Walking to Waitawheta...

Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 February I got the chance of going out with DoC again. This time we were heading for Waitawheta in the Kaimai range. It was actually a celebration of one of their rangers, Warren, who has been with DoC for many years. 25 to be excact. But I was invited along for which I am really happy.

We started out at the office again and after corralling all the people going on the trip we headed off. We parked the utes on Franklin Road and grabbed our gear and startet the walk along the old tram way. Very rocky and a bit hard on the feet and legs and I was happy some of the guys took nice and easy as opposed to others who just took off in an impressive speed.

Chris (who also went to Tuhua), Kristina and I walked and talked and I got a really good impression on how logging was carried out in the 1800’s. The tram way was used for that very thing: Logging. And not just any logs. No these were the mighty kauri logs which dominated most of the northern part of the North Island. They were logged by early European settlers looking for at way to make big money. As it was back then. I have put in a link to DoC’s homepage about the tram way: http://doc.govt.nz/conservation/historic/by-region/bay-of-plenty/waitawheta-bush-tramway/

As we went along we came across this big bogey used for carrying the logs and standing next to the log one feels quite small. And this log is just a small one! Kauri (Agathis australis) can grow really big and the best known tree today is Tane Mahuta (Lord Of The Forest). It’s measurements are:

Trunk girth 13.77 m
Trunk height 17.68 m (until the first branch)
Total height 51.2 m
Trunk volume 244.5 m3

That’s a tad more than the beech at home I would say! And they can be thousands of years old.

I also had my first experience with rivercrossings. And I’m not talking about going across a bridge. No I’m talking about going INTO the river with boots and all. The water wasn’t that deep but it’s a funny sensation having water come into your boots. Hoorray for woollen socks though!

This is the way we was our feet, wash our feet...

The picture doesn't even begin to do the size of the log and rocks justice. They were huuuuge!

A whirlpool where you can actually hear the rocks tumbling about.

After about 6 km we reached the Waitawheta hut which is almost brandnew. Lunch was definitely needed at that point and it was great to air out the feet. Socks hanging everywhere to dry out.

It was also a chance for a lot of work being done. 15 pairs of hands can get a lot done in no time so everything from drain digging to firewood cutting over to repairing a ram (it’s a doodad that pumps water from the stream up to the hut) was attacked with great enthusiasm.

Before dinner we had a little guessing game. A can of something was discovered in the kitchen area after a small clean out. The lable was long gone so it was anyones guess what was in it. Corn, beans, fruit, peas. I guessed beans but oh no. It was corn and was used in the salad and the winner got out of the dish washing duty. Also Chris made people guess what I do for fun at home. He and I had talked about it on the way up and I think he knew no one would figure it out. Again a lot of possibilities: Painting (which I also do), dancing (maybe not so much), horse riding (and this I do as well) and a bunch of other suggestions. However they didn’t expect me to say: I sail vikingships! That was quite fun and we had a chat about the ships and so on…

Later we walked down to the stream to look at glow worms. They are such amazing little creatures and it looks like the stars above when they glow. Everyone had a great night and we turned in pretty early wanting to be ready for the hike home the next day.

Before we went home we walked around the area to see what could be done in terms of interpretation of the history of logging. Warren has a huge knowledge about the area and it’s important to get this trough to people visiting. It is especially important to tell people about the devestation the logging caused so it won’t happen again.

An old turntable for the trams.

After saying goodbye it was time to pack up and head home. I have to admit my legs and feet were rather sore when we got back to the utes but it was a really inspirering couple of days. Chris and I talked about the differences between the Danish state forest and the DoC/Councils and I might have some ideas for my bachelors project and even how to reform the entire state forest at home…or maybe not. Baby steps… ;o)

Waitangi Day...

Waitangi Day (6 February) celebrates the signing of the Treaty Of Waitangi (1840) which is the founding document of New Zealand. It is a public holiday and for most people a peaceful day. However many Maori has spoken out against many treaty injustices and it has come to many protests.

From Wikipedia:

The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Māori rights to their land and gave Māori the rights of British subjects. There are significant differences between the Māori and English language versions of the Treaty, and virtually since 1840 this has led to debate over exactly what was agreed to at Waitangi. Māori have generally seen the Treaty as a sacred pact, while for many years Pākehā (the Māori word for New Zealanders of predominantly European ancestry) ignored it. By the early twentieth century, however, some Pākehā were beginning to see the Treaty as their nation's founding document and a symbol of British humanitarianism. Unlike Māori, Pākehā have generally not seen the Treaty as a document with binding power over the country and its inhabitants. In 1877 Chief Justice James Prendergast declared it to be a 'legal nullity', and it still has limited standing in New Zealand law.

