Goodbye Golden Bay

After four weeks the time had come to say goodbye to Golden Bay, cheerio to Collingwood and farewell to our new found friends at the Collingwood Camp Ground. Once again we could quite easily have put down some “feeder roots” and settled in for a few more weeks but we must keep this snail’s paced journey on the move otherwise we’ll have to keep adding months to the other end of our ‘grand tour’ of the South Island.

We have been spoilt by the weather, glorious golden sunrises, brilliant blue skies and calm settled weather week after week. We came north for winter and the Tasman District has served us well; 4 wonderful weeks in Kaiteriteri, a quiet week in Pohara and 3 fun filled weeks in Collingwood.

We've thoroughly enjoyed being honorary members of the whitebait crowd at Collingwood, we loved the camp camaraderie, the friendly banter & partaking in “Happy Hour”. We enjoyed looking on as motorhomes, caravans, cars, boats & trailers, all filled to the gunwales, arrived to set up camp and soon just about every patch of grass was covered with camping & fishing paraphernalia.

We watched the daily parade of boats & bikes, nets in all shapes & sizes, rods (for those quiet times) and people dressed in waders passing by our window. We admired the tenacity & passion (or is that obsession) that every whitebaiter possessed no matter the weather or the size of the catch. We loved the camp quiet time, when we had the place to ourselves, when all we could hear were the birds and the gentle lapping of the incoming tide. And then we’d look forward to the first vehicle rumbling back into camp signalling the end of the day’s fishing and the return of the “fleet”, we'd then be keen to hear how everyone did.

But best of all we enjoyed the precious little whitebait packages that arrived at our door & the secret language that went with any whitebait discussion. We learnt the lingo, “enough for a feed” could have been anything from a dozen fish to half a bucket full!

Our lips are sealed!

So thankyou Bill & Shelley for your hospitality and accommodating us on a perfect site. Bill you were right, there was no need to head to Wharariki, the best little camp was in Collingwood! And a big thankyou to Gerald & Pam, Sally & Ian, Diane & Ian, Ken, & last but not least Skin….(or was that Stretch) for making us feel so welcome. We look forward to our paths crossing again one day.

Anatori - The End of the Road ; Part 2

....continuing on from Part 1

Back on the road after lunch, we’re now passing through farmland and following the coast all the way.

The views are spectacular and the road often on the edge of the seacliffs.

It's not long before I see a cluster of houses on the hill ahead of us and assume we must nearly be at Anatori and the end of the road. And in fact we are but what I don’t know is that the houses are on the other side of the Anatori River. A river you have to ford, the track carries on for a few more kilometres but a 4WD is suggested for that stretch.

We head up the last hill and pass through a beautiful grove of Nikau Palms, I can never get enough of Nikau, they are probably my most favourite NZ plant, I love their tropical look and they remind me of our old property in Tauranga where I had my own Nikau grove, 17 planted in amongst our native garden. Although mine were mostly Kermadec Nikau, they grow a lot faster.

Finally we’re heading down into the Anatori River valley where there is a small hive of activity and a little ‘tent’ city of caravans. More whitebaiters! And these ones are set up for the duration too. We can see the 4WD road heading up the other side of the hill and we’ve been pre-warned; “Don’t cross the river while they’ve got their nets out otherwise you may get abused”.

We pull up in the gravel patch and David wanders out to one of the whitebaiters to have a chat while I take a few photos. I catch up with them and the guy tells us no one has had much luck so far (but we’re fast learning the lingo & this is a standard response). Although he does say the river is very low and it certainly looks that way, not a typical west coast river that’s for sure. He tells us that he built the hut, he brings the gear in each season and knocks it up for them all to use, it has a pot belly fire inside and solar power. I can imagine Happy Hour tucked up in there would be nice and cosy. That’s his net all set up (bottom right), I like his bucket holder.

There’s a few rustic baches down at river level but it doesn’t look as though any of them have people staying.

It’s getting late in the afternoon now and while we would have liked to have crossed over the river and driven the track a short distance, we decide it’s best to head home. Our whitebaiter friend said it wouldn’t have worried him if we had crossed, he’s used to it as there are a few cars a day coming and going. He also tells us that when the tide is low the best drive is along the beach in both directions for about 10-12kms. “But don’t get caught by the tide, otherwise you’re a gonna”

So it’s back on the road again, with a short stop for me to rescue a lamb on the wrong side of the fence, man do they move fast, after running back and forward along the fenceline I finally managed to grab him when he got stuck trying to squeeze through the wire. He was pretty pleased with himself once he hit the deck bouncing and dancing across the paddock. A good deed done for the day.

