Leaving is so very hard to do....

One lane bridges dot the countryside.

LOVE the directional arrows as constant reminders to stay LEFT.

Leaving the South Island was not an easy departure as it is truly the most beautiful place I have ever been; and the people were the most open, warm, friendly and laid back.  I returned to Invercargill on a very rainy morning and so the scenery going back to Invercargill was laced with many rainbows (I lost count at about 10).  I returned my rental car a day early as I needed time at the library to work on the blog and other paper work.  Once again, I was impressed by how accommodating the Kiwis are in all instances.  I asked the agent at Hertz if there was a bus back to town and if not, I could hike the 3 km.  She asked where I was going and quickly said, "Oh, you don't want to tramp that far, you could get wet!  I will get someone to give you a lift."  And, I was in town within five minutes, dropped at the library and a recommendation for a great restaurant to grab lunch.        I had lunch at Speight's Pub...best meal I have had in NZ!   



Seafood Chowder, Local newspaper, wonderful fireplace to keep warm.

Second course:  Chicken and Apricot Spicy Pie, Potatoes and Salad.  Real comfort food!



     My hosts for the evening, Pat and Craig, would meet me in town at my convenience, drive me to their home, and take me to the airport in the morning.  After several hours of work, I walked over the the museum to see Henry, the world's oldest living Tuatara in captivity.  A throw back to pre-historic days, Henry is responsible for keeping the species alive at the museum.  At the ripe old age of about 98, Henry had not produced any offspring.  A tumor was detected, surgery performed, and he is now a "dad" of 11 offspring at the age of somewhere around 110-120 years old.  This is yet another example of how species have been not only endangered, but pushed within centimeters of extinction.    On the ride, Pat asked if there was anything I would like to tour.  Not knowing what to ask, she offered a quick tour of the Velodrome.  Honestly, I did not even know what one was!  We went in to see that it is an indoor oval bicycle track.  Quite impressive!  The TV viewings does not do justice to the steepness of the track, it is truly almost vertical.  Two riders were in training, which means they are following a motorcycle around the track within inches in order to maintain a consistent speed.  Next stop, the B and B and the newborn triplet lambs.   Triplets were just born so I had my opportunity to literally get my hands on one. 



Mom and triplets



  The mother was calm, but watching every move I made with her precious lamb.  The eyes of the sheep are absolutely gorgeous and very piercing.  They give you the impression that there is a very smart and determined mind behind those eyes.      I retired to my room when Pat asked if I would like to join them for dinner.  As I sat down and saw lamb chops on the table, the circle of life was there in front of me.  I tried to not think of the lamb I was just snuggling.           An early morning drop at the airport reminded me of just how wrapped up in security the US is at all times.  When you board a flight in NZ to go to another NZ city, there is NO security.  You just show up, present your boarding pass, walk to the plane, and off you go.  My flight to Christchurch was delayed for a few minutes due to fog.  When we departed the terminal, I watched the flight attendant sit across from a young mother and her infant daughter.  They talked, she consoled.  Then, as we were on the end of the runway waiting for takeoff, the pilot did a 180 degree turn and taxied back to the terminal.  The mother and baby got off the plane, their luggage removed from the belly, and we then resumed our flight plan.  Again, this would NEVER happen in the US.       On the flight to Rotorua, we flew right over the still smouldering Tongarriro, which had erupted on my first night in NZ.  The clouds covered Tongarriro, being the shortest of the three volcanoes.  The pilot came on and said," Ladies and gentlemen, if you look out the right of the plane, you can see Tongarriro.  Unfortunately, the spewing part is hidden under the low laying clouds.  Wish we could provide more excitement for you as we travel directly over the volcano."    

 Ruapehu Volcano (tongarriro is under the clouds below)


 Ngauruhoe Volcano







   As we approached Rotorua, I could smell it before I could see it.  The strong sulphur smell from the volcanic activity greeted us before landing gear were engaged.  I rented my second car and when asking directions, the ladies could not for the life of them find where I was going.  They provided a GPS unit at no cost to me as they "would not want me to wander around for days".   The drive up to Miranda Shorebird Centre took me through a valley that some locals call the "Green Death".  Valleys that have been stripped of all forests to provide pastureland for sheep and cattle.  The lush green is beautiful, but is actually an indication of the destruction of ecosystems and the addition of nutrient pollution from the cattle and fertilizers.  So, the beauty is only surface deep.          I arrived at Miranda at the perfect tide, my luck is holding.  I met Keith Woodall, the director and he sent me back up the road to the birding shelter.  Arriving at sunset, the tidal area with the mountains as a backdrop were beautiful.  Eila and Dale were there to greet me.  Eila is another of the many contacts that I made before arriving through e-mails that I randomly sent out to member of ornithological groups.  She is known throughout the area as an expert and leader of all things birds.  She is involved in preservation, conservation, relocation, and even clean up efforts from the recent oil spill when the Rena grounded in the Bay of Plenty.  I was immediately taken into the fold, and given an incredible viewing of the many shorebirds visible at high tide.  Afterwards, we drove to another ornithological meeting in South Auckland to hear a representative from DOC answer questions on how DOC would work to improve the birding areas, as well as address issues with trespassing and disturbance of wildlife protected areas.  Quite an interesting meeting, albeit long, without any real resolutions to the problems.  But, there were promised to look into some of the matters at hand.           The next morning, I walked to the viewing area with a scope in hand.

Spoon bills flying overhead.  Look closely and you can see their spoon shaped bills.

  Had the pleasure of watching spoonbills in action.

Daily roosting tree.  Usually the tree is covered but some were in the field feeding.

  They are quite interesting as they sway their spoon shaped bill through the water to filter out tiny organisms to eat.   They will leave the tidal area after morning feeding and find a tree to roost in for most of the day.       Eila invited me to visit with her in KatiKati so we drove the 2 hours south.  Along the way, she would stop and talk about the history of the areas.  The pictures and captions below will give you some of the details.  We arrived in KatiKati to pouring rain so the rest of the day was devoted to doing laundry and reading.

This Waikato valley was fully forested and contained many important wetlands.  Maori and European settlers stripped the forests, decimating ecosystems, and forever changed the balance of nature.  Cows and sheep grazing cause extremely heavy nutrient pollution to the rivers and streams.  We have the same problems in the US.

First efforts in trying to reclaim the land and clean the watershed.

Didymo is a bacteria that  can form extensive mats on stream beds.  The thick mats can smother native algae and aquatic insects, and make fishing very difficult.  These thick mats appear slimy, but feel more like cotton or wool fabric.  The algal mats are also called “rock snot” and can be white, yellow or brown in color.  The algae form stalks that attach to rocks.   While the algae eventually die and break off, the stalks persist and may impact stream habitats and aquatic organisms for weeks or months. 

This stream runs adjacent to gold mining facilities.  Back in the early days, arsenic and other heavy metals were used in the extraction of the ore and allowed to wash downstream.  The bed of the stream still has the contaminants and conservationists are concerned that any disruption to the stream bed will cause the heavy metals to flow to the mouth of the bay where mussels are grown, as well as contaminating food sources for other fish and birds.

Largest hole in the ground in the Southern Hemisphere.  A gold mining operation.  The tailings (left over bits of rock and minerals from the extraction process) are still an environmental threat, although the controls are much stricter.

Note the heavy equipment on the far side.

This is the size of the heavy equipment to give you a perspective as to the size of the hole.