Walking up the Mount or Mauao as it is called in Maori is not something relatively unfit flatlanders such as Danes do that easily. However I managed (with the promise to myself that I need to become a hell of a lot more fit!) and eventually Judyanne and I reached to summit.

A couple hundred people had found their way to the top and there was a short welcome followed by a service (religious). After that a few dignateries said a few (some more than few) words and at the end a haka was perfomed. Haka is usually perceived as only a war dance. This is not the case and it can be performed by men, women and children for amusement, as a welcome or for acknowledgement of great achievements. It was my first and I was just blown away by the awesome amount of energy these guys have! And it is quite clear to see how proud they are! Fantastic…

We walked back down Mauao and at the beach there was a waka (a big canoe). After a while the Maori men hopped on board and showed how one is supposed to row. Wow! These guys sure know how to row…

Later that day I looked after the girls as it was Ric and Holly’s night out. The had fun jumping on my bed, falling off my bed and rolling off my bed. We looked af funny clips of funny cats on my laptop and and after dinner Fiona and Lilli suggested we should have a brownie with icecream because they knew exactly where the brownies were. I have to say: Good suggestion! It was a yummy brownie.

When it was time for bed I read them a story from Lilli’s new book I had given her for her birthday. It was H.C. Andersen’s fairytales for children and it only took a couple of stories before they fell asleep.

A summergirl having a summer birthday...

Saturday 16 January was a very special day. It was Lillian's 6th birthday and I was invited. The weather was beautiful and everyone brought smiles to the Memorial Park in Tauranga. Nibbles, snacks and a yummy birthday cake for all to enjoy...

Found something...?

Yum that cake looks goooood...

The kids brought their bikes and had a lot of fun tackling obstacles and playing Follow The Leader around the park. Also had a lot of fun learning how to say "fis". Fart in Danish. Instead of saying "Cheeeeese" for pictures...always fun learning new languages.

Concentrate...!

Fiiiiiiis.....!

Later the girls had their faces painted by Ric and he did a really good job. It was his first time doing that. All I saw was a very spotted Dalmatian and a beautiful butterfly...

Christmas adventures...

Christmas came sort of fast an I had planned a trip down to Wanganui to see a friend from Up With People. On Christmas Eve I was just going to sit on a beach with a beer and open pressies from home which I was quite happy about. But Molly invited me to spend Christmas with her and her family and that wasn't something I was going to say no to...

The New Zealand Christmas tree - pohutokawa

I packed my car the Saturday before and headed up to the Eastcape. I had planned to stay a couple of days at a backpackers in Whanarua Bay but I met new friends and ended up staying a little while longer. Loved the place. Very quiet and remote and the view was really fantastic.

I could spend weeks here...

Drove on down to Wanganui where I met Molly and har wonderful family. Including Luke. I was only going to stay a couple of days but that changed into four. Something about a tractor getting stuck....well we'll let that one be. I had such a wonderful time in Wanganui and it made me miss my own family a little less. Thank you for that!!

Molly and Luke and a very dead magpie...

Molly and Luke without the magpie...

The tractor stuck but no more after the arrival of the big yellow monster...

Well...it was time for me to head off and I ended up just north of Tikitiki at East Enders Backpackers. Just up my alley! Cows, horses and sheep had the run of the place which was really fun. I went on a few horsetreks including a pig hunt at night in the moonlight. I just had to trust the horse up and down steep hills and it went just perfect. We didn't get a pig but we did get an amazing ride...

On the beach on the East Cape...

Oh the views of New Zealand...gotta love 'em!

How to keep track of a pig dog: Tie it to the tail of the horse...

Aaaah......

East Enders Backpackers...

Feeling manhandled yet...?

As I said: All animals had the run of the place. Including Tux the dog...

Time flew by and all of the sudden it was time to pack up the car and head home. Not without getting a speeding ticket though....ooops! Oh well...that'll teach me...

A kiwi in my hand...

Some experiences in life you just know are going to be remembered for the rest of your life. Such an experience happened to me Friday 27 November.

I better start from the beginning. The Thursday before I was in a meeting with people from DoC (Department of Conservation). Ric was updating them about the progress of the Park and at the end of the meeting he asked if it would be possible for me to go out with them some day. “Sure! Tomorrow morning 6:30!!” Oki doki then!! We were going to Mayor Island – in Maori: Tuhua.

