Roxburgh Lions Club 4x4 Safari

 Catch-up 

From the Catlins we headed inland as we needed to be in Roxburgh for Waitangi weekend. I'd seen the Lions Club 4x4 safari advertised earlier in the year and put it in the diary 'just in case' we were in the area. At that stage we had no firm plans of where we'd be but as it worked out we were going to be passing through Roxburgh on our way to the next destination. We've been on several 4x4 safaris during our time on the road and have thoroughly enjoyed them, the most memorable one being through  Nokomai Station & the Garvie Mountains. We still talk about the fun we had on that one. 

Roxburgh Trotting Club

We've freedom camped at nearby Pinders Pond in the past, this time we decided on the Roxburgh Trotting Club POP as that was where the rally was leaving from on Sunday morning. 

Sunrise- Roxburgh Trotting Club

Over 66 vehicles signed in at the trotting club on Sunday morning, collected their packed picnic lunches and, when the word was given, headed north with directions to pull into an open farm gateway along the Fruitlands straight on the main highway. We waited here for everyone to arrive and once no more could fit through the gate we followed the leaders up and over the hill in front of us.

For the first part of the safari we were driving through the 21,000 hectare (52,000 acres) Earnscleugh Station which stretches along Old Man Range from Fruitlands in the south to the Cromwell Gorge in the north and over the range to the Southland boundary.

Hmmm....we thought, this is going to be a dusty trip, hoping that it was just this section but knowing that it probably wasn't as it has been a very dry summer.

Our next stop was beside Earnscleugh Station's woolshed, where many made use of the loos and we listened to our leader as he explained the programme for the day & gave us a little history on the station. He was also going to be positioned in the middle of the vehicle line broadcasting on a dedicated FM radio station as we passed various points of interest along the way. This was a great idea but unfortunately it depended where you were in the line as to whether you heard him or not. 

Many of us were fascinated with the farm's 'Bath House' which was parked near the woolshed.

Yes, I said 'parked' because it wasn't until you got up close to inspect it that you could see the Landrover inside. Complete with a bar & bar stools on the back, it was driven to local parties. If only walls could talk, I bet it could tell many a strange tale. 

From the woolshed we headed north along the bottom of the range exiting out the actual entrance to the station near Conroys Gully.

Our next point of interest was the old Earnscleugh Homestead, but sadly (for me as a photographer & collector of social history photos) the planned stop was changed to a drive past as timing was of essence and there would have been too many vehicles & people to wrangle back on track. 

Earnscleugh Station homestead was built in the 1920s and modeled on a mansion the then owner Stephen Spain saw in Uruguay. There is now a new homestead on another part of the station and sadly this one is unoccupied as it needs extensive & expensive renovations. 

As we filed slowly through the front garden I jumped out of the ute and ran across to the grand entrance quickly snapping a few photos before having to clamber back in before the row of vehicles disappeared around the back of  building where we also passed the staff quarters & stables built in a similar style.

NZMCA members may be interested to know that the Clutha Valley Area held a rally in the homestead's grounds some time ago, maybe they'll do that again sometime in the future (and let me know!).

From the homestead we headed along the back roads towards Fraser Dam Road passing these poor cyclists along the way. They must have wondered what on earth they had struck with so many vehicles passing them on a deserted back country road. They would have been covered in dust from head to toe by the time the last of the vehicles passed them, that's for sure!

Once on Fraser Dam Road we started the gradual and winding climb to the top of the range. Horse trekkers & cows stopping to watch the long procession pass by. We've actually driven the Fraser Dam Road before, which finishes at the dam. This time we passed the dam turnoff and took the Prospect Hill Track straight to the top.

At one stage the vehicles ahead all came to a stop which meant the photographers amongst us could jump out and take a few photos... 

...looking down below us as the rest of the fleet wound their way up the range (remember to click on the photos to enlarge).

When the vehicles started moving again fairly quickly and I had to race back to the ute before David pulled away, it suddenly dawned on me they'd stopped to open a gate, one of many to be opened & closed during the day.

Near the top I managed to get the window down and take a photo of a hut tucked into a small gully, as we passed by. I didn't manage to take a photo of the sign telling me who it belonged to though. 

At least there was a bit of a breeze at the top to cart the dust away, well a little bit of it anyway.

Just as we begun to wonder when we'd stop for a break we arrived at the top and parked up amongst the snow tussock and spiky Spaniards. People started heading to a style on the fence, and like sheep we all followed. And it wasn't until many of the men & a few ladies headed off in different directions towards the large rocky tors that we realised they were looking for somewhere to have a pee! 

Once that was sorted we gathered in a group for another talk, it was very hard to hear the speaker from the back but I gathered we were overlooking the Earnsleugh/Fraser River valley in one direction & the top of Old Man Range in the other. And that during the 1800s Otago gold rush there were many small settlements spread across the surrounding mountain tops mining for gold. 

