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Published: October 3rd 2017
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Hi again
I am typing this from the common room at Murchison Motorhome Park on Day 3 of my South Island adventure. So far it has surpassed all expectations and, to be honest, I am really tired! I will probably take it real easy today and go and fish in the nearby river rather than exploring further. We shall see. Anyway... on with the blog!
Yesterday was an amazing day! I got up early as it had rained pretty heavily in the night and I needed to check that the FoxWing had done it's job. I was impressed. Very. As you can see from the photos, the wing had not only been utterly drenched in the night, but also the debris of falling twigs and leaves and bird poo was on it. And it was wet. Very. So I looked at the instructions (learning at last Siddley) and followed the advice for if the wing was wet. I untied the poles and hung the wing like a half up umbrellafor 20 mins and then shook the wings clear of the debris before putting it away. Seriously, I know it was really epensive, but what a piece of kit the
FoxWing is. I may well buy an extension back in Auckland to wrap over the other side. Not having curtains yet didn't cause too much hassle to be honest but I have thought of an ingenious way of using magnetic blinds and a single curtain to cover the bulkhead. I will chat with Ongyen when I get home and get his advice on the matter. He has offered to help me make a set of detatchable shelves for Katie to carry the camping stuff (stove, BBQ etc) which will be ace for the next trip.
We headed out from Motueka and headed toward the Kahurangi National Forest Park and the Cobb Dam. The drive was spectacular as the sun highlighted all the colours of the sky, the flora and fauna. As you can see from the photos, it was a warm sunny Spring morning. The drive was half spectacular and half downright terrifying! I had never driven this road before and it was about as twisty and turny as any great Welsh mountain pass. I took my time and finally found the Cobb Valley Road.
It started off as a single laned asphalt track but soon descended into
a single laned gravel track with a very steep incline and no passing spaces should I face anything. Luckily, I only encountered one other vehicle just as I passed the Cobb Dam itself. I told myself that the road onward had to be easier. I was wrong. It got steeper, and slicker, and narrower and the forest became deeper and more foreboding. As I rounded a corner, I became aware of a small flightless bird rummaging around in the undergrowth. Could it be? Yes, it was! A beautiful Kiwi was snuffling in the grass to catch a tasty worm or root. Nervously, I put Katie in park and exited trying hard not to scare the little fella away. I got within 8 feet or so and the Kiwi seemed to be unaware of my closeness. I cautiously went back to Katie to fetch my camera and noticed another 5 Kiwi looking on from the ridge! 3 were much smaller than the others, maybe even chicks, but they looked resplendent watching on. I grabbed my iPhone and managed to snap the lone Kiwi from a distance but then, just as I was about to photo the other brood, a 4x4 came
around the corner a lot faster than I had been travelling and the noise frightened the birds away. But yes, after just 3 days on the South Island I have seen Kiwi in the wild! As I got to the top of the Cobb Dam road, I asked a fellow traveller who came up after I arrived whether she had seen the Kiwi too. She replied that she had been coming to Cobb Dam for the last 12 years for kayaking, fishing and tramping and she had never seen a Kiwi herself. I felt honoured. And there was a rainbow straing in fron of my face as I looked out over the reservoir. AMAZING!
Now I should probably mention that the wind on the top was mighty blustery and nearly took me off my feet at least once. I decided that I wasn't foolhardy enough to attempt the descent to the reservoir to fish and kayak and decided to head for warmer adventures. But that's part 2! TTFN
Sid
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Jen
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Wow
Exciting to see kiwi, looks like breathtaking views. Seen any hobbits yet? X