New Zealand- Kiwi hunting!

be very very quite, it's kiwi hunting season you know! well, not hunting exactly.

while we were staying in wanganui, we headed out to a nature reserve called bushy park. we thought it would be a nice down-day. we randomly ran into one of the naturalistes working there. after a short chat, she informed us that in the next few days, she would be finding and re-tagging some of the kiwis in the park. we were invited to come along. wooooo!

we arrived on the arranged morning ready for an adventure. kiwis are rare birds and even rarer to see as they are nocturnal. their numbers are dwindling thanks to pests such as possums, stoates and rats. these pests find and eat the kiwis when they are still eggs or teeny tiny baby kiwis. as such, there is "operation nest egg". this organization goes out into the wild and collects kiwi eggs from the nest and brings them to the hatchery. basically the eggs are incubated until a small kiwi pops out.  the kiwis are then brought to busy park and are monitored throughout their growth process. when they reach the ripe ol' size of 1kg, they are released back into the wild. 1kg is apparently a "predator safe weight".

it was raining when we first arrived, so we had a few minutes to learn about the kiwi. it is an amazingly weird animal. thanks to NZ's isolation and lack of mammals (yes, LACK of mammals), the kiwi evolved quite uniquely. first, it is a flightless bird, with wings which are completely vestigial. second, it has many mammalian characteristics: heavy bones, body temp of 38 degrees, tough skin (like shoe leather!) with feathers like hair and nostrils on the end of it's beak. third, it lays the extremely egg in proportion to it's body size (20%). the egg is huge, as you can see in the pic.

we then followed our guide through bushy park's unmarked trails. she had this old school looking tracking device comprising of an orange antennae that she held overhead and a small signal emitter slung over her shoulder. she stops every few meters to check for a signal and then moves on. it can take hours to find a kiwi- they never stay in the same place. they also burrow quite deeply into the ground and can be hard to reach.

we followed the beeps until we were within a few meters. at which point we all need to proceed very quietly. kiwis are easily frightened and will run away if they hear us coming. the first kiwi we found was burrowed so deep that our guide was waist deep on her belly to retrieve it. she wiggled it out slowly. and then oh my goodness! the coolest thing ever. we were looking at a real live kiwi.

she proceeded to change it's tracking device, weigh it, look for it's poop in the burrow (the guides were excited. i was not) and checked it for lice and other such pests. then she helped it back into it's burrow. the kiwi we found had put on a few hundred grams in a short time, which was incredibly good. she also let us all pet it. it was so soft and almost furry/hairy feeling. but we could see that it was petrified, so we didn't take long to enjoy the moment.

we scurried off again and headed off to find the next one. by the end of our hunt, we'd not only found the 2 kiwi's we were looking for, we'd had the most amazing experience. there aren't very many people out there who can say they saw/touched a real kiwi out in the wild. i'm pretty stoked to say that i can!

xo

http://www.savethekiwi.org.nz/Home/

New Zealand- Taranaki

from tongariro we headed south to wanganui. the town itself is nothing to write home about. sort of pretty, sort of ghetto all at once. we staying in a nice place on the river front. that's about all you need to know.

john and i decided to hike mt taranaki 2 days after  arriving in wanganui. the weather was supposed to be excellent for a hike, so we jumped at it. unfortunately, taranaki is approximately 2.5 hours east of wanganui. so if you plan on hiking at 8 ish, you leave by 5:30-6 ish. urgh. john's parents came along, but chose not to hike the summit with us this time (they'd done it previously) and instead did a nice day hike along the rim of the mountain.

taranaki (mt is redundant as tara means mountain in maori) is one of the most symmetrical volcanic cones in the world. luckily, the last major eruption was in 1655. though some scientists are saying that it will erupt within the next 50 years and cause devastation to the north island of NZ. let's hope they're wrong. taranaki is also considered to be the most dangerous mountain in NZ, claiming many lives over a 10 year period (more then mt cook, on the south island. apparently due to the extreme changes in weather that can occur in minutes and white outs caused by blowing clouds. we hoped we'd prepared well enough!