Originally the safari was going to continue along the top of Old Man Range past the Obelisk but the scouts who'd checked on the route earlier in the week decided there were a couple of curly sections that may not have suited the 'shinnies' (street going 4x4 vehicles) so we had to re-trace our steps back down the range. Once at the bottom we stopped for our picnic lunch, many of us seeking out shade in what was a very hot day. 

The day before the safari, motorhoming friends Linda & Scotty had stopped at the Trotting Club to say hello, they were staying down the road at another POP and were also going on the safari. We'd both been up near the front of the procession for the first half and after lunch we made our way back to Roxburgh and waited at the bottom of Coal Creek Road which was the meeting point before we tackled the next section.

At first we were the only ones there & we began to think we'd got it wrong. Then several others trickled in to wait and we wondered how long it would be before the full fleet arrived. After a short discussion we made an executive decision to head off up Coal Creek Road and onto Mt Hope Road to the top of the range and either wait up there for the others of continue on along the top. 

This would give Linda & I a chance to stop and take a few photos, something we were both missing doing. We stopped several times as we climbed higher taking photos of the Roxburgh Dam,  Roxburgh township and the Clutha River. I picked up the Trotting Club & the rig in one photo (top right).

On one of the stops, I zoomed in on the meeting area and saw that there was now a good number of vehicles waiting, it wouldn't be long before they pulled out and followed us up the road.

We pulled over again as we reached the top so we could get another shot looking down over Roxburgh and as I headed back towards the ute...

...I looked back down the road and saw that the posse was coming!

And in fact they were very close to catching us up. I ran back to the ute...

...and jumped in. After a brief discussion with Linda & Scotty we decided our rebellious streak was over (although David was keen to hit the throttle) and we pulled to the side to let the leaders past and then cheekily pulled back in line when a gap appeared.

The dusty 'road' had now turned to a dirt track which made for a much more pleasant experience and being such a clear day we could see for miles. 

Across the Clutha Valley which was far below us, we could see the Knobby & Lammermoor Ranges, and somewhere out there one of favourite lakes, Lake Onslow.

We passed through Black Jack Station & Mt Benger Scenic Reserve as we travelled along the top of the range from Roxburgh to Ettrick.

There was great excitement & much gesturing to vehicles in front & behind when a Karearea/NZ Falcon flew past the procession at a fast rate of knots (top right, below) and then even more exclamations & gesturing when the front vehicles spooked a small group of seven wild deer who raced off across the tussock. I managed to grab a long distance shot as they hesitated for a moment before fleeing over the edge.

We haven't seen too many wild deer on our travels but a few years ago we saw a wild fallow stag on  Mt Hope Road (where we started this section) when we drove to the top of the range. We'd seen it on the way up but it ducked out of the way, so on the way back down we had another look for him. I'm sure he thought he was well hidden.

After many gate openings across the top we started to head down off Mt Benger...

...into Ettrick

Here's a tip for you if you're travelling in a group and there are gates to open & close, if the first vehicle leaves a rock on top of the gate post when they open it, then tail-end Charlie knows to shut the gate. If there's no rock, the gate is left as it was, open. 

Our hosts waited at the last gate and the exit into the valley, waving and thanking us for attending their fundraiser. We tooted our appreciation and then 66+ vehicles headed back into civilization and home (to wash their vehicle if they were lucky enough to have water, unlike us who had to wait until a suitable source was found). 

We had a great day although we'd probably have forgone the Fraser Dam Road loop having done the road before and knowing how dusty it was. 

Side note; I am asked often how we hear about the 4x4 safaris. There's no hard & fast directory for them. I usually stumble across them on social media or see them advertised on the side of the road as we pass through a town. 

Many small town organisations; including primary schools and Rotary & Lions Clubs hold them as fundraisers. They are usually held during the first three months of the year, when the weather should be good & the tracks dry and while we've only done them in the bottom half of the South Island, I've seen them advertised nationwide.

I haven't been able to join the dots on the tracks up to & across the top of the ranges (not drivable or not public land according to Goggle) but have put markers to show the route taken.

Taniwha Daffodils- Waipukurau, HB

Real-time- A Bloomin' Interlude

Before our next beach stop we had a special place to see just south of Waipukurau. And, as promised by the forecasters, the weather was fast deteriorating when we arrived at Taniwha Daffodils. Although it made an interesting and dramatic backdrop for my photos and in the end, the rain didn't arrive while we were there. (Click on the photos to enlarge)

Taniwha, owned by the Mabins', is a working farm with a 100 year old homestead and 20 acres of trees, ponds and beautiful daffodils in the 'house paddock'.

Instead of baking cakes for Plunket fundraisers, Railene Mabin started selling daffodils. Today, 40 years later, all proceeds still go to Plunket.

