Blowhard Bush & a Tomtit

As you'll have noticed on the map out the right hand side, we've now moved on to Mangaweka. I still have a couple more blogs from Kuripapango to post though.


Blowhard Bush- so named because in early coaching days the horses struggled to cross the inland ranges of Hawkes Bay- is a 63 hectare reserve just off the Napier-Taihape Road and was given by a local family, Mr & Mrs Lowry, to the NZ Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society back in 1962.

The forest grows over limestone formations which has produced many karst ridges in amongst the trees- it reminds me of the weird karst formations we saw on the Takaka Hill. The limestone has been fractured into large blocks by the surrounding active fault lines and is covered with layers of pumice ash from central North Island eruptions thousands of years ago. It is thought that this area of bush was saved from becoming a commercial pine forest because of the limestone rocks, tomos (underground holes) and caves that cover the reserve.

We decide to walk the Tui Track, the main & longest track in the reserve and one that does a circuit of the reserve taking in a number of interesting features along the way. It had been raining the day before and the morning of our walk so it was very wet under foot and with a number of steep sections, we slipped and slid as we struggled up the slopes. Grabbing trees to halt your slide gave you a free cold shower as the branches overhead were laden with water.

Some of the rock fractures we passed through were quite narrow and generally the track wasn’t that wide compared with the DOC walks we’ve been on but all the tracks were very well marked with coloured tags at regular intervals leading the way and plenty of information panels at relevant spots.

This is Patiki Cave (like the sign says) but it’s more of a large low limestone rock overhang. This was where Patiki, a Maori man lived with his family here back in the 1800s. Patiki fell in love with a woman well above his social standing, they eloped and hid here for many years surviving and raising two children, who went on to work at the Kuripapango Hotel taking on the English names of Jock & Mary McDonald. (The wooden box under the sign is a weta hotel- more on them further down)

At the top of the walk is the Lowry Shelter, obviously named after the benefactors of the reserve. We stopped outside to have our lunch and listen to the birds- it was a bit gloomy and barren inside but would have been great if it was raining with table & benches to sit at.

We hadn’t seen (or heard) much bird life on the walk through the bush but as we moved into the more open bush near the top of the track we caught glimpses of birds flying about and could hear a lot of bird song. As I stood there listening I caught sight of this little guy flying in for a better look at the intruder passing through her patch.

This is a tiny female fledgling Tomtit- Miromiro, which is probably the reason she was so confiding. She has yet to learn that the big wide world can have many dangers although Tomtits, especially the males, can be quite bold and inquisitive.

So cute! She posed for me long enough to at least grab a couple of good shots. Taking photos in the dark bush with bright backgrounds and tiny fast birds flitting all over the place deserves a medal!

After leaving the shelter we passed through a clearing and then out onto an alpine herbfield, following the sign posts to the lookout which looks west towards the Kaweka Ranges in the distance and with the commercial Kaweka Pine Forest spread out below.

Looking south west we can see the Napier-Taihape road (in the centre) weaving it’s way towards Kuripapango and the Gentle Annie on the far right.

David spies a Bellbird- Korimako, resting on a Kanuka branch, he doesn’t look too pleased to see us…

I move in for a closer shot, clicking as I step carefully forward but he spooks and takes off.

We head off through the kanuka forest and it’s all downhill from here on- very slippery downhill and tough going in some places.

At various places throughout the reserve weta boxes are attached to trees, these are hidey holes for wetas to call home, although none have taken up the option here. Maybe the rent is too high or there are too many nosey people looking in.

Near the end of the walk there’s a side track to a large cave. Passing through one of the narrow alleyways formed by the limestone I get the feeling I’m being watched by a dozen conjoined Easter Island faces.

It’s a steep slippery track down to the cave and all the way we’re thinking we’ve got to climb back out of here afterwards but we can’t come this far and not have a look. The cave is quite deep with a limestone ceiling with a split right down the centre. It’s dry & dusty inside and there’s no sign of life. I think Patiki would have been better making his home in here myself.

Once back at the car we decide to head to the summit lookout which is just a few kilometres back down the road towards Napier. It’s the closest cell phone connection we can access and where we’ve been a couple of times to phone family, upload emails and where I’ve been able to upload blog posts. This is the view we’ve had while doing our computer work, looking south east out over Hawkes Bay, this time as rain clouds pass over parched farms.