with a clear sky ahead, we were ready. the first part of the hike is along an old 4x4 dirt/rock road. it's a slow, steady incline with unparalleled views of the valley: green and lush with trees, blue skies and white clouds rolling in. the 4x4 track leads to "the puffer" and incredibly steep few hundred meters up a poorly cemented road. it's called the puffer for a reason, as we were puffin' pretty hard by the time we reached the top of it. it 

from there we started on the actual "ascent to the peak". first along rocks and trail, then to the stairs. at this point a white cloud was had reached the mountain and started to make visibility a touch poorer. thankfully we ran into a few locals (some who'd done it before) and we were told that white clouds aren't a problem and you will generally climb out of them quickly. so we persevered.

at the top of the stairs is scree. lots and lots of loose, scree. it's like climbing up a sand dune for nearly 600-700 meters, only more treacherous; if you slip and keep sliding, you're done for. it's painfully slow, though we did manage to keep plodding along without many stops. we kept our eyes open for the orange guide poles to let us know we were still on the right track. we did climb out of the clouds though. and it was pretty neat to be above them.

once at the top of the scree, you reach the lava flow which leads to the peak. we thought that finishing the scree meant we were getting close. we were wrong! clambering up the lava was slow and arduous. rough edged rocks, scree, poor footing and difficulty seeing far above yourself made it all the more challenging. i just kept thinking that we had to get down it all at some point! 

we rounded the "corner" to the crater just before the real peak. the crater is called the false peak. i think a lot of people don't bother climbing up the last little bit to the true peak. the crater was filled with soft, spring-like snow. we scurried up the snowy side of the true peak, just cause we felt we should. the vie

w from the top was outstanding. well above the clouds, we could see the ocean in 3 directions and could even see mt ruapehu in the distance. we ate our lunch at the top before deciding we should head down.

the return trip took just as long as the climb. usually you can shave some time off but not on taranaki. the descent on the lava flow took forever, requiring a lot of arm work to lower yourself from rock to rock (my triceps were sore the next day). and while you kind of want to "ski" down the scree, you really don't go too fast. one false step and you're slipping a long way down a rock-face. not to mention that another, thicker cloud had rolled in. at one point on the scree, i couldn't see very far beyond john.

trodding down the stairs and 4x4 path back to the base wasn't too bad. just a bit hard on the quads by the end of it. we finished the hike in about 6 hours total and aside from a few incidental scrapes and scratches, we faired well.

when we were nearing the peak, we ran into a older hiker, probably in his 70's. we was on his way down (we hadn't reached the peak yet, so he was either incredibly fit or left early...or both!) he told us that we had "great weather today. when i climbed this trail yesterday, it was too cloudy to see anything". yesterday! turns out, he's done the hike 700 times already (probably more by now). 700 times! crazy old man.  don't get me wrong, we really enjoyed the hike- the weather was tops, the view was incredible and the hike itself was a great challenge. but i never, ever need to do it 699 more times!

xo

New Zealand- Tama Lakes

a day of rain and relaxation later, we were ready to head out hiking again. though the morning was still a  bit wet and rainy, we had been informed that the skies would be clearing by 10am. as this hike was just out of whakapapa village, we decided to wait it out and go then. 

the hike to tama lakes is relatively easy, save all the washed out areas that require a bit of "alternate path making". the 17km hike leads to lower tama lake at approx 1200m elevation. the lower lake is slowly being filled in with sediment. it probably would have been absolutely amazing a few thousand years ago when it wasn't. but the view with mt ruapehu in the background was still stunning.

we then chose to add on the side track to upper tama lake. the short hike up the 150m difference is quite steep, on scree, and so added a nice little challenge to the day. upper tama lake the larger of the 2 lakes and is a much deeper blue. john and i continued up to another peak, probably another 150m up to get a better view. from there we could see both lakes and mt ruapehu. 

the return trip from the lakes is essentially along the same path until nearing the end, at which point a fork in the trail leads you down past taranaki falls. the falls flow over and old lava flow (15 000 yrs old) into a small boulder-ringed pool and flow into a stream leading back to whakapapa.

it was christmas day, and the holiday park wasn't all that busy. we had a nice evening with some new friends, eating, drinking and generally being merry. but an early night as we were heading off to wanganui the next morning.

xo

New Zealand- Tongariro

the Tongariro Crossing is a famous 17-20km hike (depends on the site) through volcanic craters, mountains and active volcanoes. some of the ascents are challenging and steep, with loose rock (scree) filling up your shoes. we couldn't wait to try it!

