We enjoyed this fading sunset at Parnassus after Christmas. It was just after a thunderstorm. The trees were still playing music with dripping water. The sky looked like a puddle of oil.
Alex and I ran on the beach on two mornings. My first barefoot running and beach running experiences combined. We loved it. Beach running is so entertaining and I felt more energized than usual to keep going. We met my new favorite New Zealand bird that you see above: they oyster catcher. This one is a south island pied oyster catcher (SIPO) because it has a distinct white section on its underside and white on its shoulder. The variable oyster catcher (VOC, possibly even more awesome) is often entirely black aside from its long orange-red beak, orange eye and red legs. They have long beaks that they use to dig out sea mollusks or earthworms. The SIPO uses its beak to dig out food in sandy beaches and the VOC can use its slightly stouter beak as a hammer to chisel its meals off of rocks. They move around adorably on beaches and pipe out shrill happy sounds that thrill me.
While I worked on our last blog post, Alex, Aude and François squeezed into wet suits and went out to enjoy the waves with a couple of body boards. They had a really fun time (and I enjoyed writing to you.) I think Alex’s hair gives him a perfect surfer look.
One day in our beach retreat we all headed into Dunedin for some supplies. We met up on the Otago Peninsula for some wildlife sightseeing. François, Alex and I took a hike to Lovers Leap and the Chasm. The trail took us straight through a sheep field that sits on a steep hillside. A perfect example of the incredible scenery the livestock of NZ are used to living within. They themselves are an integral part of the landscape here for us. I imagine a kiwi would hardly notice sheep anymore, but for us they are still a novelty our cameras are drawn to.
We left Taieri Mouth on the morning of New Year’s Eve for our WWOOFing placement in Clinton. WWOOF, the World Wide Opportunity in Organic Farms, sets up volunteers with farmers, often in exchange for accommodation and meals. This is a popular way for travelers to move around, experience a culture, learn about farming and minimize spending. Aude and François had both WWOOFed already, but this was our first.
We worked four hours weeding parsnips, which was enjoyable. The farm is impressive with acres and acres of organic crops and livestock. We cooked our lunch with farm-fresh eggs, cheese and greens, which was delicious. These were about all of the positive aspects we found at this place. We did not feel very welcome and were quite confused about the system and protocol. The farmer ran hot and cold within the same breath. He would snap a nasty remark laced with profanity in one second and smile pleasantly in the next. I think its fair to say we were all growing wary of the place, but by dinner time when the farmer openly let his 16 year old kid and her friends get high and drink in her room, we’d had about enough. We rendez-vous-ed in our vans and rang in the New Year on our own. We had a group discussion and decided to chose freedom and happiness over a loyalty to an initial plan. If no one will get hurt, why stay in a situation that doesn’t feel good? We made our decision seconds before midnight. I take this as a symbolic and good omen to start a fresh year.
In the morning we moved on into the Catlins, the coastline and forrest between Dunedin and Invercargill.
New Years day itself was drizzily and sleepy. We took the chance to recover from our farm experience at a campsite called Hillview just north of Kaka Point. It is run by a couple on a small farm (I get the impression every permanent resident in this part of the country lives on some kind of farm.) They have their back yard set up with power for campervans and a large area to park and pitch tents. They charge nicely below the average rate for the area at $5/per person and $3 for a hot shower. Possibly the best amenity of the place was free, powerful wi-fi. We quickly retreated into our vans and plugged in.
The following day was still rainy. Alex and I ventured to Balclutha, a nearby town of significant enough size for a full-on grocery store. For the night we drove to a DOC site at Purakaunui Bay Scenic Reserve on the coast.
Alex decided at this point his beard had made it far past the longest it had ever been and he’d had enough of it.
He pulled out his supplies and started snipping.
About half-way through the task, with the little mirror in one hand and scissors in the other, he decided he needed help. I was honored to be recruited for such a delicate job.
...I thought maybe he’d want to try out the clean-shaven look...
But he stopped short, and in the end, he’s quite happy with a smaller face.
In the afternoon we had a break from the rain and a chance to brush off little discarded beard hairs from our clothes, so we wandered down to explore the beach.
We walked to the base of the cliff and climbed among the rocks. We met a dutch couple doing the same thing there. They had found a radiant limpet (oyster catcher food!) that the woman said she was going to watch her husband eat, preferring not to take the risk of the experiment herself considering none of us had any idea if they are edible or not.
A few minutes into exploring the tide pools, Alex called out my name. I looked up to see this huge New Zealand sea lion bull marching toward the water. As it turned out, all four of us who had not been looking for sea lions had waltzed right past this one sleeping on the beach. There was a female asleep on the rocks, too. These creatures sleep a lot and have a habit of covering themselves with sand while they doze. As a result, they are ideally camouflaged in their surroundings.
This type of sea lion is found only on the bottom coast of the southern island of New Zealand. They are able to walk, trot and even gallop on all four flippers. While they are not agressive, they are not afraid of humans, either. The DOC suggests not to get within 30 meters of a wakeful sea lion, and we found out why on this beach. Our dutch friend, curious to get a close-up photo walked a bit too close and the bull began to charge him and a pretty good clip. The man backed off quickly and the sea lion calmed down. And as long as we kept a distance, the bull seemed curious of us, too. He followed us down the beach for a while.