And one final stop when we spotted one of the white herons resting on the old wharf at Mangarakau on the Westhaven Estuary. You can see the soft feathering of the breeding plumes at it's tail. This heron should be making it’s way south to Okarito on the West Coast, where they breed & nest, very soon.

Anatori - The End of the Road ; Part 1

Remember the three long Golden Bay roads I mentioned in a previous post?. Well, we've explored the two up the Cobb & Aorere Valleys and now we’re about to do the final one which also happens to be the longest one at 44kms. It’s also the most westerly road in South Island and probably the least travelled as there is nothing at the end of it other than a small settlement with a handful of houses. And even though we will follow the road down the west coast of the South Island, it’s still part of Golden Bay with no way through to the actual West Coast province.

It’s going to be a 116km round trip from Collingwood for us & mostly on a gravel road plus we’ll add another 20 kms to the total by taking a side road to check out the Kaihoka Lakes.

There are two small lakes in the Kaihoka Scenic Reserve and they are tucked in behind some dramatic coastal hills and bluffs, we can hear the rumble of the surf coming to us over some dunes at the top of the second lake.

A special feature of the lakes are the massed nikau palms which give the 10 minute walk between the lakes a tropical feel. The nikau also confirm we’re on the west coast now, where they are always a prominent feature.

The raft (below) was well made using mussel floats and was tethered just around a corner near the entrance to the walk, maybe the local kids use it or DOC to get to the other side of the lake. We've seen a lot of lost mussel floats on our travels; there’s a mussel farm out in the bay just north of Collingwood and they must break free on a regular basis. For some it’s finders keepers, others call the company who pay $10 for each recovered buoy.

We decide to drive to the end of Kaihoka Lakes Road as it’s skirts around the top western side of one of the largest estuaries in New Zealand, the Westhaven Estuary (Whanganui Inlet). Below is just a tiny section near Pecks Point, we’ll be following the road around the the edge of the estuary on the far side when we get back to the Anatori road.

The gravel road winds in and around the exposed mudflats for 6 of so kilometres, which, as I’ve said before, always feels like double the distance. There’s nothing much more than a farm at the end of the lakes road and they obviously get a few vehicles arriving at their farm gate as they've made a little turning bay with a helpful sign.

We head back to the Anatori road and start the journey south. It’s not long before this sign makes an appearance. Bloody hell, that’s a long way to wind!

Thankfully it’s actually an interesting winding road as it follows the estuary shoreline all the way, cutting across the many estuary ‘fingers’ over embankments and small bridges, where the mudflats reach far up into the hills and where rivers & streams enter. It comes as no surprise to see that the name of this road is Dry Road. Clouds of dust swirl behind us and I know David will be thinking about how much will be finding it’s way into the back.

This is looking across towards the Kaihoka Lakes Road, the farm gate was at about the low point in the hills, centre right.

There are a few isolated houses tucked up in the bush overlooking the estuary along the way and then, once again, we pass through a part of the Kahurangi National Park (kahu= hawk, rangi= God of the sky). At various spots we see three white herons (kotuku) feeding but they’re too far away to get any decent shots. We also pass the end of the Kaituna Track, that’s the track that started beside the Naked Possum Cafe in the Aorere Valley.

Finally I see the ocean's entrance to the estuary and we stop so I can get a shot. The NZ Post rural mail lady in her bright red car comes flying around the corner not long after and pulls to a stop to tell me it looks even better when the tide is in. Unfortunately by the time we return the sun is low and the tide has come and gone.

Up in the bush, high on the ridgeline, on the peninsula at the left side of the entrance is an exclusive luxury lodge, Westhaven Retreat. I only knew about it as the huge roof was catching the sun as we travelled past. I looked it up when we got back; a two night luxurious package in peak season; drive in, helicopter out will only set you back $4,770, and that is a discounted rate!

The estuary covers a total of 2648 hectares; 536 hectares at the southern end are a marine reserve with the remainder a Wildlife Management Reserve with limited access. The estuary is one of the least modified estuaries in New Zealand and a very important food source for wading birds and breeding ground for many fish species.