Tuhua is a dormant shield volcano and is situated right on the shelf of the tectonic plate. The seafloor is 400-500 beneath waves just of the island, which is considered very important by Maori because of the presence of black obsidian (volcanic glass). It is used in the same way as flint but can have much more sharp edges. I really wanted to take a piece with me but that is not allowed.

Volcanic glass...

More volcanic glass...

Two layers can be seen after different volcanic eruptions...

Tuhua is owned by Maori and was populated until a few years ago. However the houses weren’t properly maintained while people lived there so the place is very run down. DoC now governs the island and has chosen it to be a part of a release/breeding program for kiwis. They have eradicated all non native species both flora and fauna so the kiwi can breed in peace. 10 kiwis have been released and the goal is to have 100 breeding pairs. In the future the idea is to take kiwis from Tuhua and release them other places in New Zealand.

Well back to the main story: I wasn’t too sure the trip was going to happen because of very strong winds. However the weather forecast was promising and got a call late Thursday afternoon that the trip was on! Bring sun screen, hat, jacket, tramping boots and lunch! Very important with the lunch… ;o)

Friday morning my alarm went off at 5 and I tumbled out of bed. Getting all the things packed and off I went. I met Chris, Dan and Dave at DoC’s office and after a cupper we headed off to the harbour. The boat had to be launched and packed with things for the care taker out there. DoC has just started a care taker program in order to fix up the place and prevent unauthorized people from doing illegal things. The idea is that people can rent the houses for a weekend or so and explore the island.

After refuelling we put the engines to work and at a speed of 25 knots we shot off out of Tauranga Harbour. It took about an hour and I can best describe the trip as either a 1 hour ride on a mechanical bull or a horse where someone put a thistle under the saddle. Not being used to riding motorboats I had to hold on pretty tight but no sea sickness.

We arrived at South Eastern Bay (S.E. Bay) at 9’ish and after unloading different things we headed back out to sea to try and locate the kiwis. They have a little radio transmitter around one of their legs and via an aerial we were able to determine that they were all on the island still and the transmitters still worked. The batteries last about 14 months so they need to be changed before they run out. The aim that particular day was to find one of two youngsters and change the transmitter. The youngsters are still growing so the transmitters have to be changed around every six months until they are fully grown.

Dava and Dan trying to pick up signals...

We sailed around the island and checked that no one was fishing in the marine reserve. It is not allowed to fish within the reserve but some do. They stay right on the edge and once we are gone they will go onto the reserve and fish. Some people just don’t have any moral or sense of what is right and wrong.

We stopped again trying to see if we could pick up a signal. We did so we went ashore and started walking in the direction the signal was coming from. It was off road but the bush wasn’t too thick (not like in Bush bashing episode!) and after an hour or so we started triangulating in order to find the kiwi. Her name is Mako by the way. Finally we had her “cornered” so to say under a big flax. I was told that if she came out I shouldn’t try and grab her because they are very fragile. Instead I should tip her over and then grab her legs. I stood there, trying to be prepared and all of the sudden the bird just came running out and I only saw a small glimpse of it. Darn it! I thought we now had to run around for at least an hour trying to find her again but luckily the young birds only run a few meters and then hide again. That is what she did and she was hiding in a flax not far from the first place. We could see her and she was looking at us hoping that we weren’t able to see HER! Dan was able to grab her by one leg and Dave then took hold of her. I was very surprised to see how big she really was. Even though she was only a third of an adult size she weighed 1,34 kilos. She was trying to scare us by snapping her beak but she never tried to bite. We wrapped her in a towel and that calmed her down a bit and we were able to change the transmitter.

Big bird...

Changing the transmitter...

Measuring the beak...

Weighing her...

Such a beautiful bird...

Memory for life holding Mako...

We took a few measurements and after that I was lucky to get to hold Mako! She was so soft and very beautiful. She had whiskers which are used in pretty much the same way a cat uses them. We let her free in the same place as we found her and I think she was happy about that.

We started the trek back to the boat and headed back to S.E. Bay where we picked up Chris. He had stayed with the caretaker to do some plumbing. He was very surprised that I chose to go with Dan and Dave instead of working on the plumbing with him...he he! We had lunch (the very important lunch) and took off around 3 pm. Went around the island one more time and then it was time for the bull ride again. So very different from sailing where ship works with the waves instead of cutting through them.

The tui birds were watching us...

Sea urchin or kina in Maori...

S.E. Bay...

S.E. Bay...

After a bit of cleaning the boat was put back and we returned to the office. I was one big smile the whole day and was so happy I got this opportunity. I was home at 6 pm and I went to bed pretty early that night. But happy...! :o)

Big engines...

Mako is let free again...