Back to Nature
Added: Tuesday, May 22nd 2007 at 11:37pm by dailyexplorer
Category: Sports & Recreation > Martial Arts
Related Tags: travel
Kaikoura: May 2007
In this issue, Ma Orihaka follows Ray as he enjoys the natural wonders of the south island, including walking the famous Abel Tasman Coastal Track and watching sperm whales offshore in Kaikoura.
In case you missed our last issue, Ma followed Ray as he made his way along the 'Forgotten World' Highway to New Plymouth, visited Mt. Taranaki, discovered Elvis is alive and well and went on a trip with the Mailman in Wanganui! He then left the capital, Wellington to make his crossing to the south island. You can read it now at: On the way to Wellington.
The gateway to the south island is the town of Picton. "Not much happens there, as far as I can tell" said Ray. "Coming here was a shock weather wise" he added. "It was freezing, compared to the north island, and didn't stop raining for the first two days. I was housebound, more or less, except for visits to the supermarket, but I didn't mind too much as it gave me plenty of time to plan my 6-8 week journey around the rest of the island" explained Ray.
Above: Picton is the gateway to the south island and is a three and a half hour journey by ferry from Wellington, on the north island
Below: The town of Picton - basically a ferry port and a few shops, plus loads of walking tracks, mountains, rivers and lakes as is typical for many parts of the south island. "Unbelievably, there was someone working at my backpacker hostel who used to live in Stevenage, near where I grew up" said Ray. "I was the first person who actually had heard of the place, much to her amazement!" he added
Approaching the south island on the ferry, travellers must pass through the Marlborough Sounds, an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels. Covering some 4,000 km² of sounds, islands, and peninsulas, the Marlborough Sounds lie at the South Island's north-easternmost point. "The almost fractal coastline has1/5th of the length of New Zealand's coasts" said Ray.
Above: The Marlborough Sounds - "I passed through a tiny section during the ferry crossing from Wellington, and I soon realised that the whole area was vast" said Ray. "A lot of travellers tend to miss this spectacular part of the country in their hurry to go further south or head for the Abel Tasman National Park to the east" he told me
Below: The Queen Chalotte Sound is one of the largest waterways in the huge network known as the Marlborough Sounds
I caught up with Ray after his arrival in Picton and asked him about his trekking plans. "In a few days time, I am definitely going east to have a go at the Abel Tasman Coastal Track" he said, "but first, I am going to 'warm up' by walking one part of the Queen Charlotte Track, which is here in the Marlborough Sounds" Ray told me. "This will give me a chance to prepare and take in some beautiful views at the same time" he added.
The Queen Charlotte Track runs almost the entire length of the Queen Charlotte Sound, stretching from Ship Cove to Anakiwa. "The whole track is about 71 kilometres long (approximately 45 miles), and would take me about four days to walk it all, stayting overnight in huts on the track" Ray told me. "I don't have a lot of the gear required formulti-daytramping so I chose to cover two sections of the track which I could walk in one day, returning to my hostel in the evening" he explained.
Above: If you are into 'tramping', then you would see a lot of maps like this one - it shows the different sections of the track, starting from Ships Cove (upper right) and ending in Anakiwa (lower left) - a total distance of 71 kilometres. "For many, including me, the opportunity to walk along a ridge in this sort of location is like heaven" said Ray
Below: The Queen Charlotte Sound seen from the Track
Electing to start his walk at Ships Cove (see map above), Ray had to take a water taxi from Picton to begin his tramp. "Obviously, there is no road access to most parts of the Sound, so there are several water taxis that will pick you up and drop you off at different points along the track" explained Ray. "I chose to walk two sections, from Ships Cove to Furneaux Lodge, which is a total distance of around 15 kilometres" Ray told me. "At a moderate pace, I arrived at the lodge after about three hours" he said.
