Exploring Glendhu Bay, Wanaka

Real-time

What was that I said about trying to catch up on photos and blog posts and not going exploring? Well that all went out the window this morning when I woke to this stunning view of Lake Wanaka from our front door! Hey, but at least I'm sitting here this evening doing a blog on it. Warbirds will have to wait.

While I was getting breakfast, two vehicles towing River Journey jet boats on trailers passed through the camp ground, they were launched from the boat ramp in the middle of the camp. Soon afterwards, two small buses loaded with passengers also passed by. After a short briefing they donned lifejackets, climbed on board and roared out of the bay. On their way to jet boat up the Matukituki River exploring far into the Mt Aspiring National Park. 

While we donned lifejackets, check food supplies, wheeled our inflatable to the water's edge and pushed off  in our super fast, ultra lite Takacat. And puttered out into the bay.

Glendhu Bay was a millpond and the reflections magnificent. This is looking back towards the camp ground with The Stack Conservation Area behind, including Roy's Peak on the left.

We were heading towards Paddock Bay, which is a tiny bay in the scheme of things when you look at the size of Lake Wanaka, but a good size for a little boat to explore on a perfect day. 

We'd also heard that there was good fishing in the bay and David wanted to check it out, see if he could find a some ideal spots to fish when he comes out on his own.

As you can see, the willows and poplars at the water's edge are starting to turn. Those further back haven't started yet, it must have to do with the cold off the water giving the close trees a head start. 

The very first birds we saw on the lake were our favourite Australasian Crested Grebes, a single adult followed by an adult feeding a juvenile(top right). Later on we saw two more single adults and two more adult & juvenile pairs (bottom left). Grebes are alive and thriving on Lake Wanaka thanks to the efforts of of one man in particular, John Darby.

The bird life was plentiful around the lake edge and because we were following the shoreline we ended up disturbing many flocks of ducks; mallards and paradise with the odd pair of Grey Duck (top left) and lots of small gatherings of shags. Wherever there was a fence line into the lake the top wire had a row of evenly spaced shags perched on it, any logs or rocks were also covered in shags. We also passed hundreds of Canada geese milling about under some willows feeding in the shallows way back in a swampy delta area where we couldn't take the boat (and I imagine it could well have been at least a thousand birds, there were so many)

We weren't the only ones enjoying a beautiful autumn day, two groups of kayakers passed by.

And later, on our way home, we passed this rental campervan with the family enjoying a swim. Brrrr!! It was hot but not that hot.

We saw plenty of large trout in the shallows, many raced off back into the depths as we approached but some weren't too concerned with our presence and just dawdled along beside us. When one leapt out of the water in front of us, David couldn't contain himself any longer. Out went the line and we did a few circuits trawling, but with no luck.

We headed to a small beach below Emerald Bluffs to have lunch. It's a tiny area that's obviously used by boaties; there's a public gas BBQ in the trees and even though the bluffs are on private land it looks like many walk the track up to the top. The land owners are restoring the area and there are plenty of pest traps, new plantings and signs warning about lighting fires (hence the supplied BBQ and fire extinguisher, I would think). 

We followed the track up the rock face a little way and found a comfy place to sit and have lunch. What a magnificent view- another stunning place to add to our lunch site list. Afterwards David climbed down to the rocky overhang and watched as half a dozen trout made their way over the edge of the rock shelf and into the shallows. One even came in as far as the prop on the dinghy to take a look!

After lunch we made our way quietly back along the shoreline heading for home. The road to Mt Aspiring National Park runs along behind the poplars here.

Here are a few more reflections for you.

And approaching the camp ground, which stretches right along this shoreline behind the willows.

And finally home to 'Out There' tucked in behind the trees.

David dropped me off and headed back out to see if he could catch a fish. He didn't. But never mind he has a few days to practice. 

Camp Sites

Real-time

I hope everyone had a happy Easter and that you managed to have a few days rest & relaxation wherever in the world you happen to be. Summer is virtually done and dusted down here in the south of the South Island and autumn is quietly getting underway. We've already had a handful of frosty mornings and many of the deciduous trees are starting to turn colour. The autumn colours will be magnificent in another 2-3 weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing them again. We're staying on here in Central Otago for a little while to catch the colours and fill in a few exploring gaps before we head off to the West Coast. Well that's the plan anyway, but as David tells people when they ask him where we're headed, "Ask me tomorrow".

It's been a busy few weeks for us and I've struggled keeping up with photos and blog posts and as the regulars will know I'm already well behind. We really need to stop somewhere awhile and not do any exploring. Well, we have now stopped for awhile- at Glendhu Bay on Lake Wanaka- but I don't think I'll get away with no exploring. I will try and fit a few more blog posts in over the next week or two though.

You'll recall that we were camped at Omakau beside the Manuherikia River, with relations of mine who where passing through the area. Once they left, we shifted camp from underneath the willows to out beside the river on the dry river bed. 