The old Mangarakau Wharf is within the marine reserve at the top end of the estuary.

We finally break free of the estuary & the winding road but not before meeting a fully laden stock truck & trailer on a tight bend in the bush. Thankfully we don’t have the 5th-wheeler on the back otherwise that would have been fun and games.

We follow alongside the Paturau River heading for the coast and passing the now familiar whitebaiters along the river banks; one in a small motorhome and two on their quad bikes. We cross over the bridge and take the indicated private road to the beach to have some lunch.

As you can see we were enjoying another fabulous sunny & mild day and it did really feel like summer as we sat on our chairs eating lunch, watching the world go by. This is a freedom camping area provided by the landowner but you must follow the rules, especially #3! A straight talking farmer with a sense of humour.

Originally we were going to bring the 5th-wheeler down to here for a few days but as it's turned out we've used Collingwood as our base and explored from there. It would be a great spot in the summer although exposed to the rough west coast weather.

Another two whitebaiters were near the river mouth, a couple, one on either side of the river (hedging their bets) with their friendly pooch patiently waiting.

To be continued....Part 2

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em….

It’s been raining on and off for the last two days and it was especially heavy overnight. The jungle drums have been beating and today the camp has filled to virtual capacity, all the permanently parked caravans now have occupants and many of the cabins are occupied too.

The rain will flush out the river and send fresh water out to sea signalling to the whitebait that it’s time to take a run up the river. That is, as long as you don’t stick to the bank and end up in one of the multitude of nets strategically placed along the banks.

Today many of the camp whitebaiters stayed in camp to fish rather than head up stream where the river in spate was stained brown, reasonably clear but with a lot of debris. The photos above & below were taken from the rocks outside our front door, there are more fishers around the corner above.

What? Who is that? By golly, it’s David!

Our neighbour, Gerald, told David as he was heading to the showers at a reasonably leisurely hour, that he would set up a net for him below the van. “Great” thought David as he finished his morning ablutions and wandered back to the van to cook his breakfast. It wasn’t long before he wondered where Gerald had gone and when he was going to show him what to do.

Gerald had long gone, down the beach to set up his own net, he’d positioned David’s net and tied it down and shot through. I told him (half an hour ago) the tide had turned and he better get out there. David was like “What? How do I work this thing?

Gerald having more luck than David...

Just sit patiently and wait……and wait……and clear the net of all the floating driftwood.….and wait……and check…..and wait…..and check again…

Before long he had moved up the rocks a little more into the flow and then he was getting advice from our neighbour on the other side.

And then it was back to waiting…..

then checking……

....and double checking.....

and then checking some more, surely there’s something down there……wait, something's moving......

One bloody shrimp! He couldn’t even use the whitebaiter’s secret lingo of  “Enough for a feed”, *wink, wink* when asked how much he had netted. Not even enough for half a shrimp cocktail!

I’m not sure David will be out there tomorrow morning, after all it is a Sunday and Sundays are for sleeping in…..


Part 2- Anatori; End Of The Road will be coming next......

Collingwood For Capital

We are now deep in the heart of whitebaiting country, we’ve moved onto Collingwood and are parked up at the Collingwood Camping Ground, overlooking the huge Ruataniwha Inlet with the Aorere River flowing past just below our front door step. That’s when it’s high tide. When it’s low, the vast expanse of water becomes a vast expanse of mud, sand & wood. That's up at the river bridge (bottom right) and at high tide the water is right up to the bank and over a metre deep.

The tide range here is once again huge, a massive amount of water is shifted with each tide. The rock wall along side us has had some recent work due to extra high tides and the wave action undermining the rocks so it is a little dusty; we need some rain to dampen it all down.

The Collingwood Camping Ground is the classic old style rustic Kiwi camping ground, a little rough around the edges but with a heart of gold. Bill & Shelley are very welcoming and nothing is too much trouble, the people staying here are friendly (well most are, some are a little obsessed with fishing) and they’re from all walks of life.

The day after we arrived one of the guys that is doing work on the tennis courts (which are being expanded & resurfaced at the moment) approached David. They walked back to the van & I thought he must have been interested in the 5th-Wheeler but David called to me to come and meet Mike whose wife was a regular follower of my blog! They live in Nelson and when we arrived the day before, Mike thought the van looked familiar. So thankyou Mike for saying hello and a big thankyou Mikes’s wife for following my blog, it’s nice to know that I’m not talking to myself!