Above: Anyone wishing to tramp in Queen Charlotte Sound must take one of several tour boats or water taxis in order to access the remote parts of the track - "During the boat ride to Ships Cove, a pod of dolphins swam along with the boat for a while, which was something very special" observed Ray
Below: The drop-off point for Ray - Ships Cove, first discovered by Captain James Cook and re-visited by him several times. "Standing here, I could imagine what it must have been like to have found a place like this, and I don't think it has really changed much since the 1770's" Ray told me
Leaving Picton and the Marlborough Sounds for Nelson, Ray was inspired to find out more about 'WOW', or the World of Wearable Art. "In Wellington, I had met a girl called Maree, who had told me a lot about this unusual event, as she had worked as a model and performer in several of the annual shows, so I was interested to visit the WOW Museum in Nelson" recalled Ray.
Above: The journey around the south island begins as Ray leaves Picton (top right) and heads east for Nelson. Over the next six weeks, Ray will make an anti-clockwise tour around the whole island, ending up in Christchurch in early-mid June
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'WOW®' is a two hour show held annually in September, in Wellington, New Zealand to an audience of around 30,000 people per season. First shown in 1987, World of Wearable Art originally began as a promotion for a rural art gallery in Nelson. A Nelson sculptor, Suzie Moncrieff had the vision to exhibit art in the form of a live theatrical show – and WOW® has since grown to receive international acclaim. "I must admit, I had never heard of it, but it is pretty big news in these parts" said Ray.
Above: An exhibit from the Gallery in Nelson of the 'WOW' collection
Much to Ray's surprise, the museum in Nelson which hosts the WOW garments is also home to a collection of classic cars. "I hadn't expected to see cars in the same building as costumes and clothes, and it is an unusual combination, but there were some great exhibits so I made the most of it" said Ray.
Daily Explorer readers can help us decide which car would be most suitable for Ray - this beautiful classic American convertible with the 'RAYCEE' plate (above), or the Reliant (below) - one of several that were used in the making of the highly successful BBC sitcom, 'Only Fools and Horses'. You decide!
Leaving Nelson, Ray headed for Cape Farewell, which is a headland and the most northerly point on the South Island. "For me, it was the first of the 'four corners' that I wanted to get to, in order to feel satisfied that I had been all over the island" explained Ray.
The Cape, which adjoins Farewell Spit, was named by British explorer Captain James Cook in 1770 - it was the last land seen by his crew as they departed on the ship's homeward voyage. It is one of the less visited of New Zealands major capes due to its remotelocation. "To get to the Cape, I had to drive through a torrential thunderstorm, so the visibility when I got there was pretty poor" recalled Ray.
Above: Map showing location of Cape Farewell, the most northerly point on the south island
Below: This NASA satellite image shows the Cape Farewell area. The cape itself is the very topmost land to the west of the 32 kilometre long, sandy spit
Farewell Spit forms the northern side of Golden Bay and is the longest sandspit in New Zealand. "I discovered that it stretches for about 26 kilometres above sea level and another 6 kilometres underwater" Ray told me. "The spit runs in from west to east, and is made from fine golden sand, mostly silica but with traces of other heavy minerals, garnet, illmenite, magnetite and pyroxene. The sand spit is created because of strong currents running through the Cook Strait. The continual movement of the currents piles up the sand in dunes in a curved hook shape" said a well informed Ray. "Predictions statethat the spit will grow almost two kilometres in the next five years alone" he added.
Above: Ray took this picture of Cape Farewell just after the torrential thunderstorm he drove through had come to an end and the sky started to clear. You should just be able to see the 32 kilometre spit leading off into the distance to the right of the picture. Notice also the huge area created by the receding tide - which reaches distances of up to seven kilometres in some places
Ray explained to me why the the northern side of the dunes are steeper and unstable. "They are being constantly exposed to the prevailing winds, which average over 25 kilometres per hour" he told me. "The southern side, that which faces Golden Bay is more stable and largely covered with vegetation. The tide here can recede as much as seven kilometres, exposing some 80 square kilometres of mud flats; a rich feeding ground for the many sea birds in the area but also a death trap to the frequently stranded whales" added Ray.
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Above: The sand dunes on Farewell Spit
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Making an overnight stop in the tiny town of Takaka (see map above), Ray decided to find out what entertainment might be on offer. "As I was coming back from Cape Farewell, daylight was fading fast and I knew I would not make it to Motueka, where I had originally planned to stay" recalled Ray. "So I took a chance and found a hostel in Takaka" he added. "In these tiny towns, there is generally nothing to do in the evenings - if you are lucky, there may be a small cinema in the village hall - and (luckily for me) Takaka had a funky little picture house with old sofa's for seats. They were showing a movie I had not seen, so I decided to spend my evening there watching 'Dreamgirls', which was great!" added Ray.
