Charleston to Picton

Sat, Nov 14, 2009

Tried to buy a lime yesterday. I found a bin of very tiny key limes (from USA) for $1.50 apiece! I bought a lemon instead.

We just spent a very pleasant two hour stop at Maruia Springs, on the advice of some kiwis we met in camp last night, where we soaked in the thermal pools. There was no time limit, so we could have stayed all day if we wanted, but after an hour or so, even I was beginning to feel a little cooked. It was nice to take those few hours for some R&R. We both needed it and we both found it very relaxing and rejuvenating.

We've been driving north through a long valley that passes between two mountain ranges and is apparently a major agricultural region. The dairy herds are huge. At one spot we saw a great long line of cows coming over a hill, running as it got steep, then collecting at the bottom and lining up to go through a culvert under the road. On the other side of the road was a long dirt trail upon which the cattle were lined up for at least a mile, all of them slowly walking toward the milking barn. It created a surreal image, like hundreds of cows hypnotized. I can't imagine how they can milk so many cows. Those girls must just line up and wait their turn like a busy day at Jiffy Lube.

Lake Rotoiti

Took a nice walk through a beech forest conversvation area. The forest is extremely gnarly. It seems everything in it is in some sort of decay, even as it's growing. New trees grow out of old stumps, often in multiples. All throughout the forest, there are nearly as many trees down as there are standing. Most species of beech are home to a burrowing insect that gets inside the tree, encloses itself in a protective casing and then extends its anal tube (the longest anal tube in the world according to the signage. is that for insects only or is that generally speaking?) out through the bark where it excretes a substance known as honeydew. It is the source of nutrition for many birds and other critters and is the building block of the beech forest. Without the honeydew, the food chain cannot thrive. The excess honeydew collects on the trees and/or falls to the forest floor where it feeds a kind of black fungus that is also a crucial part of the food chain. In some areas you can't even see the bark of the trees for the thick layer of black mold. Kinda gross actually. As mentioned, everything in the forest seems to be decaying in one way or another, and it gives the forest a musky smell. It is a very funky place.

We catch an 8am ferry from Picton to Wellington on the North Island tomorrow. We have thoroughly enjoyed the South Island and know there are lots of places yet to see, should we return to some day.