Cromwell- Fog, Dogs & Winter Scenery

Catch-up

Our next stop is at one of our most visited towns in Central Otago; Cromwell, the fruit bowl of the South. Cromwell is a service town for the surrounding farm stations, vineyards and orchards, it also caters for the visitor overload from Queenstown & Wanaka. 

And while it still does service the local industries it's also becoming a great little town in it's own right with it's historic 'Old Town' precinct, Lake Dunstan for water sports & the renowned Highland Motorsport Park which attracts both international & domestic visitors alike. If only Cromwell could sort out it's small retail centre which is a hangover from a time when pedestrian malls were a priority, it's now a rabbit warren of cold alleyways, empty shops & real estate offices. 

Sunrise- Lake Dunstan

We usually find ourselves doing chores & resting up for a few days in Cromwell either at the NZMCA Park at Rotary Glen near the boat ramp or the freedom camping area at Lowburn on the shores of Lake Dunstan. But things have changed since our last visit.

Rotary Glen has always had a maximum stay of 3 nights which is fine, we would then shift to Lowburn if we needed to stay longer. Lowburn also has a minimum 3 night stay but now the powers that be have put up a low post and single wire fence right along the foreshore and through the long flat area beside the water. This now prevents all but the smallest of vans from parking along the edge of the water. I know this has been done because people were hogging the front row and parking side on (like us) and also blocking out the boaties in the summer but during the off season when there'd only be a handful of vans in each night it was never an issue. 

When you could park however you liked and had the whole place to yourself!

It's just as well that the latest NZMCA Park to open is also in Cromwell and just up the road from the freedom camping area at Lowburn. The Park is a large fenced area beside the lake and alongside the walking/biking track and will be a great asset for members especially during the summer. We were the only ones staying most nights and it wasn't until we left that I realised that this park also has a maximum 6 night stay unlike most other NZMCA Parks. Oops! (and no I'm not telling you how long we stayed though it wasn't the 21 nights you can in most other parks). 

You'll notice that there's a stand of large pines down the north side of the park. We chose our spot carefully, parking in the only corner that received the sun early in the day which worked well as we had some very heavy frosts while we were there. 

Although being in the sun didn't help much with our solar intake, the sun sits low on the horizon and is very weak down south during winter so we had to run the generator regularly. Luckily our only neighbours were rabbits! Dozens of them, including this warren on the fence line beside the van which I had fun watching from behind the tinted windows. How many rabbits can you see? Click on the photo to zoom in. 

Seven rabbits watch cautiously for any movement or noise from the van

It's just a short distance to the lakes edge, perfect for catching some stunning sunrises...

Two sunbursts, one from the sun and the other from it's reflection

...the mist rising...

...and beautiful reflections.

And on one morning I captured this amazing bank of fog covering Cromwell town...

...and then rolling up the lake towards me.

It was quite spooky how quickly it moved, I had visions of a tidal wave (and I felt the urge to run too).

At this point  I could feel the cold air being pushed ahead of it...

...and then suddenly it was over me and the temperature dropped sharply. It moved on up the lake pretty smartly and within 30 minutes or so was nowhere to be seen. I very weird experience, I must say.

I was writing a blog in the van one day and I could hear a dog barking on and off all day. By mid afternoon I thought I must check that out. I looked out and saw through the binoculars, a dog racing up the hill on the far side of the road. It was rounding up three sheep and I could hear the farmer whistling to it but couldn't see him. I decided he must be doing some dog trial training. 

It wasn't until the next day when David went out and then came back into camp to say there were dog trails going on right over the bank on the otherside of the road. I walked over to have a look and there they all were lined up in the paddock. When I spoke to a farmer he told me it was the huntaways yesterday (hence all the barking!). And today was the heading dogs turn. 

I stayed to watch for a time and used my camera to zoom in on the sheep, they're right up the top and were being brought down to the pen on the flat (click on the photo to enlarge).

Just in case you can't find them in the photo above, here they are. You can see the dog up behind, waiting for instructions. The sheep were being brought to the waiting area by a guy and a dog sitting out the day in the small hut you can see on the horizon in the photo above.

Half way down the hill and the sheep aren't happy. Look at all those rabbit holes too, it really is a major problem in Central. While we were at the NZMCA Park, there were several night time shoots happening over this hill and also across the lake on Northburn Station, gunshots during the night were a common occurrence.

Once down on the flat there was a bit of negotiation going on between the dog and the sheep- "Now, listen up ewe girls, I don't want no bovver, all you have to do is walk in the pen when the boss opens the gate, ok?"

I love the way this dog is carefully watching the proceedings, he's not tied up, and was walking around sniffing tyres and the the backs of utes but sat down and watched as soon as the other farmer started whistling.

