Kathy enjoying the Kaitaki Club hospitality on the Interislander
Ngatuka Bay (Port Underwood)
Ngakuta Bay
Rarangi Beach near Blenheim
Ward Beach. We got moved into the NZMCA corral at 10.00pm
Walk up the Waima river bed to Sawcut Gorge
Crystal clear water
Start of the gorge on Isolation creek
Sawcut gorge
Sawcut Gorge
On the return trip - too good to resist. This is where Isolation creek meets the Waima river
Big rocks and crystal clear pools
Kaikoura peninsular walk
Would have been rude not to
No wonder they (and you) get a fright if they go hiding behind rocks like this.
Clay cliffs just south of Gore Bay
Stop bank heading inland from Kaiapoi
60 Main South Rd. Christchurch. Our first house (first we'd owned, anyway)
Rapaki Track on the Port Hills Christchurch. Less than a week later rocks were whizzing down the slopes here and through houses during the earthquake.
Kathy was thankful she had called it "quits" by this stage. We don't have anything like this in Rotorua!
Lyttleton from the Crater Rim track.
Overnight park on Summit Rd. This is where the mystery woman had her wander in the wind and rain and dark.
Lyttleton Harbour
On the way up to the Sign of the Packhorse. Would have been a better ride than walk - although Kathy has a different view.
Sign of the Packhorse.
Looking back down Pigeon Bay from near the southern head.
Whararoa Point. I kayaked out to here the following day.
Pigeon Bay looking back from whence we came.
Sundown: Pigeon Bay
Looking down to Port Levy (or maybe it's Little Akaloa)
Caused much amusement to a Scandinavian family: old people having fun
It was quite a whack when you got to the bottom.
Little Okains Bay - just south of the main bay
Little Okains Bay (art shot)
Main beach at Okains Bay
Preparing to venture out over the "bar"
It was a doddle!
On the pier at Akaroa - just before picking up my Blue Cod sandwich.
Great spot at Barrys Bay: complete with macrocarpa picnic table
Alfresco dining at Barrys Bay
Barrys Bay
Start of Little River rail trail. Looking keen at this stage.
Early part of the trail - Little River end
Rail Trail causeway
This is as far as the trail currently goes but it is planned to continue on to Hornby
Start of walk to Lover's Leap with Michael, Amber, Brody, Kate and Lewis and Gran and Kristy. Otago Peninsular.
Fairytale lane.
Don't do it!
Freshly collected produce from Gemmells Crossing - south of Oamaru
Elephant rocks: near Duntroon
A bracing dip at Fisherman's Bend below the Aviemore dam
Fantastic sites of water being ripped off the surface of the water at Deep Stream, off the Aviemore dam
Had to time your run so you didn't get too wet.
Even rainbows!
Benmore dam
Near the start of the bike-ride up the Ahuriri valley - this is about where I discover I've left my waterproof jacket behind: not sure if I'll stay dry today
The sun is out by the time we reach Ahuriri Base hut
Beautiful big glacial valley but looking a bit murky towards the alps
This was a small part of an erosion fan which it took us nearly 15 minutes to cross (on foot)
Your feet don't get so wet (and cold) if you can ride them - as least for the top part of the cycle they are out of the water.
Neat riding - magnificent environment!
Shamrock Hut. Lunch time.
Kathy being more circumspect than me at a ford on the way back down
This pool, on the far side of the Ahuriri river from the 4wd road end, would have been irresistible in warmer weather
The road back down the valley
And so, back to Base
The first of many mushroom lunches - from mushrooms gathered at the start of the Ahuriri valley road.
Stayed the night at this DOC area just short of Ahuriri station
Clay cliffs - Omarama
Start of the walk up the Quailburn stream. It was almost sleeting when we got up onto the tops.
Must be a very old trail as there were gooseberries here.
Start of a short MTB ride above Lake Ohau
Bit of an uphill grunt
Kathy's pedal attacked her leg (on top of an earlier injury imposed by the rudder of her kayak)
The downhills meet with move favour
At Temple, up the Hopkins above L. Ohau we woke to a temperature in the bus of 4 deg. and snow quite low down on the hills.
Up the Hopkins valley, Kathy running and me biking.
MTB heaven (for those no longer seeking an adrenaline rush)
Monument hut. Would have required a fording of the Hopkins to continue.
Looking back down the valley from Monument Hut.
Lake Ohau from our overnight stop near the bottom of the ski-field access road
Overnight stop at L. Ohau
Twizel river trail
View from our overnight stop beside the Wairepo arm, just south of Twizel
Catching up on the world while enjoying a "sundowner" at Wairepo arm
One of many fords encountered on the Dusky trail - 24 kms near Twizel
Dusky trail
Bike helping to create a stable tripod during the last of the icy fords on the Dusky trail
Big p. coulteri cones at the Pukaki end of the Dusky trail. We backed the bus up and nabbed 3 of them. Very spikey.
Peaceful evening at southern end of Pukaki
Mount Cook from Pukaki
Mueller glacier (terminal?) lake and Mt Sefton near Mt Cook
Start of walk up the Hooker valley - Mt Cook in the background
Kathy placing herself into the postcard view of Cook
Hooker terminal lake. This is where most people stop....