Actually I know I’m not talking to myself because I do get plenty of comments posted & emails and I have recently passed 50,000 views. And I can’t put them all down to my Dad, even if he likes to dissect each post word by word! So it’s a big thankyou to all my regular readers too, I’m pleased you are enjoying following along on our journey with us.

In the last few days the camping ground has been filling up fast, most of the new arrivals are regulars and will be settled in here until the end of the whitebaiting season. They give the new season a couple of weeks to settle in before arriving and now they’re hoping for the big runs.

We’ve already said goodbye to one set of neighbours who came to fish over the weekend (above) and their place has now been taken by Pam & Gerald (we won’t forget their names- I have family from HB with the same names). They have been coming to Collingwood Camping Ground & the same site for the past 17 years and will be here until the end of October. We actually had to move sideways by about 2 metres after the other caravan left because there’s also another regular and his bus due in the next day or two, he’ll squeeze in on the other side of us. We are also the odd ones out in camp, the only ones that aren't here to fish.

The campground is a hive of activity just before the tide turns as the fishers prepare to head out. Most have small dinghies that are towed (or pushed) by quad bikes. They launch them at the boat ramp just outside the gate and head off towards islands at the mouth of the river where they’ll then be occupied for the next few hours as the tide pushes the white bait in and up the river and streams in the area. Down at the bridge are the fishers that don’t have boats, the gravel parking area is full of cars and motorhomes and people jostle for their spots along the river banks.

Some try their luck on the point, just up from our van, but it’s hard going there as the sand is very soft and swallows your boots in no time at all. Scoop, scoop, drag it in and check, scoop, scoop, drag it in….. These guys were the only ones out yesterday, the rest were grumbling & mumbling around camp. An easterly has been blowing for the last 2 days and the saying is “East is least, west is best”. 

And remember this photo from my White Gold#2 blog? This couple were freedom camping further up the coast, we stopped to check out a large flock of spoonbills and David walked out to say hello to them. They were fishing in amongst the reeds at the outlet of a tiny stream.

Just like herding cats! They try to scare the whitebait into the mouth of the net.

Great, that’ll be enough for at least……. half a fritter! The funny thing was that neither ate whitebait. They just like to freeze the bejesus out of themselves in the great outdoors for fun!

At least there was a chair for one of them should they tire.

Collingwood is a quiet one horse town (I should have grabbed the shot as the horse rode through) Just a main street with a couple of cafes, a small supermarket, a pub, a hairdresser, the Farewell Spit tour company, and a tiny museum amongst others. The Post Office building (c1902) is the largest and stands very grandly near the end of the street near the campground.

This inner estuary area above and below is virtually drained at low tide.

This is the view out over the Ruataniwha Inlet with the river in the centre. You can see why the guys with the boats have a jump on the bridge fishers. They scoop their nets from the low lying islands at the entrance to the river. The very prominent & unusual looking Mt Burnett is back right, at it’s base is NZ’s only dolomite quarry (dolomite is a type of limestone). David says the range looks like a reclining woman, if it does she's got a protruding belly button & a big belly! (maybe she's pregnant).

The above photo was taken from a road up behind the town, when we were looking for the indicated “Lookout”. We thought the lookout would be out over the bay but in fact after walking and then driving on a couple of wild goose chases, we finally realised the lookout was at the end of a track behind the historic cemetery and looked out over the farmed Aorere Valley in the total opposite direction (with the view nearly taken by the flax bushes in front, this was taken standing on the seat)

In 1857 a half a world away in England, a plan was drawn up for a town to be called Collingwood, named after Lord Admiral Collingwood who was Nelson’s 2nd in command at the Battle of Trafalgar. Collingwood took control after Nelson was killed. It was to be built further up the valley over the farmland that we can see from the lookout. It was proposed that Collingwood would become the nation’s capital as it was centrally located with a growing gold field nearby that would provide wealth & people to populate the district. But the gold field faded and the miners moved on to richer fields. Other areas went on to claim the capital status.

We spent an enjoyable hour scouting about the cemetery, reading the headstones and matching the identified graves with the list of people buried there (can you have an enjoyable time in a cemetery?) The cemetery was in use between 1857-1895, many of the deaths were children, as was the case back then. Quite a few others had drowned crossing the Aorere River including the magistrate, and the police sergeant.......I wonder if they were whitebaiting.