And there we stayed for over a week along with another fifth-wheeler owned by a lovely lady, Helen who was accompanied by her cute little poodle Buttons and a cat. Helen was also a very capable fly- fisherwoman so David and her had a few in-depth conversations on techniques and gear and comparing catch tallies. 

David was off fly-fishing most evenings and enjoyed getting back into a sport he loves, after a few too many months spent fishing using other methods. And although many of the trout were small, these weren't any of the lazy lake trout or fat canal fish he has seen lately, these ones put up a great fight, testing skills and techniques. And all were caught and released.

David could have quite happily stayed on at the river for Easter but with our tanks nearly full, supplies low and having visited quite a number of places we missed on our last trip into the Maniototo, it was time to pull out. Plus I had a plan in mind...

Our next stop was at the NZMCA Park in Alexandra where we've stopped a number of times in the past. It's a great place to park for a night when you have chores to do in town- laundry, groceries, gas bottles, diesel tanks and dump station all done and dusted in amongst a town preparing for a long weekend.  And with the new dump station just across the highway and down the road a bit, it's now even easier to get everything done and ready to move on again. 

We left Alexandra the afternoon before Easter heading for Wanaka. Originally we were planning on staying at the Poolburn Dam for a couple of weeks, which would have included the Easter break. We usually make sure we're all settled into a camp and have a good spot well before a holiday break but in the end we decided after two day visits to the dam we wouldn't haul the 5th-wheeler up there this time. 

Which meant we had no plans for Easter- totally not like us at all. And especially when we decided we'd visit Warbirds Over Wanaka instead. Warbirds where over 50,000 people converge for an incredible air show over the long weekend. Warbirds which we visited two years ago when it was last on, and where we stayed with over 100 other RVs up on the terrace overlooking the airfield. 

I have no idea why we decided to visit it again. Although a Martin Jetpack debut might have had something to do with it for David. That, and a predicted fine weekend for me, which meant I could get some great aircraft shots. Unlike the last time, when, although the weather raged elsewhere around the country (Cyclone Ita), it was still overcast and cold in Wanaka. We decided we'd just go for the day this time (instead of a 3 day pass) and we'd park in the paddock at Windermere Farm right next door to the airfield.

David wasn't too happy to be heading into the Easter traffic when we pulled out of Alex but it actually wasn't too bad, although the numbers of motorhomes on the road increased considerably as we approached Lake Dunstan. We stopped at our favourite spring water well at Lowburn and filled our drinking water containers(40 litres)- it's been a long time between rainfall lately as, unusually, we've managed to fill them with rain water right through the summer.

We carried on along Lake Dunstan, through Luggate, past the airfield, turning in at the road sign pointing the way to Windermere Farm. Thankfully we were just ahead of a bad crash with one fatality that happened just before Luggate. The emergency vehicles raced past as we were driving across the paddock looking for a place to park. 

It was practice day and our set up was interrupted by the roar of jets passing overhead and taking off from the airfield. 

Windemere Farm has a large paddock right next door to the airfield, it's a very popular place to park and stay at $15pp per night. It looks like the vans are tightly packed in here but this is the front couple of rows where people like to park so they can see the planes as they rise from the end of the runway. Behind these, there's plenty of space to park either on your own or with good gaps between vans. It's also great because you get a wide view of the planes passing overhead or doing maneuvers. 

If you had tickets for the show it was just a short careful walk across a smaller paddock (pockmarked with huge rabbit warrens) and through the Warbirds carpark to the entrance gates.

From our paddock we could see the NZMCA Rally vans on the terrace above the airfield- this was where we were parked at the last show.

And up close- with members on their deck-chairs lined up along the ridge. It's a great view from up there, especially of the larger planes coming in to land. But there is a fair hike back up the hill once you've slid to the bottom to see the air-show up close. The rally costs do put a number of members off, while the parking fee is similar to Windermere Farm, you also have to have a 3 day pass. At one stage you also weren't allowed to leave the site for the duration of the show but this changed the year we went, and again for this year; you are able to leave on the Sunday. Even though many still talk about being locked in for the whole time (an urban myth taking shape).

A coffee caravan set up shop in the middle of our paddock, I don't think they did too well- most RVers have their own facilities- but I do know he wasn't very popular with those around him. He had a huge old generator that he moved out into the open where it buzzed along for most of the day. We smiled when others arrived later in the evening and parked near him (and in between us and the coffee cart). They were going to get a rude awakening when he kicked it into gear for the coffee fix the next morning.

In the end we stayed for three nights and visited the show on the Saturday. Although I'm not so sure that was the best day as being the most popular day, it was packed solid inside with up to twenty deep along the fenceline. Many people had blankets spread out and deck chairs saving spots. It was impossible to get close to the runway unless you trampled across a few picnics and a large number of whining kids- once a kid has seen one plane he really isn't interested in hundred more! It was also impossibly hot, the sun streaming down on un-sheilded heads and bodies. I bet there were a few sunburnt bodies and heatstroke victims that night.

The weather was perfect all weekend and we had some lovely sunsets too.