Of course a visit to Cromwell for me isn't complete without a drive out to Bannockburn to check The Inlet- part of the Kawarau River- out for reflections, and in autumn for the stunning colours. 

And here's an autumn photo I prepared earlier...

This day the weather couldn't decide what it was doing, dark clouds loomed overhead and I was dodging rain showers one minute and then the sun would come out and warm everything up the next (still only about 5c though). Luckily there was not a whisper of wind though and The Inlet was a millpond.

And another autumn shot I prepared earlier (it looks like my processing has improved a little since these, although I blame my old laptop screen, I think I should have had it calibrated)

The surrounding hills are covered in vineyards with bare vines now of course, along with the willows, poplars and raupo (bulrush) around the waters edge.

Everytime I climb out of the ute to take a photo I'm surrounded by a very familiar fragrance, and one that speaks to me of Central Otago even when I'm not here. Much of the land around Central is smothered in thyme (a leftover from the gold mining days) and at this time of the year it's dry and brittle. The most amazing perfume fills the air even before I crunch over the plants which just intensifies the smell more. Thyme is one of the very first things I remember of Central Otago on our first visit to the region; the thyme aroma, the rocky tors and the rabbit proof fences!

I then drove out to the bottom of the Carrick Range and the road that climbs up, over and into the Nevis Valley to check on my 'special place', an old deserted pump shed.

How different does that look in autumn!

Then one last stop at the vineyards below the Bannockburn Sluicings to check on the vineyards...

...which certainly look a bit different to a summer shot I have of them. 

I've decided autumn is still my favourite time to visit Bannockburn.

We're Back in the South Island- Blenheim; Part 1

Real-time

Our first night in the South Island was spent parked beside a vineyard, on the side of a river and all by ourselves. It was good to back.

Damfam Vineyard

But first we had to cross Cook Strait. It rained for much of the night and with a 9am sailing and 13kms to travel from Petone in the morning rush hour, we were pleased when we were ready to leave ahead of schedule. There was a moment of panic though when we found the exit gate at the Workingmen's Club locked. Luckily we were able to squeeze the rig around the sharp corner of the building and exit through the entry gate which was open. In typical Evans style we were first in the queue at the closed gate just before 7am. And first in line to board (although they took the row beside us first).

With a winter storm behind us and another one forecast ahead of us, I had picked a small window of calm weather to cross and thankfully my careful scanning of wind warnings and wave height predictions proved correct and we had a very smooth crossing even though it rained all the way. The mist hung low over the hills as we cruised down Queen Charlotte Sound and when I did venture outside just to check I wasn't missing anything, a pod of dolphins surfaced nearby and rode the wake for a short time! Great timing.

We took the Interislander Lounge Plus option ($45pp) for the second time, which we're finding is a great way to travel. All food & drink is free (we had breakfast, morning tea & lunch), there's a comfy lounge, free wifi and no children. The cost is not much more than we'd spend anyway because we usually purchase breakfast and a coffee.

From Picton we drove the short distance to Damfam Vineyard (CAP #7011) on the banks of  Wairau River near Blenheim. 

We were the only ones staying and it was a lovely peaceful start to our South Island travels. The cooler morning temperatures also reminded us of the cold winter ahead.

 I was also pleased to be back 'Out There' in the open shooting magnificent sunsets again.

We were thrilled to see a bird feeding platform beside the vineyard & not too far from the van. Our hosts feed the local hawks regularly over winter and occasionally during summer to encourage them to stay and scare off the small birds that feed on the grapes during the season. 

Australasian Hawks/Kahu are notoriously shy and are often very hard to get close up photos of. I was able to sneak up on them a couple of times as they were otherwise occupied. They also didn't like eating off the high platform, in the wild it's safer for them to eat on the ground and they can also hide from other birds after their food. Occasionally they'd manage to pull pieces off the carcass and carry it off to the long grass or between the rows of vines to eat.

I followed the Wairau River down to the end of the road where it flows into a huge lagoon and crosses the Wairau Bar into Cloudy Bay. Alongside the track the rusting hull of the TSS Kennedy (1864-1929) provides a good lookout for the local flock of Pied Shags/Kawau. The Kennedy was scuttled to form part of the breakwater for what was once a wharf; rotting piles are now all that's left.

I walked to the end of the breakwater and onto the rocks and was amazed at the amount of water flowing out to sea. I'm not a fan of rushing water and here was no exception. It was very scary watching how fast it was travelling, swirling around in angry pools and catching on the rocks just below me before rushing out over the bar.

Next I went to check out the mouth of the Wairau Diversion which was completed in 1963 to help with Wairau River's flood control. The Diversion carries the water directly across country to the sea whereas the river meanders for several kilometres before it reaches the Bar. There's a large freedom camping site at the Diversion and during the whitebait season the area is full of seasoned campers.

