It's been a busy few weeks with after-hours shifts (yes I *do* work, and sometimes I even have to work nights/weekends), getting ill (my first New Zealand illness after 8.5 months here), and then a big Easter bike adventure (will be blogged about later, once I receive some additional photos from my trip companion). In the meantime, let me tell/show you some other things I've been up to!
Three weeks ago (YIPES has it been that long since I've blogged?) I spent a lovely morning at the Wairau Lagoons.
I like finding day walks that are loop tracks so I can feel comfortable doing them alone and don't have to arrange transport back to the start. But honestly I picked this walk because it had "Lagoon" in the name. Sounds so mystical and pirate-esque, doncha think? :)
In case you didn't know and are curious like me, a lagoon is a body of shallow sea or brackish water separated from the sea by some sort of barrier. The Wairau lagoons were formed over the past 6,500 years by a 7km long boulder bank of gravel and stones. Fresh water flows down from the surrounding inland hills, and sea water from the rising/falling tides combine to form the lagoons. Several different bird/animal/species thrive in this sort of environment.
The walk was basically flat, which is a big change from most of the treks here in NZ. See the track below...
Some of the wetter areas along the walk..
Tons of little crabs (some alive on wetter ground, some fried to a crisp on the drier places) were on the track.
The birds were the most prominent wildlife here. These guys kind of blend in with the branches!
Swimming in the lagoon...
The historic piece of the walk is arriving at the mouth of the lagoon, where the shipwrecked SS Waverly resides.
This ship was originally towed from Wellington and placed at the mouth of the Wairau River with plans to be sunk and used as breakwater for flood control. Instead, a flood took her to the Lagoons where she remains shipwrecked to this day.
No pirates on board, in case you were wondering :)
A pretty walk back to complete the loop track, with the beautiful Wither Hills in the background.
So my Easter biking adventures will take up a whole blog of its own, but I'd like to share some photos of the beautiful Marlborough scenery now that fall has arrived. After our strenuous biking adventure, Steve and I spent a relaxing afternoon at Highfields Winery which is known for its lookout tower.
The colors of the trees and the grapevines were so gorgeous! I couldn't pick just one or two pics to include, so here's a bunch from the lookout.
And since it was Easter Monday, here's a shot of some cute sheep playing/grazing in the vines :)
Baaaah-ppy Easter :)
Finally, after being 100% lazy all week, recovering from my Mtn Bike injuries/soreness, I headed out to Marfell's Beach for a nice long walk. (Every bachelorette likes long walks on the beach, right?)
The destination was the lighthouse at Cape Campbell, the South Island's easternmost lighthouse.
(See it all the way out there?)
I started the walk as high tide was going out, but still there were parts with no 'beach' and only these rough rocks to climb over/around. Kinda scary, but all turned out ok :)
I was the only one walking, but these birds kept me company...
At first I thought these guys above were penguins, but upon some research, apparently (I think) they're called King Shags, a rare bird endemic to New Zealand, who hang around the Cook Strait (which is exactly where I was.) Score one for rare bird sighting!!! :)
And then they flew away, which was pretty in itself.
These guys are called oystercatchers. I wonder what they like to eat!
Tons of gorgeous shells were on the beach, like this piece of paua...
and these few shells I brought home for my collection...
A nice solitary (and loooong) walk on the beach..
But the lighthouse was getting closer!
There was some sort of shelter built, I'm guessing by a human. No one was inside, but still kind of creepy.
There's a farm near the lighthouse, but no public road can get you there--- just a long 90 minute walk..
Ta-dah! Just 91 steps (yep I counted) to get to the lighthouse base!
The Cape Campbell lighthouse was built in 1905. It replaced a decaying wooden one that was there since 1870. The black stripes are painted so it stands out against the white hills. It's 22 meters high. I was bummed to find out you can't climb to the top.
But the views from the base were still amazing!
On the way back, I had a close up encounter with this seal, sunning on the beach! What a life ;)
Another 90 minutes walk and I was back to where I started at Marfell's Beach.
It may be getting chillier here in Marlborough, but I'm still making the most of the Great Outdoors of this beautiful country.
'Til next time! (and I promise it won't take three weeks for my next post!)