Above: Takaka has nothing going on by way of entertainment, except for this strange but quaint little picture house, where Ray watched 'Dreamgirls' before heading for Motueka and the Abel Tasman National Park the next day
Going south from Takaka to Motueka, Ray was getting ready for one of nature's highlights on the south island - the Abel Tasman National Park and Coastal Track. Named after the Dutch explorer, who was the first known European to discover New Zealand in 1642, the Abel Tasman Coast Track is a 51 kilometre (32 mile) long walking track which extends from Marahau in the south to Wainui in the north, with many optional side tracks.The coastal track is well sheltered, and with mild weather in all seasons, it is accessible and openthroughout the year. "The track is the most popular tramping track inNewZealand,andcaters for approximately 200,000 visitors every year" said Ray. "I'm probably quite lucky to be here at this time of year as it is a lot quieter, but also much colder!" he added.
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To walk the entire length of the coastal track takes from three to five days. "As with the Queen Charlotte Track, I wanted to pick two of the most demanding sections and walk them in a day, taking a water taxi from Marahau to the start of my walk and returning to the taxi station on completion" explained Ray.
Above: The road from Takaka to Motueka bends and twists - "I love getting pictures like this one as my friend Nic, in the USA, has asked me how good the roads are here for motorbiking. As you can see, it is like heaven for riders!" said Ray
Below: The reason for coming to Motueka - The Abel Tasman National Park
Above: In the height of summer, the Abel Tasman coastline provides a stunning setting for walking and other water based activities
Below: Ray, like many other trampers, used the water taxi service to drop him off at the start of his coastal track walk
For those readers that are interested, the Coastal Track Map shows the route the track takes. "The two sections I chose were Bark Bay to Anchorage (about 9.5 kilometres) and Anchorage to Marahau (about 11.5 kilometres)" said Ray. "The DOC estimate that it takes about seven hours to cover the distance" added Ray.
Abel Tasman Coastal Track - Snapshots
Above: Ray arrives at Bark Bay, start of his one day trek in Abel Tasman
Below: Most of the coastal track looks something like this - the paths are about one metre wide, there is dense forestation all aorund and the route undulates up and down moderately steep inclines
Above: The coastal track offers some spectacular views out to sea at various points along the way
Below: The swingbridge at River Falls - a feature that Ray passed after an hour or so on the track from Bark Bay
Above: The view out to sea from the River Falls swingbridge
Below: One of the many still, white sandy bays for trampers to appreciate along the coastal track
Above: Some of the walkways across rivers present a concert of colours that leaves you breathless
Below: What it's all about - Ray's final view of the Abel Tasman coastline as he approaches Marahau, where he boarded the water taxi about six hours earlier - "This has got to be one of the best coastal walks in the world" said Ray
Leaving Motueka and the Abel Tasman National Park, our intrepid solo traveller decided to backtrack towards Blenheim, en route for some whale watching in Kaikoura on the east coast of the island. "I have never seen a real whale in my life" remarked Ray. "I've only ever watched them in films or on television" he added, "so the thought of seeing some close up was very exciting" he told me.
Above: Blenheim and Kaikoura are on the east coast. Blenheim is an enormous wine producing region and responsible for much of the New Zealand wine that is sold in UK shops
Below: The dirve from Motueka to Blenheim - "It is halfway through Autumn here so some of the colours are fantastic" observed Ray
To reach Blenheim, Ray took a route which passed through St Arnaud, at the start of the Nelson Lakes National Park. "You really can get very blasé about the scenery here, as there is such an abundance of it and you encounter it everywhere" said Ray. "I was really trying my best to appreciate every part of it like I had not seen anything previously, thereby fully enjoying each moment of my journey" he added.
Above: The beautiful Lake Rotoiti, within the Nelson Lakes National Park region - "It's easy to get blasé about it" said Ray, "but I make a point of appreciating every moment, as if it is the first time I have ever seen anything like it"
"When I reched Blenheim, I could not believe my eyes - just mile after mile of land covered in vineyards" observed Ray. "The conditions here are near perfect for making wine" added Ray, "with the right blend of sunshine and rain". "The world must consume an awful lot of wine for there to be this much land dedicated to making it, and this is only one country that is producing" added Ray.