As I was leaving the reserve I spotted alot of activity out in the middle of the river. A large flock of shags; I counted at least 30, were swimming downstream, ducking and diving, chasing & fighting their way very fast towards the outlet. 

They were chasing a school of fish (they look like yellow-eyed mullet) and nearly everytime a shag surfaced it had a large fish in it's bill. And if it didn't it chased its neighbour across the water for his. These are not good photos, I was quite a distance from the birds and they were moving very fast in the flow but look at the photo bottom left, 3 birds with a fish each and one shag behind chasing fast.

Back on the main road at Tuamarina is a memorial and information board in a road side reserve. In 1843 a nortorious & tragic incident occured here. Known as The Wairau Affray or The Wairau Incident it was the first significant armed conflict between Maori & British settlers after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Twenty two Europeans (18 killed as utu after surrendering) and four Maori were killed in the conflict. Click on the photo to enlarge if you wish to read about the incident.

Afterwards I crossed the road and drove up to the cemetery on the hill above the memorial to find another memorial to some of those killed (I'm not sure if they are buried here). Be warned if you do visit, it's a tiny narrow road with a couple of  sharp corners & not suitable for anything other than a car. The multi layered cemetery itself must be one of the most well tended and tidy cemeteries I've visited, it also has a stunning outlook over the farmland and vineyards below and out to the coast.

I found another interesting memorial opposite the primary school at the bottom of the hill as I left the cemetery. Beside the memorial were a couple of bench seats where people could sit quietly or perhaps read a book, very fitting considering Eileen Duggan was a poet & writer. It's always interesting finding out where New Zealand's famous sons & daughters have come from. Not that I'd heard of Eileen before seeing the memorial, but then it's fun to learn of their history.

The Tides Run Up The Wairau – Eileen Duggan 

The tides run up the Wairau 

That fights against their flow. 

My heart and it together 

Are running salt and snow. 

For though I cannot love you, 

Yet, heavy, deep, and far, 

Your tide of love comes swinging, 

Too swift for me to bar. 

Some thought of you must linger, 

A salt of pain in me 

For oh what running river 

Can stand against the sea? 

After a pleasant few days at Damfam Vineyard we headed off towards Kaikoura, keen to drive SH1 for the first time since it had reopened after repairs following the devastating November 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. 

We did have to pull over for a photo stop just south of Blenheim though. The last few times we have passed by this historic Cob Cottage it has been surrounded by scaffolding as it was painted (it survived the earthquake undamaged). The cottage was built between 1854 & 1868 for the local Riverlands runholder and has been used as a farm cottage, shearers’ quarters, school, a store room and hay shed during its lifetime.

To be continued...

'Yeah Right'

Real Time

But don't panic, I'm just taking a short break to do the next three blogs before they too become history. I'll be back to do the remainder of the Far North & Northland posts as soon as possible. I certainly don't want to miss those as they take in our travels down the stunning & more remote areas of the Hokianga and the west coast of Northland and North Auckland.

We are now back in the South Island having left Napier nearly three weeks ago. Our first overnight stay was at the 'famous in NZ' Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka in the Tararua District. More on that later, but I think this just about sums up why I get so far behind on my blogs!

We had a lovely time in Napier, parked once again at our own private POP in Greenmeadows- on the concrete pad beside Mum & Dads'. We caught up family & friends, had numerous lunches & dinners out, celebrated a significant birthday and generally had a relaxing time. I'd been a little disappointed that we wouldn't be back in Central Otago for autumn again but in fact Hawkes Bay put on a wonderful display of colour.

My first port of call was nearby Anderson Park, to not only check on the colours, but more importantly, to check up on my favourite ducks. 

It didn't take me long to locate them either; my two Plumed Whistling Ducks were resting on the far side of the pond. Check out the link to find out why these ducks are very special, I have been checking in on them (there used to be three ducks) since 2013. 

While on my walk I also spied two mallard ducks roosting in a tree which is unusual behaviour for them. Duck shooting season had just begun so the ponds had more than their usual amount of waterfowl visiting, perhaps they were looking for some space. A pair of NZ Shoveler/Kuruwhengi ducks (bottom right) kept a wary eye on me as did two cute wee Grey Teal/Tete Moroiti ducks (centre left). On a later walk I was surprised to find one of the whistling ducks all by itself along one of the streams that join the ponds. In all my visits I have never seen them that far away from the top pond or by themselves.

I also spotted two more vagabonds; large (dinner plate size) Red Eared Slider Turtles that quickly disappeared into the murky depths when they spotted me. I've seen them before in one of the other ponds but not in this one, abandoned pets that have adapted to their new lifestyle in a suburban pond. They are regarded by conservation people as a pest, one of the world's 100 most evasive species.

