like Castlepoint; when it's low tide (this is about half tide), there's a lovely wide sandy beach to walk along...

...and when it's high tide, the waves are crashing against the retaining boulders...

...in both directions

...and they come halfway up the access stairways.

At the end of the beach there's a wide sand bar that joins the mainland to the limestone reef that the lighthouse stands on. And although the sand is wet, the tide never comes right up to the boats.

Looking like something out of a Mad Max movie, the commercial crayfishing boats are stored on the sand awaiting the next outing to retrieve their cray pots.

These are monster boats and classic Kiwi 'number 8 wire' ingenuity has been applied to the tow contraptions that haul them in and out of the water. 

We spoke to the owner of the boat below on another day (this unit looks like an old combine-harvester), and he told us about his business. It was hard work but lucrative when they could get out to check the pots. But more often than not, they weren't able to fish because of rough seas.

I kept missing the boats as they arrived back at base and were hauled out of the water; he told me he radioed ahead to his brother-in-law who then raced down to the tractor unit and backed it in and out. Which was obviously before I'd even thought about leaving the van and striding along the beach. I did manage to zoom in from the comfort of the van a couple of times though.

The baby of the group had a standard tractor.

I had Castlepoint to myself as I made my way across the sand (those are my footprints and this was taken on my way back!)...  

...towards the pathway up to the lighthouse. And although the tide might not cross the sandbar and join with the lagoon, there are signs warning to watch the tide, it does reach quite high and also if the sea is rough the waves can cut off the access at the bottom of the path.

It's very easy going up the path but there are a number of seats to rest at for the less agile. 

The view behind me is spectacular; that's Castle Rock at the back. Captain Cook named it for obviously reasons....well, obvious to him. Apparently it has similarities to the battlements of a castle. From the sea.

A panoramic shot of Castlepoint, this is 4 shots stitched together. 

This is a lovely lighthouse (I'm collecting lighthouses too)- its first light shone in January 1913. It was built to allow ships to make landfall on their voyage from Panama to Wellington and was one of the last attended stations to be built in New Zealand.

There's a worrying lack of barriers on the cliff edges around the lighthouse. I think I'd be firmly holding the hands of any children if they were with me. I spy half a dozen seals lounging around on the rocks far below.

Once past the lighthouse, a narrow stairway climbs to a point above.

I stop at every landing on the way up, not only to catch my breath- there's a brisk cold wind blowing- but to soak in that view behind. 

I still have the place to myself, and in fact I don't see another person on my travels. New Zealand like it used to be.

Castlepoint village; there's quite a number of homes on the hill behind the beach. Private & with stunning views, these can't be seen from the beachfront road below.

The stairway ends on a large platform that stretches along the top of the point and thankfully it's surrounded by a study fence. It also has magnificent 360 degree views.

I zoom in on the camping ground, and what do you know? I can just pick out David cleaning the van! So he's not telling fibs just to get out of a walk!

The cast iron lighthouse stands 23 metres high and is 52 metres above sea level. The light flashes 3 times every 30 seconds and can be seen for 26 nautical miles (48kms).

Another stairway leads you off the far end of the platform and down steep stairs to a huge rock platform on the ocean side of the point.  

Woah! This is scary stuff, it's a hundred foot drop over the edge into churning ocean below. There's a few metal screw eyes in the rocks; perhaps there used to be a wire barrier here or maybe someone uses them to anchor their rope when they go over the edge.

I'm thinking if I slipped and disappeared over the side, nobody would know. I'd be gone forever, no more photos, no more blogs. After David, I'm sure the next person to notice I was missing would be one of you! I just can't bring myself to look right the way over.

I carry on along the rocky platform and back towards the lighthouse, happy to have some dirt and vegetation separating me from that drop.

The lighthouse was fully automated in 1988 and the lighthouse keeper withdrawn. It is monitored by computer and Maritime NZ staff in Wellington.

I made my way back down to the sand bar...

...and around towards the sheltered lagoon...

...with the adventure movie name of Deliverance Cove; one of Captain Cook's better name choices. The tide lines indicate how far the lagoon reaches up the firm sand.

There's a large opening into the lagoon right below Castle Rock and also as the tide rises, waves break over two low rock barriers, filling the lagoon. 

I decide I'll wait for David to join me before exploring Deliverance Cove and Castle Rock. I make my way to the top of the large sand dunes behind me and find myself in the carpark- this is the carpark where you're allowed to freedom camp, and I can certainly see why you're likely to get sandblasted parking here. And look, there's a church for me to photograph.

A day or two later, David joined me for a repeat circuit (I did warn you there are plenty of photos, didn't I?) It's the weekend and there are a lot more people about. 

Boaties launch their boats into the safety of the lagoon before heading out to the open ocean through the entrance below Castle Rock. Other fishermen have scrambled up onto the rocky ridge that separates the lagoon from the sea. It's another terrifying drop down into the ocean swell on the other side, there are warning signs on the approach which are obviously ignored.- the fishing must be good.

A surfer makes his way along Deliverance Cove, past more vehicles and trailers awaiting the return of their boats...or high tide, whichever comes first. 'The Gap' a popular surfing break inside the sheltered waters of the lagoon, is flanked by Castle Rock and the imposing limestone reef that forms the east side of the lagoon.

As we make our way across the sandbar to the base of the lighthouse track, a scooter posse roars past us, heading down towards Castle Rock. It's not only a surprise to see them on the sand, but its also a long way to ride out from Masterton. They came prepared though, one has a spare tank of petrol strapped to his carrier.

I think I prefer the place to myself; I can't help feeling anxious when I see the places people venture.  

The view is still spectacular, and today the tide is further in.

I want to show David the drop into the sea at the bottom of the stairs but when he gets close, I can't stand it and beg him to move away. And stop fooling about, which he's now doing when he sees how agitated I am.

I think my fear is borne from once getting stuck on a cliff edge high above a boiling swirling white water cauldron of rough water at Mahia when I was a teenager. I'd followed my brother up a goat track without realising actually how steep the walls of the cove were. I was paralyzed with fear and can't remember how we got down in the end but the worse case scenario kept playing through my head for weeks afterwards.

It didn't help my case when the yound couple I'd seen earlier, suddenly appeared  below me as I was photographing the fishermen on the other point.

At least there was a ledge below the top edge along this part of the platform, I felt fine walking along along there.

 But I get vertigo just looking at this photo!

And for those that commented on not seeing my little stick man over winter; he makes a special appearance here, just for you. He was missing over winter because we were parked up with family much of the time and not out on cold walks in inclement weather.

As we were making our way back down the path, I spotted the young couple again. This time they were clambering up the rocks at the other end of point. I'm sure he was out to impress his girlfriend. He'd told me (when I took a photo for them earlier), that he was revisiting his childhood holiday destination and showing his friend the sights.

Back on the sand, I was lining up a reflection shot of the lighthouse in the tide when this girl came prancing through, photobombing my shot and disturbing the still water. No matter it wasn't a good reflection anyway and she wouldn't have realised. She only had eyes for the... 

...huge sand dune below the rock wall and her siblings playing on it. And there's another crazy couple stretching the boundaries. I need to move along before I really do have kittens.

The weather is closing in fast and this will be the last calm (and clear) view for a few days.

To be continued...yes, there's more! Can you tell we loved Castlepoint.