Kuripapango Lakes

We're back at the summit, David needed to phone a couple of people so I took the opportunity of posting another couple of blogs- it's been overcast & drizzly the last couple of days so I've had plenty of time to write blogs.

Also known as The Lakes, the Twin Lakes or the Kaweka Lakes, these two tiny lakes with the many names were formed thousands of years ago after a massive slip from Mt Kuripapango filled the valley and blocked the path of two streams. Only the slightly larger western lake (8 hectares) has an outflow- a small underground stream, although the smaller eastern lake (5 hectares) occasionally overflows into the bigger lake.

The Lakes are about a 15km drive away from camp, back along the main road towards Napier and then down a forestry road for 7-8 kms. At the moment the more direct route is closed due to logging operations in the commercial Kaweka Pine Forest. There are numerous walks and tramping tracks from the trail head up and over the Kaweka Ranges. And not too far from the carpark, another one of HB’s three main rivers, the Tutaekuri flows by. You’ll remember this was the river that I reminisced about on the Otatara Pa blog.

I am loving all the new DOC sign boards around the countryside, detailed information on the area with maps, good indications of the degree of difficulty each track is and with reasonably accurate walking times.

The Lakes walk is about an hour long and other than a couple of downhills- one through the old pine forest at the beginning and the other, a sharp incline down to the western lake at the end- it’s all pretty easy walking. The summer growth of ferns and bracken crowd the track in places but it’s lovely to be back in the bush and have the whole place to ourselves!

The bush is alive with the deafening sounds of cicadas, they are clicking and chirping from every advantage point along the way and lifting up from the ground, where I’m sure they have been sunbathing, as we approach. These are native Chorus Cicadas- Kihikihi and the males have beautifully sparkling copper coloured wings and dark green patterned bodies.

In amongst the flying cicadas are a number of slow flying & noisy Bush Giant dragonflies- Kakapowai, who are using the cleared track as a flight path for their next hunting mission, whirring up and down the open area and landing occasionally on a nearby trunk or in one case, the peak of David’s cap. Dragonflies are voracious hunters, taking their prey on the wing. Prey includes flies, cicadas (no surprise there), wasps & butterflies. The Bush Giant dragonfly is about 82cm long and the larva live in long, mud, peat or clay tunnels for about six years before emerging as an adult. They’re also known as the devil’s darning needle. What a beautiful creature!

There are many tiny native (and a few introduced) flowers blooming along the way. There are over 280 native plant species in and around the lakes, many uncommon and nationally significant. I was on the lookout for the native hooded orchid but didn’t manage to find any.

There were masses of tiny, usually pink or white, flowers that could be easily missed by the average walker. They’re often hidden under the leaves of the bush or just so tiny they disappear amongst the many shades of green. I’m still learning some of names, the top & middle left are Snowberries, the middle right is Eyebright and I should know the bottom groundcover as it used to grow throughout my large native garden back in Tauranga. It’s Panakenake a creeping herb. It’s loves damp conditions, one of the reason it grew prolifically around our pool overflow.

Another native that I had in my garden was the Kiokio fern with it’s beautiful copper coloured new fronds. Although I believe mine was the common Kiokio whereas this is the mountain kiokio- I can’t see the difference.

We finally reach the top of the track down to the larger lake and which we can see through the trees. The smaller lake is on the far side and out of view.

Down at lake level and David is off to set up his rod, there are lots of fish jumping all over the lake and plenty close into shore. They don’t look all that big and spit the hook quickly, everytime David throws something at them. These are small brown trout and are much smaller than their river cousins due to the cold water temperatures and lack of nutrients.

I go for a wander up to the lake head to see if there is any bird life, a couple of mother ducks with ducklings scarper off at full speed and a black backed seagull overhead, is all I found.

Along the way I do my bit for conservation, pulling out the pinus contorta (or wildling pine) seedlings growing on the lake edge. Going by the odd dried up seedling, I see someone else has been doing the same. Pinus contorta are spreading aggressively throughout New Zealand, smothering native bush and alpine grasslands and are a major pest. Originally chosen for their rapid growth in commercial forests and to control erosion elsewhere they soon escaped their confines to spread hundreds of thousands of seeds each year through our native forest and grasslands.

