Wānaka part 2 - Lake Hāwea Track

Looking for a walk with less climbing and fewer people (notice what I did with the grammar lesson there)  I picked the Lake Hāwea track I had spotted from the opposite side of the lake. First was an hour driving from Wānaka to the trail head. Most of this was on a gravel road which included several fords (almost dry) and a couple of gates to open and close. At the car park I met a couple who were cycling in to go fishing and told me how beautiful the track was and they weren't wrong:

Looking across to the main road and towards Mount Aspiring

Sheep Station sign

The first section was on a 4WD track that served a sheep station halfway up the lake (they also have their own airstrip).  A couple of pick ups passed me on the way.

Much of the track was blasted out of the side of the mountain. The original track was flooded when a dam raised the level of the lake in the 1960s. 

Looking north towards Silver Island.

There were some running repairs

Tree covered Silver Island. My destination round The Peninsula behind it.

The view looking back to Silver Island from The Peninsula

The campsite

The campsite was a clearing in the trees with a toilet nearby. Met the anglers by the river just as they were leaving. No-one else around and I don't think the site is much used. 

The Dingle Burn - you have to ford it to continue along the lake

Enjoying the solitude

View north

I had a quiet and relaxing time there, decided against any further side trails and just enjoyed the calm. Listened to the birds and the frogs (or toads?). Paradise Shelduck and terns (making me feel at home).

Cooling the feet

On the way back

A fantastic break. Then some quiet time in Wānaka meeting up with basketball contacts of long ago...

Wānaka Part 1

After flying to Queenstown I picked up a hire car and drove over to Wānaka which sits on the lake of the same name. The area was fought over by different Maori tribes but supposedly unoccupied when the first Europeans settled. The name means 'sacred knowledge or place of learning'. It has grown very quickly. There were only 600 residents in 1960 and the population increased by 50% between 2005 and 2015 when it reached nearly 8000. Today there are about 13,000 residents. I was here in 2010 and there certainly is a big difference. Along with the rest of NZ it is much busier than before. It's a beautiful setting and great base for adventures in both summer and winter.

View from Mount Iron looking towards Roy's Peak above the lake to the left

One of the places I remember is the Cinema Paradiso started by a chap from Inverness. It has added 2 screens but still features comfy sofas, an intermission for pre-ordered freshly baked cookies and even an old car to watch the movie from in screen one.

Screen 3

I also noticed some Scottish imports in the supermarket:

My first hike was to Diamond Lake and up Rocky Mountain.

From the top good views back to Lake Wānaka with Roy's Peak to the right:

With a good forecast for the next day I postponed my boat trip and headed out early to climb Roy's Peak. Not as early as some though - it's a popular one to do for the sunrise, but I didn't fancy the walk up in the dark. I was at the car park before 8 and it was full! Some vans had obviously overnighted there. It felt a bit like Ben Nevis: easy access, a wide switchback path and some people not dressed for the occasion. And also very busy, but well worth the 1284m climb and 16km total walk.

The path up looking back to Lake Wānaka and the town

Looking north over Lake Wānaka

And so by way of an easier trip I took the half an hour boat trip the next day over to Mou Waho island. After fires and invasive species had destroyed the native flora and fauna this little oasis has been brought back to life with extensive native planting and the reintroduction of the buff weka, a flightless bird. 

Sorley and Arethusa Pool

The little islands behind me sit in a lake on an island in a lake on an island in the Pacific!

My last little excursion was up to the Blue Pools on the Makerora River. On the way I drove along neighbouring Lake Hawea with gorgeous views.

Blue Pools

On the track

Cabbage Trees and Lake Hawea

Looking across to where the Lake Hāwea track runs. It's visible just above the water below the left end of the mountains. More on that later...

Oakura update

 I've just had a 10 period back here in Ōakura once again dog sitting. This time for these two:

Monet

Yayoi

So more daily walks on the beach and time to keep up with the emotional roller coaster that is supporting Scotland's sporting adventures (rugby and football)! Overall I'll take the results, the rugby team will bounce back. The footballers (and their supporters) deserved the achievement, maybe not in all their performances but we've suffered long enough...

The mountain still snow-capped back at the start of November.

I also had time to explore the amazing Pukekura Park in nearby New Plymouth. Much of the layout and collection dates to the stewardship of Scotsman William Walter Smith from Hawick who was curator from 1908 - 1920.