Taniwha Daffodils is open for the month of September this year, to coincide with the blooming of the daffodils, and every day, many visitors arrive to see the stunning display of flowers.

Blue plastic buckets are supplied and you're let loose in the flower beds to go wherever the fancy takes you, and to take as long as you like. At $5 per 30 stems, you can pick as many flowers as you want. I found the temptation to pick more than my quota hard to ignore, I think if I didn't have a mobile home I'd have picked enough to have a bunch in every room of the house. And if I lived nearby, I'd have returned many times over the month. Sadly, I only had room for one bunch of sunshine.

When you've finished picking the blooms, they are wrapped in cellophane back at the shed. Be warned though, lo'behold if you've picked any buds- they'll cost you $1 a stem. The buds are probably picked by the Mabins for sale elsewhere and also, buds provide the flowers for the next week or so and if everyone picked them they'd be no blooms to see....or in Taniwha's case, a little less blooms to see. 

I'd called ahead to check if we would be able to park with the 5th-wheeler on the back, of course I'd overlooked the fact that tour buses would probably be visiting the flowers too. It wasn't an issue although we'd been advised not to leave the gravel. As if we would. Imagine that, deep muddy ruts around the flower beds!

Over the past 25 years, since the garden has been opened to the public,  Railene has planted many hundreds of different varieties of daffodils and has taken over more and more of the house paddock.

Wide grassy pathways sweep and curve around and through the flowerbeds forming lovely patterns.

I started exploring out towards the highway (above), what a beautiful sight the mass drift of daffodils must be to drivers passing by on SH2. Then I made my way past the homestead...

And along the pond behind the house, where I found...

...a Mute Swan (after finally finding my first one near Kaikoura a few months ago, this is my 3rd or 4th sighting in just a few short months!) Postering and raising his wings at me several times, he still wanted to follow me right around the pond wall. His mate was down the far end of the pond going about her business. It's a little disconcerting when, unlike their black cousins, they don't hiss a warning. You're unsure if they just like you or they're trying to get you out of their territory.

Mute swans weren't the only inhabitants of the large pond.

Daffodils as far as the eye can see.

Even though people arriving were being directed to the rear of the paddock to pick their blooms, I had the place to myself. I guess the front flowerbeds would have had a good working over with people not walking too far from the carpark to pick their flowers. But, to be fair, there were so many flowers it was hard to see where people had been anywhere through the garden.

I found a lovely bridge at the far end of the pond, a little boat house and not too many daffodils.

I slowly made my way back towards the van, criss-crossing over the small stream that flows through the property.

We visited Taniwha mid September and there were still plenty of varieties yet to flower or just starting to bloom. 

Railene Mabin also picks hundreds of bunches of flowers every morning before the gates are opened, these are sold elsewhere for Plunket. In over 25 years, $250,000 has been raised for the organisation. What an incredible contribution one family has made to a New Zealand institution close to many hearts. 

If I lived nearby I'd offer to help out with the picking, I'd love to work in amongst this lot. It would be a surprise every morning seeing what new varieties had bloomed and watching others burst into life. 

I'm sure the garden trees look lovely over summer and autumn but at this time of the year it's great that they don't steal the limelight or overshadow the daffodils. They do make interesting natural sculptures though, and on this day, perfect reflections in the ponds.

It was a bit hard to capture the flowers in-situ as they mostly had their heads pointing towards the ground. So I picked as many different daffodils as I could find on my way back to the van and then I had my 'assistant' hold each stem (these are just a few of the different varieties). That centre flower was my favourite. Who knew there were so many varieties.

A school bus with kindergarten age children and their parents had arrived at Taniwha just before we did. After they'd walked through the gardens and had lunch at the picnic tables, the children then had a lot of fun playing tag along the pathways between the beds.

In their excitement a few kids forgot the rule about not running through the flowers. They even forgot who the parents were, I got tagged a couple of times while I was taking photos!

I loved this particular section of the garden, where borders of snowdrops encircled the daffodils and a flowering cherry tree was placed in the centre of a few of the gardens. A fragrant spring perfume also filled the air.

Taniwha Daffodils celebrates the flowering season with 'Dawn in the Daffodils', an early breakfast & sunrise event on the weekend they open. And a 'Dusk in the Daffodils' evening picnic, live music & light display event, which was being held later on the day we were there. Hopefully the rain stayed away long enough for them to enjoy it all.

I took one last photo of the daffodils in front of the homestead and found a little girl not wanting to leave her new playground. She lay down behind the flowers when she saw her mum coming to get her. Imagine trying to find this tiny 'dot' amongst the blooms.

I carried on up the driveway as David pulled out...

...so I could get a photo of us at the entrance gate. What a beautiful property and such a generous family.