David’s still trying his luck when I get back so I wander off into the reeds to see what insects I can find.

There are dozens of Common Copper butterflies flying about feeding on the tiny white flowers- Eyebright & Panakenake- blooming in amongst the rocks and wetland grasses. I try to sneak up on them but they are pretty flighty and take off at the slightest movement or shadow.

There are plenty of bumblebees collecting nectar from these legume flowers.

And around the reeds are flying dozens and dozens of damselflies in various stages of copulation! Both Blue and Redcoat damselflies. I love the male’s big blue eyes in this shot & the way he is gripping the reed- holding on for dear life? Ol’ Blue Eyes maybe?

The focus is a little out on some of these- aside from the stiff wind that was blowing, it’s very hard to grab a focus point on something so small let alone when it’s being whipped about on the grass. The red one is the male, the brown the female. The two damselflies in the middle have formed what is called a ‘copulation wheel’ according to my insect book, interesting that his bits must be up the top end and hers down the bottom. Great how the male has grabbed the neck of the female, there ain’t no way she’s getting away!

My insect book is a little thin on it’s bugs but I think this is a Solider Fly of some sort on the left. It has an interesting looking tail end to it, like a tiny spanner to grab hold of something? On the right is a ‘worse for wear’ Red Admiral butterfly.

David has no luck so we sit on the bank and have a bite to eat before heading back, all the while the fish are taunting him, leaping into the air, doing backward flips and belly-flops right out in front of us.

Just before the end of the track we have our first encounter with another human being. A human being and his best friend happily wagging his tail at us. Another person who can’t read. Grrrrrr……..

Kuripapango DOC Camp, HB

Here we are arriving at the large & deserted DOC camp at Kuripapango which is located on the banks of the Ngaruroro River at the base of the Kaweka Ranges on the outer reaches of inland Hawkes Bay.

And here we are (top left) four days later on the Friday of Waitangi Weekend when nearly every flat area, alcove and nook &cranny in the large campsite has slowly been taken by arriving campers for the long weekend. And campers in tents & caravans were still arriving during Saturday and into Saturday evening.

And the trout have no chance- well actually I think they have a whole heap of chance, they will have been spooked into hiding- every camp site has at least a couple of hopeful fishermen and in some cases 5 or 6 men & children with fishing rods. Dad’s and their sons and daughters have been passing by morning and night on their way to the river, ever hopeful of catching that elusive fish. So far all we’ve seen is one little tiddler being paraded back past on the return journey.

Kuripapango is at the base of the infamous ‘Gentle Annie’, a steep climb over a range with many sharp switchbacks on the Napier-Taihape Road. We have yet to haul the van up the Gentle Annie, that’ll be when we leave in a few days time. At least it is sealed now, the last time I drove over the Gentle Annie it was gravel and a slow haul up and across the Central Plateau.

The road into the camp passes through a large field where a group of beehives (I wonder what the collective name for them is?) are strategically placed so the bees can harvest the highly sort-after & lucrative manuka honey from the surrounding bush.

The sign at the beginning of the track is a bit misleading, it indicates that the campervan site is near the beginning of the track when in fact motorhomes can set up camp throughout the area. I wonder how many don’t venture any future on through the narrow, bush covered track thinking they might not be able to turn around further down.

It always amazes us as to how many people believe the rules don’t apply to them; ‘Light No Fires’- there are old fire pits throughout the camp, ‘No Motorbikes or Four Wheelers’- a quad bike & a motorbike are somewhere in camp, ‘No Dogs’- we’ve seen at least three this weekend (correction seven, we just had a walk through camp. And a further correction now on Sunday; there have been at least 15 dogs scattered throughout the camp) Admittedly most have been on leads and well behaved but we’ve seen a few wandering including this black lab who, while only trying to say hello, frightened this toddler.

I’m not sure what the answer is, dogs are an important part of a lot of families and the Kiwi tradition of going camping in the great outdoors is taking your pet with you. I know some DOC campgrounds allow dogs & perhaps they should re-visit the Kuripapango restrictions as what they have in place now certainly isn’t working.