....but I carried on to the glacier face: another hour's clamber around the side of the lake
Cook on a perfect day
Enjoying the view (and some refreshments) from the Ed Hilary center.
Pointing out a new challenging summit route to Ed
Looking back down the Hooker valley from the Sealy Tarns
DOC workers taking the easy way to the tarns - showing contractors what needs to be done to repair the track
Mt Sefton and Mueller glacier from Sealy Tarns
Mt Cook and Hooker terminal lake from Sealy tarns
Tasman glacier and terminal lake
There had been a calving off the glacier a couple of weeks earlier - maybe at the time of the 2nd quake
The structure of the ice was like 3D jigsaw puzzles. We managed to free and chunk sucked on a piece of ice several hundred years old.
We could have kayaked amongst these if we'd had the energy to carry kayaks a couple of kms. (or been prepared to pay $137 each to use someone else's kayaks)
Parked off Lillybank Rd. 15 kms out of Tekapo - having been banished at least 10kms from town by the good folk who don't want campervans cluttering their view.
Kayaking on eastern side of L. Tekapo before it started to blow up
Campsite on L. Tekapo - township on far right of pic
Eel moving in to sample a freshly killed rabbit - Maryburn near Tekapo
Evening at Lake MacGregor near Tekapo
Start of L. MacGregor circumnavigation
Secluded spot on shores of Lake Opuha - Created, I have since discovered, due to the vision of Alan Hubbard (when he still had 20/20 sight)
Peaceful evening at Lake Opuha - just prior to a visit by a "moneyed water-lout" (my uncle's expression) in a speed boat.
Big Totara at Peel forest.
Lake Coleridge
Too boisterous for kayaking (for us anyway)
Looking towards Lake Lyndon half way in from L. Coleridge
Lake Lyndon - Arthurs Pass road only a couple of kms away
Limestone rocks at Castle Hill. These are more extensive than the Elephant rocks near Duntroon
Entrance to Cave stream. Over 500m of underground stream.
This is as far as you are going to see because I was so intent on making sure we took ALL our torches with us, I forgot the camera. Kathy went back down to the entrance with the camera to get these, after the event.
Tucked away for the night on the shores of Lake Pearson - Arthurs Pass road.
This was to be a 20k or so ride on grade 3 tracks
OK So far. The Poulter river on her right - tributary of the Waimak.
This is not rideable AND merinos were chucking rocks at us from above the bank on the right
And this is just plain ridiculous - by now we have ditched the bikes. But just after this it turned to an easy grade 2 and would have been fine. Grrr!
Treasure trove of mushrooms. We had to leave these ones: the blue bag was already full!
The road into Lake Taylor. 42kms of gravel with at least 8 fords. That is the Hurunui river.
Kathy trying to look enthusiastic prior to the start of our first MTB overnighter. Note the very fair distribution of loads
Looking back to the DOC camp at Lake Taylor: our starting point
Heading down into Loch Katrine
The cloud had lifted as we head up the banks of the Hurunui river above Lake Sumner
An ill-advised fording of the Hurunui - trying to get to where we can once again ride on a 4wd track. (Hope the hubs don't pack up after this treatment!)
Fording a tributary - but look at the day!
Finally made it to the hot springs an hour above the hut.
Great view from the pool
A pool nymph.
We forgot to pack a gas canister in the bus so had to cook on the hut fire.
Pleased to be heading back out on day 2. The head of Loch Katrine
Head of Lake Taylor
Lake Taylor
Lake Taylor (art shot)
This is how we get the kayaks on and off - the lake really is too good to waste
Kathy takes the weight of the stern to lay it on the ground - but we couldn't figure out a way to get a pic of that stage.
Heading up the eastern side of Lake Taylor by kayak
DOC camp at Lake Taylor
Sundown at Balmoral forest
Ponderosa cones make a good blaze
Hanmer from part way up Mt Isobel
Nearly there!
Made it! Mt Isobel summit
I was going to stand on it - but there was a big drop on the other side and I chickened out.
Tarn near start of track from Windy point (Lewis Pass road) up the Hope river
Beech forest on the Hope river track
Noddy can't be far away.
Cooling overheated feet after Hope river walk (17km)
Tarn at summit of Lewis Pass
Braeburn track - between Murcheson and Lake Rotoroa
Leaving Rotoroa lake front - Nelson Lakes (BIG ferocious sandflies)
Eastern shore Lake Rotoroa
Parked beside the Howard river - Nelson Lakes
Not really!
Source of the apples we took to Marion - near Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle
Looking good, on the way to the start of the Waimarino Track - Mt Richmond forest park - north bank of the Wairau river.
Careful! Looking out over the Wairau and Waihopai valleys (you can just see the spook's golf balls behind me). The Waimarino track starts here - and continues up!
Jubilee Flat near the top of North Bank road (Top Valley road)
Beautiful swimming hole. I had a plunge but it was icy.
Jubilee Flat swimming hole
Kath did a run up Riverside track and I biked this one and Old Man track.
Autumn is on the way - Jubilee Flat
Wreck SS Waverley dating back to 1928 on the lagoon inside the Wairau bar
Robin Hood Bay - by night
Robin Hood Bay by day - Port Underwood road
Deck cargo approaching Wellington. End of Story