I walked to the south end of the park on the look out for another regular visitor to the ponds; many of the trees along the way had changed colour or were in the process of changing. 

And sure enough, tucked in behind a tree, resting in his usual place on the miniature railway bridge, was another familiar bird; a rare White Heron/Kotuku. This particular bird and sometimes a smaller female have returned to Anderson Park for the winter for many years.

"If I look like a stick she might not see me"

Here's a photo I took of him on the same bridge railing, 6 years ago in 2013. I must have been visiting later in the month back then as the Swamp Cypress had already turned it's rustic red.

I did a couple of tiki-tour drives around the Bay on the lookout for more autumn colour and especially the golden tones in the vineyards. With many of the vineyards planted on the Heretaunga Plains, it was a little difficult to get above them to get an overall view of the rows. I took this one from the side of the road, just south of Waiohiki near Taradale. 

Never one to miss a photo opportunity (or two), I stopped just a little further on at Omahu to shoot these two abandoned houses. Not all Art Deco homes make it to the big time.

The golden colours were much more noticeable as I moved into the open expanse of vineyards near Roys Hill in the famous Gimblett Gravel area. I walked to the top of a small knoll in a reserve to look down on this great swathe of gold.

My next stop was across the other side of Hastings at the Te Mata Estate Winery in Havelock North. Te Mata Estate has some of the oldest winery buildings in New Zealand...

...and also one of the most recognisable houses. Buck House' sits in the Coleraine Vineyard, started by John Buck as part of his Te Mata Estate Winery. The house was designed by the late Sir Ian Athfield for the Buck family, was built in 1980 and is a NZ Heritage listed building. Buck House is an important example of Modern Movement architecture in New Zealand.

On my quest for colour I also travelled to the other side of Napier and managed to shoot more golden hues at the Esk Valley Estate Winery near Bay View (see below).  But of course the best autumn colour has to go to the Acer/Japanese maple trees. I found this magnificent specimen (below bottom) with its beautiful range of colours...

...beside a road side stall that had a ready supply of my most favourite autumn fruit; the humble fig. Ok, first equal favourite autumn fruit, it also sold feijoas!  I think these are Adriatic Candy, they were very sweet and very delicious. Between Mum & I, we kept the road side stall in business for a couple of weeks. I so know where I got my love of seasonal fruits from.

Of course a blog post wouldn't be complete without a church photo. This isn't just any old church though, this is 'The Old Church', near Taradale. Now a restaurant & wedding venue, St Mary of the Assumption Church was deconsecrated in 1972 and subsequently leased to the Taradale Pottery Club of which Mum was once a member and secretary.

I took one last walk around Anderson Park before we left Napier...

...it was amazing to see how much the Swamp Cypress had changed colour in the three week time frame between these two photos. We had a glorious autumn in Hawkes Bay and like summer we had no significant rain during the five weeks we were in Napier. Towards the end of our stay Mum & I were both hoping for a wet day so we could stay in bed for the day. But winter had arrived and it was time for us to leave sunny Hawkes Bay and head south. South to the middle of the South Island for a snowy, frosty winter (hopefully).

So that is how we found ourselves at the Tui Brewery for the night. But not before we stopped just north of Norsewood at Anzac Park (#3946 $2pp per night), for a late lunch with the thought that we might stay here for the night. 

OMG- what's with that photo on the back, now I have to get used to having it in my shots! 

But after a bite to eat and a quick walk through the bush- which I'm afraid didn't inspire me- we decided to continue on south. 

Next stop, Tuiwood!

The Tui Brewery is a POP (NZMCA Park over Property #4930) and the instructions said to drive around to Gate 3. We found the Gate but weren't too sure where to park so drove through the open gate and around the back of the brewery onto a lovely wide open sealed area. Could this be where we park, we asked ourselves.  'OK, stop David' I said, 'I'll take some photos before we turn around and find out for sure'. 

Just as I finished clicking away a ute came speeding up behind us. A lovely young man climbed out and explained that we shouldn't be here, the gate had been left open by mistake and when his boss saw us driving past on the CCTV screen he blew a foo-foo-valve. 

NZMCA parking is back through the gate on the large sealed patch just outside, which we thought was the case anyway but we just wanted to make sure and grab a few photos of the iconic tower without a chain-link fence between us while we were at it! He also gave us a tip on where to park to avoid the nearby security spot lights that burned bright all night.

We left the next morning before the Tui bar & cafe were open but we had a wander through the garden, checked out the brewery and the museum...

...before making our way to the sign board where we make up our signs (which had been on my 'must do' list for awhile).