It was raining. We were at a quirky but pleasant campsite in the Nelson Lake national park. Particularly pleasant was the complete lack of sandflies and mosquitoes. Bliss. We stayed another day reasoning that driving in the rain was not ideal from a sight seeing perspective. Gave me a day to catch up the blog, answer emails and all that sort of housekeeping stuff.
Next day it was still drizzling but we set off anyhow. Ended up at the coast near Westport. In the morning, we headed out to Cape Foulwind. True to the principles of nominative determinism, there was a stiff, rain laden and slightly unpleasant breeze. Captain Cook named the point after his ship, the Endeavour, was blown quite a distance offshore from here. Undeterred, we followed signs to the Cape Foulwind Seal Colony and found a load of wet rocks. Looking more closely from the viewing platform we could see that some of the rocks were New Zealand Fur Seals. And they had pups. Fur seals were hunted to near extinction by the end of the 19th century. Although protected now, they are still shot and occasionally culled, by fishermen. Possibly because they do not like the competition for a diminishing resource. I was happy watching the young pups. Some of them were only a few days old. There is a walkway along the cliffside high above the waves. This is a great way to stop people disturbing the seals while simultaneously affording a magnificent view. Bring your binoculars.
Further south we came across the West Coast Treetops in the Mahinapua Scenic Reserve. This is a high-level walkway in the forest. We were actually just looking for a cup of coffee but this seemed like a fun thing to do. Also, there was a café. The walkway is 20m above the ground, so you get a good chance to peer down into the forest. There is also a tower, 47m, by which stage you are looking out over the forest. All quite fun and gave me a chance to photograph some ferns.
New Zealand is stuffed with ferns. The climate here is ideal, if you are a fern. The country’s long geographical isolation has allowed for the evolution of unique species, with 40% of the 200+ fern species found nowhere else. Tree ferns are endemic and in places create a complete forest on their own. I find ferns lovely to contemplate. Something about the geometric properties is remarkably satisfying. Fractal recursive self-symmetry is all about how the shapes repeat at different scales and play tricks with your eyes. It is also mathematical and practical. As the frond unfurls, it forms a widening spiral that approximates the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8…). The ratio between consecutive segments of the spiral often nears 1.618, known as the aesthetically perfect Golden Ratio. This allows the plant to pack the maximum number of fronds into a tight coil while ensuring each has optimal access to light and space once opened. Snapping out of my recursive ruminations, we had a coffee and got back on the road.
Franz Josef and Fox Glacier are where many people come to access the glaciers. Depending on personal preference, you can walk, climb, cycle and fly up in a helicopter. The weather was not great but even so the place was absolutely heaving with people. We are part of a great cloud of white motorhomes that circulates New Zealand every summer. Here was one of the big focal points, a concentration of vans, trucks, cars and people. We just kept going.
Several hours later, we eventually found a campsite with some space. We were getting into the popular tourist areas, so it might be time to start booking ahead.