Above: Ray arrives in Blenheim - home to many of New Zealand's biggest and most profitable wineries
After a short stop in Blenheim, our solo traveller progressed to Kaikoura, to find a base for a couple of days and get out on one of the whale watching trips that sail from the harbour every day. "I had heard the trips out to see whales are very popular, so I was not sure how long I would wait before I could get out there" Ray told me. "However, after a couple of phone calls, I discovered there was a place on a boat the next day, although it was the 7.15am departure!" he recalled. "I gratefully accepted the place and went to find somewhere to spend the night" said Ray.
Above: Ray's choice of overnight accommodation - "I suppose I was inspired by the name - it certainly made me wonder what amenities and facilities were on offer!" said our cheeky traveller
Below: All first time whale watchers should have a hearty meal the night before they go to sea - Ray cooks up a little feast in the 'Lazy Shag' kitchen
I asked Ray how hostel life was treating him. "Generally, I have been very lucky with my choices" said Ray. "Most times, you don't really know what a place is like until you turn up, which can be a problem if you want to book ahead and guarantee a room - I have done this a couple of times and ended up feeling very disappointed" he told me. "So now, I am more likely to turn up at a place first and if it feels good, hope they have a spare bed somewhere - it is getting into low season now so it's usually OK" he said. "On the social front, it's a bit of mixed bag, but the evening at the 'Lazy Shag' was great as I met a couple of people from a previous hostel and another pair from Leeds who were very witty and kept us all entertained for hours" recalled Ray.
Above: A great evening at the Lazy Shag, for Ray and (from left to right) Karl (Swe), Stuart (GB), Peter (Austria), Tanya (GB) and Hannah (Swe). It was the third time that Ray had seen Karl and Hannah since he arrived on the south island - "This is very typical with travellers in a relatively small country" said Ray
Given the reason for coming to Kaikoura was to see some whales, Ray decided it would be beneficial for him to visit the local museum first, to get an understanding of the history of whaling here. "There was a tiny museum at the end of the little town, run by a couple of old ladies" he recalled. "To be really honest, it looked more like someone's garage sale, rather than a museum, but I was still fascinated to take a look inside" added Ray.
Above: Outside the tiny Kaikoura museum, one of the old cauldrons that whale hunters used for boiling whale fat, over a hundred years ago....
Below: .... and one of the harpoons from the same era. This one was made in the late 1890's
One of the exhibits took Ray by surprise. "I was not expecting to see anything apart from stuff to do with whaling" said Ray. "Then, I discovered in a small shed at the back of the museum a pretty large collection of telephony equipment from the last 100 years or so, and it really took me back to my telephone marketing days" said Ray.
Above: This exhibit reminds Ray of the early days of the telephone marketing era, an industry he was involved in for many years during the eighties and nineties
With everything organised for an early sailing the following day, Ray retired for the night. "As with many things like this, I was praying for good weather the next day as it makes the difference between the day being brilliant and awful" said Ray. "In certain (poor) conditions, the shipping company will cancel the boats for that day, which means waiting around until they are prepared to sail again" added Ray.
Above: It's 7.00am in Kaikoura, and all is looking good as Ray arrives at the beach, hoping to get out to sea on a whale watching trip
Below: Still looking good at around 8.15am as the boat leaves the shore for the much deeper waters where the resident sperm whales feed, about five kilometres offshore
The whale watching trip turned out to be quite an adventure. "It was a huge Wow!" said Ray. "I loved the ongoing commentary that we were given as we made our way out to the deeper waters and our guide was quite a joker, and 'pulled our legs' a couple of times" recalled Ray.
"I remember him telling us about the deep canyon under the sea about five kilometres out, where the ocean drops about five kilometres in depth quite suddenly" said Ray. "As he was telling us this, he was displaying some stunning graphic images on a screen inside the boat which really added to the impact of the information we were receiving" said Ray. "Sperm whales need very deep water to feed, to ensure they can harvest enough supplies of plankton, and these live very deep near the ocean floor" recalled Ray. "We were told that a typical feeding dive could last around an hour, with the whale then surfacing for 5-10 minutes to replenish oxygen supplies before diving again" added Ray.
