A Return to Walk the St James

Posted by on Feb 28, 2021 | 0 comments I first walked the St James in the year 2000 with Frank Saxton, then again with Ron, Polly and Shirl in 2014. So this was the third time and with Karla. The track, depending what you read, goes from to 64km to 67km long. We chose to start at the long end of 67km starting from the Lewis Pass car park. So we were on our way. Ho! We Have Got Our Country Back! Well, almost as there are still many...
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Tadmor Valley

Posted by on Nov 30, 2020 | 0 comments One Saturday morning we met up with other members of our small tramping club at the turnoff on to the Tadmor – Glenhope Road and then followed the metal and dusty road that ran parallel for the most part, of the old Nelson to Kawatiri Railway Line. A forest fire had altered some of the landscape somewhat making it hard to recognise any feature but eventually we found the turnoff to wander...
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Maud and Maggie

Posted by on Nov 12, 2020 | 0 comments I’ve been a number of times and although the first part of the walk up the Maud Creek is over farm land it is still an interesting place for a wander. So we tagged along with a small tramping club for a day walk up the Maud Creek.  An early farmer named two creeks on his farm after his daughters, Maggie and Maud. Both the Maggie and Maud creeks, or rivers, join and flow into the Howard, thence...
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Cavalcade 2020

Posted by on Aug 2, 2020 | 1 comment Another Cavalcade.  Shirl and I, along with friends Val and Geoff, joined the Rides of March Cavalcade in 2002. This time, and 18 years later, with walks of 16 to 25 km per day I thought it might be a bit too much for me.  These cavalcades were made up of a number of groups; horses, wagons, trampers and even bike riders, travelling over several days, old gold mining trails in...
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Walks to Mt Arthur, North Peak and the Champion Copper smelter and mine.

Posted by on Apr 18, 2020 | 0 comments Mt Arthur Walk:   We arranged the walks for our 50+ walking group the month of January and Mt Arthur (1795m asl)  was second on the list. Twenty walkers started off at the Flora carpark (at 920m asl) to head up to the Mt Arthur Hut (1310m asl) in time for morning tea.  After a cuppa, a spell, and offering a small crumb to a weka, some went down to the Flora Hut, some...
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The Visionary Year? 2020

Posted by on Apr 12, 2020 | 0 comments The ‘Lockdown’ The Visionary Year? One could say it has been an eye opener – just the place for a virus to enter?  At the time of writing we are moving into the third week of the lockdown. The ‘lockdown’ with holes large enough for aircraft to fly through and ships to sail through and along with contradicting instructions from up high, the doom and gloom via the media, is it any...
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Five Days Over in Blenheim and Picton

Posted by on Jan 9, 2020 | 0 comments Grovetown Lagoon I had heard about this lagoon several years ago when they were starting to set up pest traps. I guess they got in touch for some advice in building the trap tunnels. It is near Grovetown, not very far from Blenheim and is an oxbow lake formed about 155 years ago when the Wairau River changed course.  I had wondered how they got along with the trapping, with clearing weeds and...
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November Walks

Posted by on Dec 23, 2019 | 0 comments Walk Takaka Hill Walkway We led our walking group around the loop track of the Takaka Hill Walkway early November. It is private property and the walk is via the Queen Elizabeth 2 National Trust so no permission needed. A thanks to the owners! Starting from the car park then along a little to turn off onto a bush track that climbs through some pretty good native bush to come out on the road to...
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Drifting Around on a Bike

Posted by on Nov 21, 2019 | 0 comments We watched a harrier hawk floating up high above the Waimea River while on a bike ride out to Brightwater a few weeks ago. A black-backed seagull came into view and then suddenly the gull flew straight for the harrier causing it to swerve out of the way, but the harrier kept on its patrol seemingly unperturbed until another gull joined the fray. The harrier continued its circling flight but now...
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Local Ambles during Winter

Posted by on Oct 4, 2019 | 0 comments Visiting Haulashore Island   It’s an island now but it seems that in the early days of the 1840’s, it was an island only at high tide. It is the southern most bit of the Boulder Bank protecting Nelson harbour and to make an entrance for sailing ships to the Nelson Port  safer, a channel through the Boulder Bank was cut and it opened in 1906. The Cut, as this channel is called, has been widened...
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Early Spring