Saturday was definitely the busiest day, the paddock thinned out a lot on the Sunday as many left...

And by Monday we had it nearly to ourselves!

It was amazing though, to watch the passing traffic on the main road outside. There were so many RVs passing by it was hard to imagine that there were that many out there- dozens and dozens of every type of RV in lomg rows with the odd car in amongst them, passing by. Not all had come from the show either as they came from the direction of Wanaka. And to think that there were just as many attending the 60th Anniversary NZMCA AGM Rally at Levin, in the North Island. It's no wonder the camping sites are so full over summer. Roll on winter! (she says selfishly).

It was time to move on- to Glendhu Bay, on the way to Mt Aspiring National Park and on the shores of Lake Wanaka. Wanaka town was packed solid with vehicles and people out enjoying the last day of the long weekend. We drove right on through thanking our lucky stars we didn't have to stop and join the melee. We did think about visiting the dump station but when we saw the queue eight deep we carried right on by; we'd dump at the camp ground. We arrived late morning to a campground also in chaos. It had been packed to the gunwales too, it's a large campground and just about every possible space had been taken. Most people had a late pass and we then found out that it was Southland's anniversary day today, so many campers were staying on until today.

The office was extremely busy and the manager told us to just find a spot and wait it out until late afternoon when we'd be able to then select an empty space to suit. 

We had a walk around and found an ideal position; close to the water for launching the dinghy, a gap between the trees so we had sun for most of the day and a view, power nearby (there aren't that many powered sites) but with a caravan on each side of us. We parked up and waited until one of them left, then turned the van  so it was parallel with the lake. Perfect! We're set for the next week or two. The only problem is that the facilities at this end of camp will be closed from today. But that's fine we'll continue to use ours. 

Still to come- 
Warbirds
A visit to the most isolated church in New Zealand

Sunrise at the Clay Cliffs

Catch-up

As mentioned in the previous post on the Omarama Clay Cliffs I was hoping to visit the cliffs at sunrise as well. They're not exactly facing due east, more south-east but I thought the pale whites, creams and yellows of the clay would turn to some lovely golds during the golden hour just after sunrise.

I can tell you it takes a lot of will power to haul yourself out of a warm and cosy bed at 4:30am on a cold and dark morning just to see some clay cliffs (which I'd already seen the afternoon before). But in the end, I managed to convince myself that it was a good idea and as is often the case, once you're up and about, you feel much better about the decision. I gathered my gear together, grabbed a banana for breakfast and loaded my gear into the ute.  David stayed put, grumbling from under the covers that I was rocking the boat- I assured him I was creeping about as I looked for a couple of forgotten items. "Really?"  "Yes really!"

I drove out to the access road, opened the farm gate and drove along the gravel road disturbing hundreds of rabbits along the way. I made my way up to the second car park, half expecting to see another photographer or two there ahead of me. But I had the place to myself, it was a little spooky while it was still dark but as the pre-dawn gloom started to lighten the land I felt a little better. I knew there was nobody around, it was more about what was rustling about in the scrub around me!

By 5:30am the sun was rising over the back of the cliffs, the streaks of cloud turning a soft pink. It wasn't a spectacular sunrise but it wasn't this show I had come to see, it was the one over my shoulder.

The sun's glow slowly creapt down the cliffs turning them a beautiful golden colour.

A photo-bombing sheep made an appearance and it then dawned on me what had been rustling about in the undergrowth.

 As the sun rose higher, the intensity of the gold soon disappeared and the cliffs turned a more mellow gold.

I walked up the track, taking my tripod and wide angle lens with me. A small group of sheep followed along behind. Whenever I stopped they'd race off into the scrub, returning to the track once I moved on. Here are the cliffs through my wide-angle lens, I've still got a bit of work to do with my ND filter (neutral density) which, should've helped soften the deep blue of the sky- if I'd set it right!

I made my way through the entrance into the cavern to be met by an amazing sight; so this is why I wanted sunrise (not that I knew it), the sun reaches right inside the cavern lighting up the pinnacles and pillars. 

And this is why I wanted to shoot with my wide angle lens- so I could get a nearly 360 degree shot of the inside walls. Shot at 11mm, f/16, 1/1000, ISO100, for those that know settings. 

And here are few more to enjoy...

At the entrance, looking out over the Ahuriri River... 

...towards the Ewe Range behind.

One more from my wide lens; this takes in the Ahuriri River and the Wether Range on it's way towards the Lindis Pass.

And one more of the 'lesser' cliffs near the carpark.   

I'm so glad I kicked myself in the butt and got 'Out There'. What an amazing experience soaking up the peace and quite, enjoying the solitude surrounded by a stunningly beautiful landscape. I had the cliffs all to myself for well over two hours(if you don't count the silly sheep). I didn't see another person until I arrived home and David greeted me at the door with bacon & eggs for breakfast!

Which were a little cold after I'd called to say I was on my way......I just had to stop and capture these lupins on the side of a creek near the river on the way home.