The original Pukekura stream was damned to form a lake. The water is used to power this restored dairy farm water wheel:

A beautiful green space in the middle of town with play park, cafe, cricket pitch and sculpture:

Cats 1960 by Don Driver

Once the dogs were reunited with their owner I got my boots on again and headed back up towards the mountain (Taranaki Maunga). This time I took the road less travelled (Robert Frost https://www.thenatureofthings.blog/2022/03/poetry-sunday-road-not-taken-by-robert.html)

The Dover Track - can you spot the orange marker?

I emerged from the bush into a world of swirling mists and watched 2 cloud levels rolling in opposite directions. Quite steep up but listening to Ken Smith's The Way of the Hermit kept me going at a decent pace (definitely recommend it, especially if you have seen the film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwUockt4D28).

The Pouakai Range from near the Pouakai summit at 1400m. The eagle eyed may be able to spot the Pouakai Hut where I stayed back in September. To the left of the highest point to the right and slightly below the ridge with a red roof.

DOC (Department of Conservation) are busy this time of year repairing the track with sections like this being helicoptered in.

Trees

Looking across the marshland of Ahukawakawa to Taranaki Maunga (summit 2518m). Notice the snow has mostly melted in the last few weeks. A lengthy boardwalk protects the delicate marshland, the 'kidney' of the mountain as it cleans the water passing through it. Some of that descends over Bells Falls to the right. Holly Hut visible directly below the mountain at the far side of the marsh.

Holly Hut the next morning. Not as swish as the new Pouakai Hut but has lights via the solar panels and dorms that benefit from the heat of the stove in cold weather (although the Pouakai dorms being separate are quieter).

2 hikers when I arrived, then a group of 9 female student medics/nurses arrived and after dark 3 German guys who had been to the summit. The hut has 28 bunks in three rooms. And a ready supply of firewood brought in by DOC.

I was tired but the sun was shining so I left my pack and walked on half an hour to Bells Falls. Well worth it. 

30m Bells Falls

I did cool my feet but that was as far as I went, water still pretty cold. A couple of quiet days then I leave for the South Island on Saturday.

Northland Part 3

Near Paihai on the east coast you will find the historic Waitangi Treaty grounds. It was here in 1840 that a treaty between some Maori leaders and the British Crown was first signed. It is celebrated today on Waitangi Day every 6th February. 

An original copy of the Treaty, badly damaged. Some Maori chiefs signed on the day and many more as copies were circulated around the islands. It has been controversial from the start (not all signed) and the Maori and English versions differ slightly in their meaning. Meant to give protection to the Maori property rights it was in fact widely ignored on various occasions. This has led to the Waitangi Tribunal now looking at individual historic cases and attempting redress.

I took an excellent guided tour which set out the historical context. This was followed by a performance of Maori songs and traditional dances/training. Always a tricky one watching these shows put on for visitors, however it was part of the museum's activities and very informative. There was also a very good museum and war memorial.

For the 1940 centenary celebrations a huge traditional Maori canoe was built. As in Canada traditional carvings had previously been prohibited so this was an important way to keep skills and knowledge alive. The canoe is taken out every year, but has to soak a few days beforehand and nearly doubles in weight.

The main body of the canoe was made from two sections of one kauri tree, spliced together:

You can see the splice above. Faces along the canoe represent family who are accompanying the paddlers on their journey. Those at an angle represent ancestors and those upright represent living relatives.

One of the canoe shelter supports showing ancestors

After leaving Paihia I made a stop near Whangarei and had a very wet walk to Bream Head in the mist (so no photos!). I stayed at a lovely Air bnb where the owner had built his own bar and served free home brewed beer, so that helped.

From there I headed further south (beyond the reach of the map I posted) to Warkworth and a lovely little museum and kauri park. Another place saved by the foresight of a few individuals.

Kauri

In the kauri park

Nikau palm

Reconstructed school room in the Warkworth Museum

Rules for teachers - not sure these would go down well with the unions today.

Be interesting to know how today's modern NZ girl would be portrayed.

My last night of the trip was at a really special place. Mangapiko School, built in 1880 then moved to its present location in 1976:

Lovely inside and a whole folder of fascinating local history. 

More rules for teachers

Excerpt from the school history

The next morning I took a walk up Mount Kakepuku:

This area was swampland until the nineteenth century. European settlers cleared the native bush and drained the swamps to create rich farmland. The hills today are small islands of protected nature in this great sea of fields.

I'm now house and dog sitting once again in Ōakura, this time for a Dachshund and a Dalmatian. At the end of the month I head down to the South Island for a new adventure.