And as an aside one camping party had a pet magpie in a cage with them. I could hear a magpie calling but thought it must have been a wild one until our neighbours told us about it squawking all day (we were out so didn’t hear it much) As they said it’s all very well bringing the bird with them but they wondered if they realised that it’s squawking would have chased the native bird life away.

*Rant Over!*

Now back to us arriving last Monday. Being the only ones in camp we had the pick of sites and we found a reasonably level one near the road, facing east-west for all day sun and with a sheltered area on our outdoor side and also protected by bush from behind. Perfect!

A rainbow followed by a full moon greeted us on our first night.

Kuripapango camp is also known as The Oxbow. An oxbow is where a river forms a loop around a land mass and here the Ngaruroro River forms the loop around the campsite. Unfortunately the land mass the camp sits on is about 100 metres above the river and it’s a steep walk down to the river bed. This wouldn’t be so bad except that it’s the only water source in camp and as we’ve now been here for the better part of a week, we’ve had to make the trip down and back a few times carting 20 litres at a time for our tank. It’s all part of our lifestyle but still tough work sometimes.

The river is running very low at the moment but there are numerous deep pools to swim in and to fish. A helicopter has been flying in fishermen & hunters on a regular basis and a Taupo guide and his Australian client were camped for a couple of nights at the back of the camp earlier in the week. They, by all accounts, had a successful time, catching over 30 fish within a kilometre length of the river. We did see some photos but we wondered at the number. Their next stop was the Mohaka beyond Glenfalls for the holiday weekend. After complaining about the inconsiderate campers he comes across I wonder how he (the guide) got on with the influx of campers there over the long weekend.

At the end of the oxbow the river sweeps around and under the road bridge at the foot of the Gentle Annie heading east passing through the famous Gimblett Gravels wine area on it’s way towards it’s eventual exit into Hawkes Bay near Clive. I’d love to raft the river all the way down, I’m sure there can’t be too many Grade 5 rapids along the way?

After three nights virtually by ourselves- the first night totally on our own and the next two with just a couple of others camping out of sight- the promise of a fine long weekend had a steady stream of vehicles arriving to set up camp from early afternoon on Thursday. A large group of people set up in the dip across the road from us getting their tents up just in time before the rain arrived.

And well after dark we could still hear the odd vehicle passing by. In the morning a few more tents and vans had sprouted in the empty spots around the edge of the camp.

Friday morning dawned cold and wet, the sun made a brief appearance before disappearing and the rest of the day was spent dodging passing showers and heavy downpours. The weather didn’t seem to dampen the campers spirits though, especially the kids who, on a free reign, were off exploring, riding bikes, fishing or fighting battles with their water guns.

Other than a walk around camp and a trip to the river for water we stayed in, ever thankful for our warm & cosy home and, going by the queue & stench emanating from the long drops, our very own loo!

The sun came out on Saturday and so did the people, with nearly every available camping area taken, the overflow of campers were setting up in another clearing back near the road and beside one of the tramping track carparks (middle right) And look another dog bounding out to say hello- in fact there were two at this camp.

It’s now Sunday afternoon and it’s very hot & very still, most people have packed up and headed home although I can still hear the familiar ringing metal pipe sound around the camp as people pack up their tents. There’s still a few families about enjoying the last of the holiday weekend and we’re just about to go for a drive to find a signal so we can download and I can upload this. I suspect when we get back later in the day we’ll be just about by ourselves and the sounds of nature will slowly descend over the valley once again.

We're now sitting in the ute 13kms from camp, with the air conditioning on full and 4 bars of Telecom reception. We're parked in a gravel pull off area, high above and overlooking a vast expanse of Hawkes Bay's crisp dry farmland. Technology is a wonderful thing; I've been able to send this blog from my computer to my live blog on the internet via my phone's 'hotspot' and upload the photos and post it so you'll have something to read this evening! Enjoy- although excuse any errors as it's rather hard to proof read with my large laptop perched on my lap in the cab. 

Still to come from Kuripapango…
The Lakes
Climbing Mt Kuripapango
Up The River Without a Paddle
Avian First