I was beginning to feel nervous about the fact that there are no ATMs in the Catlins and very few fuel stops, so we went back to Balclutha to prepare ourselves for some deeper exploration. Simon, our GPS, directed us to a city park for a picnic. We made a discovery on our hunt for a sink to wash dishes. The local birding society has installed a series of large cages housing dozens of exotic birds. The rainbow-colored bird you see above was a chatty fellow that may have considered us a threat to his mate. He flew directly toward our faces when we approached. Then he hopped down, bobbed his head up and down a lot and danced back and forth for us.
This sweet little blue bird was my favorite. I wish they weren’t so shy because I couldn't get a close up. They are baby-blue colored on the body with white necks, a black head and white rings around their eyes.
This is a female peacock. She was hanging out with her back to her mate, watching us with almost as much indifference as she was giving him. Alex whispered to her that he thinks the guy is interested in her and winked, but she just looked at him like you see here. What do you think? Think the male is flirting?...
We were stunned when we came upon him. Neither Alex nor I had ever seen a peacock in full display. He was gorgeous. He would twist to the side away from Alex’s camera as though modest, but he never once put down his feathers. They seemed heavy and he would sway them in the light breeze that was wisping through the cage. We are not quite sure what it will take for the female to take notice of him, but we were grateful to her that she was letting him wait a while. It was tough to pull ourselves away to clean our pot and bowls.
We drove to Nugget point next, where there are several huge rock formations--the nuggets--off the coast of the island. They were crowded with New Zealand fur seals staying away from sharks. The pups played in muddy tide pools and the adults soaked up some sun.
Just before Nugget Point is the beach above. This is a special beach because it is home to the world’s rarest penguins, the yellow eyed penguin. We hiked down to a viewing point at about 3:30pm, a bit early to see the flock returning from their day at sea. We read that they swim up to 25 km off the coast to hunt for food for themselves and their chicks that spend the day in the nest. They leave just before dawn and return in the afternoon. We looked for a while and were just about to leave when we spotted a couple wobbling back to their nest. We could see them in the binoculars, hunched over and all shoulders. They are lighter than the classic penguin, but still wear a tuxedo. Their face has a splash of yellow and if we could see them up closer we would have seen their red and yellow eyes. The photo in our field guide makes it look like a penguin like this would hypnotize you on the spot if you locked eyes.
The trail began with a splash of ferns and relatively dry and wide open, but it quickly turned into a lush rainforest. This is a forest that is typical in the south island. The climate is temperate, but there is a lot of moisture and life abounds.
The trees are covered in countless other plants that grow intertwined all over their surfaces.
I was kicking myself for forgetting my native edible plants guide in the car. I am curious to see if there is anything tasty out there. We did spot a lot of mushrooms, but we didn't pick any without knowing what’s what.
These I recognized, of course, thanks to my brother. They are extremely water logged black trumpets, far past the point where they’d be worth eating.
The day we were holed up in the vans in the rain with free wifi I researched possible jobs for us and found Te Moata, a meditation retreat center in the northern island. We decided to take a shot for the hell of it, even though the formal application suggested acceptance would be difficult. We heard back from the center very quickly with an invitation to come and WWOOF starting 6 Feb! We are both really excited for this special opportunity. This is a retreat center and nature reserve with a core teacher that splits her time between New Zealand and the center that I have visited many times in California, which tells me that the tradition is one I know and respect. Alex has yet to sit a retreat, but he is really looking forward to dropping into the environment. We will pay our way with work and be able to access the retreat teachings as well as the food provided to guests. At the same time we will live in our van. We are trying not to let our expectations get too high, but we are optimistic that it will be a rewarding experience regardless of what unfolds. At the very least it is on the Coromandel Peninsula, a highly recommended spot for us to visit in and of itself.
This shift in our plan has given us the entire month of January to get as much of the South in as we reasonably can before we drive way up toward Auckland in Feb. We are sad to say goodbye to François and Aude sooner than expected, but we will stay in touch and potentially see them before we cross back up or when we are already established in the North.
On our way out of the Catlins we took in a touch of the quirky side of Kiwi culture. Alex stayed in the car while I got up close to Teapot Land that you see above. I also took a quick tour of a house called Dollyland, completely filled with stuffed toys and Barbi dolls that a couple have been collecting for decades.
Just outside of Papatowai we stopped to visit the Lost Gypsy Gallery. The bus you see above is filled with tiny mechanical art made by Blair Somerville.
I was indeed tempted enough to push the button. Alex didn’t watch me do it, so I got him to try next. We both got shot with a stream of water in the face.
Behind the bus and around the grounds there are a lot more of Mr. Somerville’s creations. This one, for example, is a swimming whale that undulates in the air when you wind a bike pedal below it.
We didn’t stick around to play the largest jenga game ever.
We made it yesterday afternoon to Invercargill. We have begun to gear up for Stewart Island. Alex bought the first hiking boots of his 30 years.
Until next time, be well, be free and thank you for keeping up to date with us!
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