we arrived in Whakapapa on the 22nd. the village is small at best. it consists of 2 hotels and a holiday park, a DOC  centre (department of conservation) and a cafe at the base of one of the hotels. this all seems surprising, given that Whakapapa is the closest access point for the Tongariro Crossing and for winter 

skiing on Mt. Ruapehu. we were staying in the holiday park, in a quaint little chalet with too many beds and no toilet. when we arrived, we went straight to the DOC for the weather report and we were informed that "tomorrow is the day" for the hike. rain was predicted to come in the afternoon, so we opted for the earliest bus departure: 6am. urgh.

john and i geared ourselves up, knowing that conditions can change quite quickly in mountains. it was bloody cold that morning, but we managed well with our gear. thankfully the macphees lent us tuques and mittens. there were only 5 other people on out 6am bus, so we were pretty excited about having the mountains to ourselves for a little while as the next bus wasn't due until 7. we arrived at the mangatepopo hut, the start of the track, at approx 6:15 am. the breeze was chilly and the sun wasn't over the mountains yet. we were on our way! 

the first part of the track takes you through a valley of old volcanic lava flows. the rocks are black as can be, but surprisingly porous. the youngest, very black lava flows from Mt Ngauruhoe date to 1949 and 1954. at the end of the valley, we arrived at Soda Springs, the last hut with a toilet for a good 4 hours. fyi- it's challenging to "use nature's toilet" whilst wearing running tights and many layers.

from there, we began the first ascent: the Devil's staircase, a rather steep and challenging climb. prior to the climb, we ran into an ex-ranger who suggested we try the side hike up Mt Ngauruhoe. she figured we'd have plenty of time. upon arrival at the top of the staircase, we couldn't decide. not knowing how much longer or how intense the hike would be, we were torn. it was a spectacular day and the volcano did look appealing. so we went for it. sort of. 

the trail up Ngauruhoe is marked for about 400m and then you're on your own. it's full of scree (loose rock and dirt) which is essentially how you have to climb. approx 1/3 of the way up, you can find an old lava flow to clamber on. but soon after we reached it, we decided it wasn't worth it. so we headed back down to the south crater and continued along the crossing. interesting fact: Mt Nauruhoe was used as Mt Doom in LOTR (or Mt Ruapehu. all books say different things).

at the end of the south crater, we had our next major ascent along the Red Crater, so called because of the red dirt. the view from the top is stunning. in one direction you have the Emerald lakes, in another, Mt Tongariro and in the other Mt Ngauruhoe. we noticed some steam coming off the ground at this point. john checked and sure enough, just below the surface, the ground was so hot you couldn't really touch it.  

from there we descended to the Emerald lakes and had lunch. seemed like a good idea, but alas, the lakes are extremely sulphuric, and so the smell was less then desirable. the view was great though, so we toughed it out. these lakes, as we discovered, were incredibly cold. we left there and crossed the Central Crater on our way to Blue Lake before heading up to the Ketetahi Hut, the first "toilet" on the route. we realized at this point that we were significantly ahead of schedule. as such, we chilled out at the hut, lazed in the sun and had some more food. all in all, i think we hung out for an hour in the hopes that we wouldn't have to wait too long at the end.

after the hut, it's almost entirely a descent. and even though i know full well that the descent is actually harder, it seems i forget until i start doing it. it was warm enough by then that we'd shed many layers and were actually enjoying some sun. the descent had some fantastic views of lake taupo and the green, green valley. the last 45-1 hour of the hike was under cover in a forrest, which made me think of a tropical rain forrest. 

and then we were done! we still managed to arrive significantly ahead of the "suggested schedule" and had to wait for our bus for about 1.5 hours. thankfully we were willing to stretch, eat and just relax a bit. we couldn't have asked for a better day. the clear sky provided us with views that many people don't get. it was crisp enough to not get hot, but sunny enough not to freeze. and the rain didn't come in until the evening.

i've provided the link for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. the name recently changed to Alpine Crossing to remind people that this is a serious hike and that you need to be well prepared. apparently people were showing up in jeans, cotton t-shirts and tevas, thinking it was a walk in the park. it was a walk in the park, but only because we were prepared!

xo