Te Wai Pounamu

Back at home on Maritanga Station.

Sarah and I flew south like migrant snowbirds at the end of 2009, escaping the persistent rain and grey gloom of December on the West Coast. We spent two months in New Zealand, travelling with Katy and Toby (Sarah's siblings) for the first few weeks. We shared a summer Christmas with my family, New Year's Eve with high school friends, and traced routes around and over the South Island.

Mustering sheep with my sister Tess, above, and cattle on the Sugarloaf block, below.

We borrowed the Land Cruiser and did two quick circuits, one before Christmas and one after. The first took us from Dunedin and the albatross at the Otago Peninsula up to the boulders of Moeraki. The second routed through Queenstown, Franz Josef, and Greymouth. We borrowed crampons from Duncs and rambled on Franz Josef glacier.

Toby at Moeraki.

Franz Josef.

Katy posing on the beach at Hokitika.

We zipped up to Punakaiki from Greymouth, then across the Arthur's Pass to one of our favourite places in NZ, Castle Hill. Sarah and I have many Sunday-soaked memories of time spent amongst the limestone formations.

Katy and Toby continued north from Christchurch, and Sarah and I joined Teresa and Marc and family and friends on the eastern edge of the Dansey's Pass, camping by the Maerewhenua River for New Year celebrations.


After gathering a number of old friends at Maritanga to celebrate the wedding they missed in September, we farewelled Katy and Toby and hit the road. Our journey took us to the Catlins, revisiting a beach bach Sarah and I had stayed at in 2002, on our first road trip together. We spent a couple of nights with the wildlife of Porpoise and Curio Bay, busting blue penguins returning to their nests after dark, yellow-eyed penguins feeding chicks, Hector's dolphins and amorous Hooker's sea lions.

Porpoise Bay

Petrified timber at Curio Bay.

We found opportunities to spend quality time with our friends and the families they are creating and nurturing in New Zealand. With the length of our stay down south, we were able to avoid the fleeting visits of times past.

Benji Dempster, what a boy.

The rapscallion children of Teresa and Marc, all little wonders.

Fleurs Place, Moeraki.
The kaimoana platter is a smoked and pickled feast of cod, eel, salmon, skate, snapper,
mussels, scallops and other delectables. Champion stuff, much recommended.

Twins in Oamaru.

We hit my cousin's wedding in Oamaru, which featured the funniest groom speech ever (his best man was left in the shadows), before driving north. We camped by the Hurunui River, before hitting Blenheim and being entertained by John and Jess at the Criterion, a trucker's hotel and Irish bar in the downtown. John worked the grease pit and Jess served a mighty Guinness and all was good in the world.

We drove the Hilux over the narrow, windy road to Elaine Bay, rented a kayak and paddled into the Marlborough Sounds. We spent five days paddling, camping at three different conservation sites and enjoying solitude with water, sky and forest, as well as bold Weka (bushhen) and sandflies.

View southwest from Kauauroa Bay.

Tawa Bay was an excellent base for exploring Tennyson Inlet. There were hundreds of rays on the shallow seafloor. When we disturbed them they would often fly away from us at incredible speeds.

Toetoe at Tawa Bay.

From Marlborough we made our way to Nelson, out to Marahau, and over Takaka Hill to Golden Bay and Farewell Spit.

Marahau carving.

At Marahau we followed the Abel Tasman track along the coast to Apple Tree Bay, watching novice kayakers battle into a strong head wind. The bay was golden, the water warm, and the azure views of Adele and Fisherman Islands transported us to the tropics.


We stopped at the Riwaka Resurgence, the source of the Riwaka River, a large spring which emerges from the base of Takaka Hill's riddled limestone. The water was cold and calm at the opening - it was difficult to gauge the volume of water flowing from the cave system, but there was enough for a river. I'd only visited Golden Bay once before, for the last Gathering New Year's party in 2001-02. Sarah had kayaked the Abel Tasman her first year in New Zealand. Neither of us had travelled as far as Farewell Spit. We followed the coast from east to west, swimming in Tata Bay and camping in Ligar Bay. The Dangerous Kitchen in Takaka and the Mussel Inn's Captain Cooker Manuka beer were welcome alternatives to camp cooking. We walked the dunes of Farewell Spit and detoured to view the rock arches at Wharariki Beach on the west coast.

Farewell Spit.

Wharariki Beach.

From Golden Bay we returned to Maritanga, stopping at Maruia Springs, camping in Lewis Pass, and visiting friends along the way. Back on the farm we loaded stroppy old ewes onto stock trucks in February heat. Our last weekend drew near. We went to Wanaka for the Rippon Vineyard music festival, a long day under the blistering Central sun. We had a large crew of friends with us celebrating the NZ summer.

Eru Dangerspiel.

Musical highlights were many. Most random encounter goes to the Daejeon Korea ultimate crew. Afterwards, we unwound in the Clutha River, near Albert Town, and at Nina's place on Lake Hawea.

Lake Hawea.

Too soon, our time in New Zealand was over. We farewelled friends and family, flew to Auckland for a couple of nights in the City of Sails, and then left on Air NZ 84 direct to Vancouver.

Covert camping near Ligar Bay.