Cape Palliser

 

It has been a year now since I made a Road Trip around the Wairarapa with my brother, his wife, and a friend.

We had an awesome time, visiting different places as we travelled as far south as Cape Palliser, and as far west as New Plymouth before heading home again.

One of the highlights of the trip for me was visiting Cape Palliser, at the far south-east (bottom) part of the North Island.

This particular stretch of coastline is very hazardous and resulted in several shipwrecks before the lighthouse became operational.

The venerable old Cape Palliser lighthouse is constructed of cast iron and has stood on these cliffs since being erected in 1897.  Standing 18 metres tall, it is sited 78 metres above sea level and is the only New Zealand lighthouse to be painted in red and white stripes (designed to make it stand out from the surrounding hills).

The light, which flashes twice every twenty seconds, is visible out to sea for 26 nautical miles. 

It was a lonely life for lighthouse keepers and their families, with supplies arriving by ship once every three months before road access was created.  Keepers were finally withdrawn from service in 1986, nine years after the light had been switched to mains electricity operations (with a diesel generator for backup).

It is possible to climb up the 253 steps to see the view, but not to enter the lighthouse itself.  I left the step-climbing to my more active companions! 

This photo, looking back down the steps, was taken by my sister-in-law.

One can imagine how difficult it must have been for early keepers to carry oil up here for the light.  It must have been worse for the first fifteen years, before steps were finally constructed to replace a steep muddy path.

This area is also home to the North Island’s largest fur seal colony, and seals are frequently seen on or near the beach.  They should never be approached as they can become quite dangerous if they feel threatened.

It was a memorable day and an enjoyable visit – and probably a place I will never get to visit again because of its remoteness.  But you never know, who can tell what the future may have in store?

Smile, it makes life better 😊

Margaret.

 

Sea Lions at Waipapa Point

Waipapa Point is a great place to visit to see rugged coastline, sea mammals and an historic lighthouse, and is situated on the eastern side of The Catlins at the bottom of the South Island.

  

The wooden lighthouse has been in continuous operation since 1884, and became fully automated in 1976.

The New Zealand Sea Lion, endemic to New Zealand, occasionally comes ashore here to rest on the beach and in the coastal turf.  Fur Seals look similar and sometimes come ashore here, although they generally prefer a more rocky beach.  Sea Lions are much larger than seals and have a blunt snout and short whiskers, but are very similar in the colouring of their fur.

The snoozing sea lion on the beach here was a female, about half the size of an adult male who can grow up to 3.5 metres long and weigh up to 450kg.

As my husband and I walked up towards the lighthouse we were startled to see a large male sea lion waking from his sleep, hidden in the turf beside the path.  We prudently retreated up the hill to a safe distance and watched him.

The New Zealand Sea Lion, known as Rapoka in Maori, is one of the rarest sea lions in the world.  It is a species currently in decline and is fully protected by law.

If you ever come across one, feel privileged but be warned that they can chase you and deliver a nasty bite.  Do not disturb or frighten them and stay at least 10 metres away, or more if you have a dog with you.  Never run away from a close encounter, but back off slowly and avoid direct eye contact.

The male we were observing took his time to wake up.  He stretched and yawned and rolled around a bit, before slowly lumbering across the turf and down onto the beach.

Once on the beach he began flipping sand up over himself.  He must have done this for several minutes, in a slow and calculated manner, before finally sprawling out motionless on the sand and beginning another snooze session.

It is generally thought sea lions, along with other similar species, flip sand over themselves as a way of keeping cooler, of protecting themselves from the sun.

We felt very honoured to have witnessed this male and female sea lion in the wild, and left them sleeping just metres apart from each other.

They were living their lives doing what sea lions have always done.  They were not worried about where their next meal was coming from, or the fact that their species is under threat.  They were appreciating and enjoying the moment.

Whatever crises mankind faces, time passes and life continues.  Nature carries on like it has always done – the tide comes in and the tide goes out, birds build nests in springtime, and the sun shines every day (even when we cannot see it!).  We can learn so much from our observations of Nature.

As we left Waipapa Point I stopped and photographed these trees.  The wind down here can be extremely fierce at times and I believe it blows on most days.  We were fortunate on the day we visited as there was no wind and it was sunny.

  

Never give up hope, look for good things in your life and be thankful for them.

Margaret.

LINKING UP WITH Saturday's Critters

Where The Spirits Head Home

At the farthermost top point of the North Island is found Cape Reinga, known for both its iconic lighthouse and as the departure point for the spirits of the dead.   Maori have long believed that the spirits of the dead pass by here on their long journey back to their Pacific homeland of Hawaiki, this being the point where they plunge into the sea and enter the underworld.

There were no “whisperings of the dead passing by” when I visited, only a howling gale-force wind that threatened to blow one off the long steep path leading down to the lighthouse.

From the top of the path could be seen Cape Maria van Diemen, the westernmost point of the North Island and named by Abel Tasman when he visited here in 1643.

The waters off to the west of Cape Reinga’s lighthouse are rough and turbulent as they mark the spot where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea collide with each other.  The whirlpools that are created were believed to be the coming together of male and female and symbolised the continuation of life.

The multi-directional signpost here points to many places, including its compatriot at Bluff, 1452 km (784 miles) away, at the farthermost bottom point of the South Island.

Leaving Cape Reinga behind, I left the main tar-sealed road and headed along the first of many dusty corrugated gravel roads I explored in the area.  My poor little car (I have a Suzuki Swift named Missy) did extremely well but had to suffer the indignity of becoming camouflaged with a thick layer of dust.

The side trips were worth it though as the roads often ended in isolated picturesque beaches.  Only occasionally on my following dead-end roads did I end up in real “dead ends” that lead nowhere and had nothing to show, places where one could only turn around and retrace the journey just taken.

There was not a person in sight anywhere when I arrived at Tapotupotu Bay with its hot white sands and brilliant blue seas.

I had been told I must visit the Te Paki sand dunes, and was glad that I did.  These 150 metre high hills of fine golden sand cover a coastal strip about 10km long by 1km wide.   

There was no direct pathway to the dunes and I (and others!) wandered around for a while getting lost in the tall vegetation, before learning that access to the dunes is by wading across the shallow Te Paki stream.

A lot of people come here specifically to go sandboarding.  Boards are available for hire to anyone keen enough to climb the hills and slide all the way back down again – lots of laughter and lots of sand in your clothes, but lots of fun as well.  I made it onto the dunes but I never climbed all the way up, and I never did the sandboard thing either!

I use automatic exposure on my camera, and neither of these photos really show how golden the sand truly was.

I never took the long walk down to Spirits Bay either, electing instead to sit in the shade and eat my lunch beside the river that flowed into the bay.  There is a camping ground here, operated by the Department of Conservation, and a few campsites had already been occupied by those wishing to beat the summer holiday rush.  The whole area felt laid back and relaxed, like those lazy hazy days of summer one hears about.

Rarawa Beach was another definite “must-do” on my list.  It is the nearest public access to the Te Kokota sandspit, one of the world’s purest deposits of white silica sand.  The beach was certainly a dazzling white in the sunshine, but closer inspection showed the sand to be more of an off-white colour than pure white.

My last stop for the day was at Ninety Mile Beach, which is really only about 55 miles (88km) long. Tour buses drive along the beach during low tide times making their way to and from Cape Reinga.

The wind whipped up the fine sand and stung my bare legs, but I got a cheerful blast on the horn and a wave from the tour bus passengers as they sped by.

Then it was back to Kaitaia to refuel Missy and feed me, followed by an early night to sleep off an overwhelming feeling of pleasant exhaustion.  It had been a great day.

Margaret.