Above: This is what a sperm whale looks like....
The Captain of the boat has been 'chasing' whales for about twenty years and has a lot of high tech tracking gear at his disposal. "The boat contained some very sophisticated equipment" said Ray. "Basically, the skipper uses sonar listening devices, which can detect the sound of whales feeding on the ocean floor up to a distance of 3-4 miles" recalled Ray. "The feeding sound is very distinctive, a bit like machinery wheels turning and the captain plays the sound over the PA" explained Ray. "When the sound stops, it's a good sign as it means that it is very likely the whale is about to surface for air" added Ray. "So the skipper then opens the throttles of the boat and speeds towards the area where the whale is likely to surface, while we all just stand on deck and watch and wait - I guess it was probably very much like this for the fishing crews who used to catch whales years ago" said Ray.
Whale Spotting - The sequence in pictures
Ray supplied these photographs from his trip to give you an idea of how the spotting of the sperm whale unfolds:
Above: The Captain has been 'listening in' on his sonar equipment and has positioned the boat in the vicinity of the feeding whales - Ray is watching and waiting for a sighting when suddenly, a whale breaks the surface (you should just about be able to see the small black hump in the centre of the picture - it is hard to spot, as it was for Ray on the boat that day)
Below: With the whale now surfacing for air, the Captain carefully manouvers the boat so that Ray can get a closer look. The boat always approaches from the rear because the whale would become uncomfortable if approached from the front or side. At this distance, only a very small amount of the whale is visible
Above: There she blows! Now, the boat is within 50 metres of the Sperm whale, which is 'blowing' air out of it's huge lungs through a blow hole on the top of it's head at roughly 30 second intervals, until it has completely replensihed it's air supply - "This was the first time I have ever witnessed anything like this as such close distance" said our gob-smacked traveller. Still, only about ten per cent of the whale is visible above the water
Below: The whale continues to exchange it's air supply before diving for another feed. They are very 'messy' feeders, which is often why there are seagulls hovering around when they surface, hoping to scavenge some food that will float on the surface when the whale comes up for air. The bird in this picture is flying directly above the whale's blowhole
Above: Once the whale has dived for another feed, which is going to last an hour or more, everyone on deck comes back inside whilst the Captain then tries to locate another whale somewhere else. "The on-board presentation is brilliant" said Ray. "if you look at the image on the screen, you will really get an idea of how it helps you to understand what you are witnessing - in this example, you can see the whale in relation to the surface of the water and our vessel" explained Ray
Below: Another spectacular sight about to happen - "When the whale is ready to dive once more, it will arch it's back, as in the picture below, which is a signal that the tail fin is about to be pushed out of the water for a steep dive to the ocean floor....
Above: The sight everyone wants to see - the Sperm whale says goodbye for another hour as he dives deep down to the ocean floor for another feed - "Their tails are very distinctive in shape - so much so that the crew know each individual whale and they have names for all of them" recalled Ray
Kaikoura is not just home to sperm whales. "I discovered that on one side of the peninsula, there was a colony of seals on the rocky beach, so I jumped in the car and drove over to the location to see if I could get a close look at some of them" Ray told me.
Above: Ray gets as close as he can to one of the seals on the beach at Kaikoura without disturbing him too much! - "I got a bit too close to one of them, and it 'barked' at me ferociously, which was quite terrifying" said Ray
Below: Ray was able to get very close to some of the seals on the rocks, who are resting before the tide comes in - "I cannot tell you how amazing it is to be close to nature like this" said a slightly overcome Ray
Above: This cute fellow almost played for Ray's camera. To see a short video clip, watch Seals in Kaikoura
Editors Note: Thanks Ma for taking our readers 'back to nature' with you and Ray. And the pictures are fantastic too. Look out for Ma Orihaka's next issue, due online in a couple of weeks, as she travels with Ray to the spectacular Franz Josef Glacier on the west coast, and the majestic Milford Sound. And she will be covering Ray's bungy jump in Queenstown, with pictures and video!
MOZZIE BYTE
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