Posted by on Sep 6, 2019 | 1 comment I had the odd  bike ride, one along the Waimea Inlet Estuary, one to Brightwater and the another to Wakefield. The tide was coming in on the Inlet ride, very still and bright blue sky but a chilly morning.  Not many water birds were about except for some oystercatchers and the odd duck.   A running marathon was in progress so it was to keep ahead or let them pass. ...
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Winter Months

Posted by on Aug 10, 2019 | 0 comments The Book Fair The once a year second hand book fair held at the Founders park is always interesting. Maybe it is more in anticipation as one never knows what you might find.  I usually head straight for the UK book tables to see if there are any books on ole England, especially of Cumberland history and such. Also of interest is British nature writings, not lists of their native...
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A Week at Picton

Posted by on Jul 4, 2019 | 0 comments This was to be five days with our 50+ walking group, leaving home on a Monday morning for Havelock to meet up with the rest of the group. Just out of Havelock we turned off towards Picton on the Queen Charlotte Drive, stopping at Ngakuta Bay for morning tea. After that, most started to walk along the fairly new Link Walkway, heading towards Picton. Drivers of the cars then set off for Picton,...
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A Week on Molesworth Station

Posted by on Jun 10, 2019 | 0 comments The road on the Rainbow at Hell’s Gate. We travelled to Molesworth via the Rainbow Valley road and through Rainbow Station. There has been a recent change of ownership but it is still a toll road with a steep increase in the toll; now $40 per car, one way. The road was in the worst condition that I’ve seen it.  Very rough especially around the Hell’s Gate area. It’s a real pity this road...
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Wanderings on the Way Home

Posted by on May 20, 2019 | 1 comment Wanaka What a strange place it is now from when I first wandered by. At least it does have a shopping area. Retrograde ‘progress’ with all the expanding houses scattered right out to Hawea Flat. From my observations many small towns have simply burst their boundaries with no forward planning at all. With all the talk of conserving the world, why are there so many so called life style...
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Visiting An Old Hunting Ground

Posted by on Apr 5, 2019 | 1 comment It was to be a fixed wing fly-in with Karla and friend Alan, to wander around some of the places that I had hunted fifty three to fifty seven years to ago. Unfortunately, Alan withdrew due to a family illness. After the long drive down we arrived at the Makarora Tourist Centre at the head of Lake Wanaka, were welcomed by the owner, Rhondda Osmers, then checked with pilot Ryan of Southern Alps...
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The Start of 2019

Posted by on Mar 3, 2019 | 1 comment The Terracotta Warriors and Weta Workshop Visits We had three days visiting Wellington city in January, with the aim to have a look through the Weta Workshop (of Lord Of The Rings fame) and to also visit some of the Terracotta Army being displayed at the Museum of New Zealand.  After an early arrival and getting settled into our motel, we caught a bus and headed out to the Weta Workshop complex....
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November Travels

Posted by on Dec 7, 2018 | 0 comments Kaikoura Visit (5th – 9th November) Early November we joined our walking group for five days visiting Kaikoura. We headed off through to Pelorus, but stopped for a coffee there, then on to Blenheim and out to Ward Beach for lunch. Before the earthquake of 2016, we had visited and stayed at Ward Beach and watch people launch their boats with the aid of bulldozers. Not now though as the...
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I’m Just Wondering – Am I One of the Last New Zealanders?

Posted by on Nov 4, 2018 | 2 comments I suppose that it’s since the election that has brought it to the fore plus all this Kiwi stuff,  but thinking back over the years, it seems to me that we are going backwards. Oh, for sure there are many that are sitting pretty but it appears to be at the expense of others and the majority at that. We used to have a democracy but  that’s now long gone.  Years ago there were many who protested...
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Out and About in September

Posted by on Oct 13, 2018 | 0 comments Around Mt Robert   Nelson Lakes National Park    With our walking group we started out along Paddy’s Track heading up towards the Bushline Hut arriving just before 11am. We had stopped for morning tea high up, on a rock outcrop and just about out of the native bush. The light was a little different somehow and very still. The cloud reflections on the lake were quite something. The open ridge...
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