River Inn... Great Overnight Parking...

 This lovely old historic hotel built around 1898 is a large fully

equipped travellers hostel...
It's also an NZMCA Pop (park over property).

 It's 2.5 km north of Takaka town... Only $5 a night to

park on the lawn... Showers and laundry available and

quite a unique public bar full of friendly locals

and a blackboard of meal options. I'm told the 'Ritchie'(name of 

the owners) burger is more than you can eat!

Read about it here... Kayaks, bikes, snorkeling gear to watch 

the trout in the Takaka River... Lots of things to do and see...

 It had been another hot day and I just wanted somewhere to park

and sit out on the grass and enjoy another perfect evening...

 I was told 'park wherever you like' so I chose the back lawn

by the garden facing the setting sun...

 In the garden was this old relic of by-gone days. It's either an

old gold or coal wagon, probably gold as that is was

was sought after in this area in the 'early' days...

And still is by some hopefuls.

Right outside my door was this little garden seat with flowering 

wisteria climbing all over it. I highly recommend it...

a place to be solitary in the garden or social in the bar with the 

locals and a delicious freshly cooked meal.

Long Time Christchurch Friends...

Pohara is a holiday destination for many Christchurch people

who have been coming here for lots of years. Two of them this

year are my long time friends Jan and Mary... From way back when

we all lived in Wellington then Christchurch I have known Jan

for forty-eight  years and Mary for about fifteen.We had coffee

together this morning at Totally Roasted... Coffee took

most of the morning as we had lots to catch up on...

Not just each other's children but now grand and 

great-grandchildren. Jan and Mary still live in Christchurch

but I have moved on...

In The Middle Of Nowhere... Toto's Pizza Cafe...

 From Wainui Falls we carried on round the dusty road 

towards Totoranui... Suddenly... In the middle of nowhere...

This sign... Cafe & Gallery. I had vaguely heard about it but 

hadn't taken much notice and here it was.

 We had a picnic with us so didn't want lunch but
decided we would  park and climb up the dusty
driveway to have a look in the gallery...

 Looking back... Wainui Bay in the background...

 Over the road from the car park this stunningRata.

I had just been learning about the Rata, endemic to
New Zealand, and this was a magnificent specimen,
bright red against all the green.

 The little cafe had a delightful garden. I thought this was
a wonderful and creative way to grow Sweetpeas...
Over a little bamboo wig-wam... It made a cute and natural
little play house for the children.

 There were people eating outside although it was 

 very hot in the sun. On the right of this photo is the whare

where coffee is made and a small selection of counter
food and cakes... And where the pizza's were made.

There is a shady area at the end and some wonderful

raised garden beds...With  thriving salad veges and herbs.

The gallery was a disappointment, nothing much in it..

If anybody local wanted to exhibit it would be a great place.

The outdoor earth pizza oven... Next time I pass I'll make

sure I'm hungry and stop and try one...

Although parking for my bus would be difficult.

Wainui Falls... A Great WalkOn A Hot Day...

 My botanist friend from Auckland came to stay for a

few days. Having a car meant I didn't need to pack

up the bus to go anywhere. We have had lots of very hot still

days, far too hot to be out in the sun so walks in the

bush were perfect. Off we went to Wainui...

On the way to Totoranui... In the Able Tasman National Park.
 It took us a lot longer than 30 minutes... We dawdle and
look at lots of plants on the way...

 It's a well maintained track...

 And little bridges. Still lots of debris from the last flood.

 When I'm with Janeen I always learn things... This plant is Tutu or

Coriaria arborea... Although much used by the early  Maori, except
 for the fruit of the swollen purple-black petals, every bit of this
shrub is extremely poisonous. The poison (tutin) is so powerful
that in 1870 in Otago it killed a circus elephant that had been left to
feed in long grass where succulent shoots of tutu were growing.
The positive of this plant is that it has nitrogen-fixing root nodules which
help to enrich soil in otherwise infertile places in which it tends to grow.

 Lesson number 2... Was about the Rata or Metrosideros robusta.

These trees grow up to 25 meters high. The profusion

of red flowers stand out amongst all the green of the

other forest and bush trees and plants... But amazingly it

starts it's life as a seed smaller than a grain of sand

which grows as an epiphyte perched on a host tree.

It's aerial roots grow downwards to the ground...

 Finally enclosing the host tree with a trunk up to 2.5 meters through.

 The fused aerial roots and the hollow left by decay of the host tree...

These trees occur throughout the North Island and in the

South Island south to about Westport...

Different from the Southern Rata or Metrosideros umbellata

which grows from a seed in the ground up to 15 meters

from Whangarei to Stewart Island but is rarely found in 

the North Island...

 Epiphytes...

 The track continued through the lush green growth...

 Alongside the river in places where people were swimming...

 Huge boulders...

 And the board walk...

 Which lead to the swing bridge. The maximum number

 of people at any one time on this bridge is... One!

 It really swings, holding onto the  handrail is essential

or it would be easy to topple over...

 We climbed up amongst the tree roots... Getting higher

up the valley...

 And into the treetops and beautiful South Island Kanuka
 or Kunzea ericoides

 Which was in full bloom...

 And the waterfall. There was quite a volume of water which

made a lot of cool spray... Delicious on such a  hot day.

 But nobody swimming... The rocks look very slippery.

A Few Days At Port Tarakohe...

 I moved from the cafe car park, it was getting busy and crowded,

hot and dusty. Three kilometers round the road

is Port Tarakohe with a freedom park  managed by the boat cub

 for a donation with hot showers for $2, toilets and a washing 

machine... And grass - that lovely green stuff to park on.

There was quite a commuity of motor homes and

buses and it was interesting to meet fellow travels

when I haven't really been 'on the road' for a while.

This area looks out over the Port Tarakohe wharves and

marina... It used to be Golden Bay Cement.

 This was my daily walk... Just to have a look...

 One of the amazing rock fomation tunnels between Pohara and Totoranui.

 In the marina is this old Jacques Cousteau pirate boat. The owner roasts

and sells coffee. It attracts quite a crowd.

 Bit of a rusty heap but still afloat and an interesting design

 with a very high bow. The coffee and experience are highly rated.

 Looking back to where I am parked...

 And then... A close encounter with one of the many Stingrays

that cruise around in the warm water near the shallow edges.

 It was a very peaceful place, far from the maddening crowd

to spend a few hot days.

A New Year... 2015...