Much goes on about us of which I make little or no mention.
Wild fires have very recently devastated areas around Richmond in Marlborough,
beach settlements north of Kaiapoi and great swathes of pasture west of Arthur
Pass. Naively I have always considered we New Zealanders immune from such
disasters, but we are not, and we should be as careful of our camping and
travelling habits as we were in Australia. Fire has no boundaries, national or
otherwise. My cousin Pamela sent me a text over a week ago, quite concerned
that we might be in the midst of the inferno west of Christchurch. We were far
away so I was able to assure her we were quite safe. I read in the newspaper
this morning that significant earthquakes had been experienced in the North
Island near Gisborne, and of course overseas, wars and disasters carry on
regardless of the frivolous touring of yours truly. Across the ditch, the
Australian Prime Minister’s hold on his leadership is being challenged, if only
by the media hungry for scandal, and I read that the Chief Minister of the
Northern Territory was also in danger of being rumbled from his position; all
matters that absorbed us when we were travelling around that country. Life goes
on and no blog or like report can cover all the happenings of the world, and so
I will stick to this travel journey of our own.
On waking this morning, we found the day much improved and
as the day progressed summer again ruled the skies. After dealing with mundane
housekeeping matters, we headed back to Lumsden, less than a kilometre,
purchased the weekend newspaper and checked out the Information Centre cum
Craft Centre. Quite frankly, knitted and crocheted wares do not do a lot for me
unless I am particularly seeking a beanie or warm gloves, but I can confirm
that there has been much energy and industry expended by these crafty Southland
women, and if it is your thing, please do call. Interestingly the posts on the
entry of the old railway station were dressed in knitted stripes in the same
manner we had found Tasmania’s
Bridgetown’s trees.
Wandering about the village in the sunshine, we found much
more to the place than previously I gave it credit for; a hairdresser, butcher,
chemist. Lumsden folk are making an effort to attract both the cycling public
and the casual tourist, however much was closed today; perhaps because it was
Saturday or perhaps because yesterday was Waitangi Day and folk were making the
most of the long weekend.
We headed west toward Mossburn, toward the snow sprinkled
mountains, following the Oreti River up the wide attractive valley, passing
through Mossburn which has less to offer than Lumsden, soon the Takitimu Mountains in their glory to
the south, the roads to the Manora Lakes heading off to the north along long
gravel roads. We drove into these lakes some years ago; my memories are mainly
of Chris fighting off the sand-flies while cooking outdoors. These lakes were
the location of Peter Jackson’s Lord of
the Rings Silverlode River and Fangorn Forest, but this snippet of
information is not really that outstanding because this entire area was
inspiration, if not always location, for Jackson’s portrayal of Middle Earth .
We passed into the Red Tussock country and up onto the
Scientific Wilderness Area. Red Tussock flourished throughout Southland when
European settlement began in the mid-1800s but today it is mainly only found in
parts of Fiordland or as a garden plant. Pulling into the DOC Wilderness area,
so much more spectacular for the snow on the surrounding mountains, we walked
through the low growing bog pines, dwarf native conifers or podacarps, to a
lookout. Some of these shrubs, although still so low, could be several hundred
years old, nature’s own bonsai.
This area of unusual scrubland is an example of how the area
may have looked 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, after the last ice age. A harsh
environment with freezing temperatures and stony, infertile soils have enabled
the mix of hardy shrubs, mosses, lichens and herbs to resist invasion over the
centuries; invasion from forest trees,
followed by widespread pre-European fires and most recently, European
pastoralisation. The result is a special
remnant community that supports plants and animals rarely found elsewhere. Its
importance for bio-diversity is recognised nationally and today the wilderness
is actively protected against the latest invader – weeds.
Each bog pine is surrounded by a mossy mat which provides
shelter for a host of small creatures include the uncommon black cicada. Alas
this was neither visible nor audible today.
We took the opportunity to lunch while parked here then
headed off again, soon through to Te Anau, where we sourced a local map and
directions to the laundry. After dealing with this mundane task, we checked out
a couple of private park over properties and decided instead to head into the
industrial area where this little yard is available for NZMCA members for a
donation. After setting up, we joined half a dozen other members for Happy Hour
and swapped travel notes as you do before holing up in our own little home for
dinner. The skies are still clear even with the sun now gone to bed and we are
looking forward to another day of marvellous weather. We have walks planned and
it is high time we got out and did some serious exercise.
Te Anau is a small resort town situated on the south eastern
shore of Lake Te Anua, the largest lake in the South Island, and second largest
in the country, after Lake Taupo. The
lake covers an area of 344 square kilometres and is, by fresh water volume, the
largest lake in Australasia. The main body of the lake runs north-south and is
sixty five kilometres in length. Three large fiords form arms to the lake on
its western flank; North Fiord, Middle Fiord and South Fiord. These are the only
inland fiords that New Zealand has; the other fourteen are out on the coast. The
lake (and the town) lie at an altitude of 210 metres ASL and since the lake’s
maximum depth is 417 metres, much of its bed lies below sea level.
The town has a population of just less than 2,000 but over
4,000 tourist beds available in summer. It is the gateway to a wilderness area famed
for tramping and spectacular scenery, and needless to say, that is why we have
come here. Te Anau is at the base of the Milford Road, and that, more
particularly, is why we have come, not so much to go to Milford, but to enjoy
the road-to-Milford. As we drove around the lakeshore this afternoon seeking a free
or low cost camp, an impossible feat for anyone not a member of the NZMCA or
willing to use the commercial camping grounds, we both remarked that it was far
lovelier than Lake Taupo, but then that North Island lake is far more
commercialised.
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