Holiday walks

Went for a cracking bush walk with Hal last weekend. We were aiming to reach the summit of one of the local hills called Puketutu. NZ bush is quite different to UK woodland. The tracks tend to be indistinct. The undergrowth is thicker. There is sign of wild pigs. It is rare to meet anybody else. We made it to the top. At least we thought we were at the top! The hills are forested right to the tops round here so you rarely get a view. We had planned to walk along theridge to a quarry and then back to the car. Without GPS this was going to be tricky as it was hard to tell where the ridge was. So we played it safe and walked down the valley back to the car. It still took us 6 hours to complete a short ascent and descent. The picture of eggs, beans and asparagus shows the produce from the garden. It is a slow spring in terms of getting veggies from the garden. The broad beans have been badly affected by the chocolate spot disease and so their yield has been low. This time of year is critical in the garden though. There is a narrow window of opportunity for preparing the soil while it can be worked. By the middle of the week we had had no rain for a week and the recently dug soil had set into sun baked clay. The addition of a large barrow of compost made it possible to stick in a row of peas and haricot beans. Frost cloth is protecting the early cucumbers and courgettes from the cold winds. I went down twice in the evening with a head torch after the rain started to harvest snails. I collected about 400 the first night and 100 on the second. The chooks love eating snails so I throw them a handful most days.

Walking around Russell

1. The flag staff that Hone Heke cut down 4 times back in the 1840's because he was not impressed with the way that the British were dealing with Maori. I notice that now adays the flag staff is made of axe proof metal. Also that someone has scratched "Hone" into the paint. 2. The view of Russell from the flag staff. 3. Tapeka point at the top of the Russell Peninsular, looking out towards Bay of islands and Roberton Island (I think). 4. Sunset from our motel looking towards the flag-staff. If the picture had sounds you might be able to hear a kiwi calling. That would be a video, and I did not take one, being keen to eat the rather nice steak that was waiting.

Trees

How many of these trees can you name? Answers on a postcard to "TreesRUs"

Russell

Chantelle and I have just returned from a pleasant mini-break at Russell. Formerly known as Korororeka by Maori (literally "sweet penguin"), then nick-named "the hell-hole of the Pacific" because of the debauchery caused by drunken uncouth European whalers who used it as a base in the 1800's. It has now become a very genteel sea-side resort where the loudest calls at night belong to kiwi. Somewhere along the way most of the Maoris seem to have moved out. We visited Waitangi - the birth-place of the NZ nation - for the first time. Very civilised in a European way. A large expanse of grass with a little museum explaining how a treaty was signed there between the British Crown and some of the Northern Maori Chiefs back in 1840. By all accounts it was a hastily cobbled together document with 2 versions. One was written in English. This was translated hurriedly overnight by a local missionary into Maori. The ensuing discrepancies have led to all manner of argument. There is a huge legal business that exists to try to interpret modern questions of ownership and seeks to redress past injustices. As an Englishman who has lived with concepts of private property and a deeply injust class sytem all my life, it is ... stimulating? ... surprising? ... to move to a country where colonialism is still being challenged generations after the main land-grab took place. I suppose that Waitangi being central to NZ culture is a testament to the staying power of Maori. I do wonder where things will be in another generation if the injustices can be re-dressed and society can move on. Anyway back to the pics. We were taken with the massive boat beautifully carved from several kauri trees. Chantelle is pictured inside one of the 3 trees that were used. The waka can seat about 80 paddlers. Alongside the colonial residence of James Busby was an ornately carved marae.

Last week of term

In the last week of term Chantelle and I went long lining at Puwheke with Pat and Edwin. It is a good way to relax after work. Especially when Pat did the hard work of paddling the kayak out with the line - twice! Chantelle cooked up some sausages on a beach bbq leaving me with little to do but take photos and drink tea with Edwin. We caught 3 fish on those 50 hooks. One pufferfish as shown in the photo. Not edible but beautiful in a grotesque sort of way with those spines. Also a small stingray and a small gurnard. As a wise woman once said, at least we were not relying on our trip to feed our families. Quite a luxury, but it has been a long hard stressful term so I for one do not feel guilty. The third picture shows my unsuccessful attempts to manipulate my little bee-hive. Apparently one can build up a bee colony at this time of year by feeding them a thick syrup of raw sugar. So far the wasps have appreciated this extra food, and once I got rid of them a large colony of ants moved in. The bees have turned up their probosci at my attempts to help them. Perhaps they see through the amateurish attempt at manipulation. Final picture is our rabbit. Nuff said.