Blogs from National Parks, New Zealand, Oceania - page 6

LAKE WAIKAREMOANA WALK 22.-25.3.2010 Näin Tuonelan joutsenen - mustan joutsenen. Näin niitä monta Waikaremoanalla. Ne eivät ole harvinaisia Uudessa Seelannissa. Tuonelan joutsenen nokka on punertava. Hyvää kuvaa en kurjalla kamerallani saanut, kun olivat paljon arempia kuin valkoiset serkkunsa Suomessa. Aivan mahtavaa! Awesome! Oli kävellä koskemattomassa uusiseelantilaisessa metsässä. Saniaisten pitsiä ei voi olla ihailematta. Eikä myöskään korkeammalla vuorten rinteillä kasvavia ”sammalpuita”. Sammal kasvaa hard beechin ja silver beechin kiemuraisilla oksilla. Jatkuvasti on myös valokuvattava tähdenmuotoista Waikaremoanaa, joka tarkoittaa englanniksi Sea of rippling waters. Neljän päivän vaellus oli helpompi ja sen takia myös paljon miellyttävämpi kuin Inka Trail, vaikka se oli yhtä pitkä (46 km) ja siihenkin sisältyi ankaraa kiipeämistä rinkka selässä Panekirille (1180 m), j... read more

You have a farm in New Zealand and you are plagued with an overpopulation of rabbits. You need to exterminate the extra creatures before they destroy your farm, and want the most efficient method of doing so. You would choose: A. Trapping B. Poisoning C. Hiring a helicopter and a sniper to shoot the rabbits from the air While "A" or "B" may seem like the most logical answers, some Kiwis do indeed pay a mere $500 an hour to hire a chopper, pilot, and sniper to shoot rabbits. Jeremy and I watched this take place last week when we went on our horseback ride in Cardrona. At first we thought they were joking, but no, sure enough...rifle blasts were coming from the low-flying helicopter and little furry critters were rapidly, if not ridiculously, being eliminated. ... read more

Keas are mountain parrots, found only in New Zealand (in fact, they're the only parrot in the world which lives in an alpine environment). Here's why they're fun: they're very, very smart. And very cheeky (translation: bold, irreverent). We first came across keas during our Milford Sound trek, three years ago. On the last morning of the hike, we woke up to find a kea trying to get into the bunkhouse. He was determined to do it, inspired perhaps by visions of lining his nest with the softest synthetic REI sleeping bag filler material - or maybe he just wanted our PowerBars. We were effectively hostages, trapped in our bunkhouse prison (keas have long, sharp claws and are not to be messed with). When Adrian approached the door, with 18 other people looking on in awe/slight ... read more

She slipped into the bay with a minimum of fuss, as the skipper awaited instructions from onshore as to which buoy he should tie up to. A dark blue hull, she looked comfortable - not racy in that all hands on deck kind of way, but comfortable in that short-handed, cruising kind of way. The kind of yacht that looked as though it would quietly eat up the miles across say, the Pacific. Later I learned she had done just that. After a few minutes , a couple stepped into an inflatable dinghy and came ashore. They asked for beers at the bar and soon we were chatting about sailing and cycling. A Summer Cruising Holiday Ron and Alison had sailed their 40 ft boat, Blue Heron 2000, from Wellington, across Cook Strait. Now they were ... read more

Feral Mike and The Beast of Burden are Back Gentle Readers, by the time you read this the solo bike ride will be about to resume. I fly from Auckland to Wellington tomorrow (Friday, 29 January 2010) to unshackle the Beast and free him from the dungeon where he has lain for the past few weeks. Together we take a ferry to Picton and the adventure resumes. In the meantime, here's a little of what's been happening since the journey went on hold. Tramping - The Five Passes This was the adventure highlight of the summer. A tough tramp in Mt Aspiring National Park. It ranges through rugged, stunningly beautiful country in an area where there are no huts and few tracks. Finding your way can (and was to) be an issue. But I had ... read more