The South Island
Leaving Christchurch, we drove to Hanmer Springs in a rented camper. Hanmer Springs is a natural geothermal spot where they pump hot sulfur spring water out of the ground and either pump it into cement pools or use it to heat fresh water and pump the heated water, without sulfur, into various cement pools of various temperatures and designs. The place is very nice and very commercial. There is not hint of nature. It is in the middle of the very quaint small town of Hanmer. We soaked in the warm water as cool light rain fell on our heads. The sulfur pools felt medicinal, with a mild sulfur smell. They were a bit too hot for me to stay in for very long. We spent most of our time in the cooler pools.
We drove through winding mountain roads and beautiful green valleys to Springs Junction, and then turned north on Highway 65 toward the town of Maruia. We stopped to rest at Maruia Falls Reserve. There was a spectacular waterfall below the site accessible by a well-graded path with many wildflowers. The river was in full flood and was laden with huge quantities of sediment. It only fell about 5 or 6 meters over a volcanic cliff, but there was an impressive quantity of water and noise. After lunch we continued the mountainous drive north toward Nelson with a short stop in the beautiful small town of Murchinson that has a population of only about 700. Just south of Nelson we stopped for the night at a Holiday Park called Tahuna (tah-oo-nah) near the town of Tahunanui (Tah-oo-nah-new-ee).
Nelson is a beautiful small city at the far north end of the South Island. Even with the record rainfall this is a spectacular area.
Leaving Nelson, we drove through Riwaka (ree-wak-ka) Valley and Motueka (mot-tyou-a-kah) to Takaka (tah-kah-kah) so that we could take a nature tour of Farewell Spit. After camping in the rain for a few days we decided to stay at a B&B.
We saw many kiwi orchards in the area. They are large vines that are trained up on wooden supports. They are blooming now in late spring and will be picked in May and June just before the frost.
The town of Takaka is a very prosperous small town of about 1000 with its own bank, a motion picture theater and a view of Golden Bay. It has several fine restaurants and many shops showing the works of local artists. There is a short nature walk leading to the lower part of the Takaka Valley and a large fresh water spring commonly called Pu Pu (pew-pew) Springs.
The full name of these massive springs is Waikoropupu Springs (why-koe-roe-pew-pew). These springs discharge an average of 14 cubic meters of water a second, that's about 40 bathtubs full per second. A cluster of eight vents in this main pool, the largest of which is 1.5 m wide, supplies three-quarters of this flow. Although there are some 60 larger springs in Australia and other parts of the world, Waikoropupu Springs are the clearest except for a spring under the Ross Ice Shelf in Antartica. The springs lie in the distinctive geology of the Takaka River catchment. Layers of ancient marble provide the dominant bedrock of the main valley and many tributary streams. Similar rock in the nearby mountains contains the deepest and longest cave systems in the Southern Hemisphere. The Takaka valley marble is honey combed with caves forming a complex system of underground drainage. It is so effective that in the summer the entire flow of the Takaka river often vanishes underground about 16 km up-river from the town of Takaka. While there are many points at which the water can enter the underground system, the marble in the lower Takaka valley is over lain by a cap of younger rock which prevents the water from escaping except at these springs and at least three offshore springs located in the seabed of Golden Bay.
Waikoropupu Springs is both a local and national treasure to the Maori (mou-ree). It is a sacred place. It is the spiritual source of life, the wairua (wah-ee-rue-ah). It has a guardian spirit called Huriawa (hue-ree-ah-wah). The springs provide water for healing and are used in ceremonial blessings at times of birth and death and also for leaving and returning travelers. The following is the story of Huriawa as told on a placard placed at the spring by the Maori:
"Huriawa was given to us as one of the three main Taniwha of Aotea Roa. She was called forth by Ra Kai Hau Tu to guard the sternpost of the Waka he placed here at the waters of Waitapu. Brave is Huriawa and wise. She uses her mana to dive deep into the land and the sea to clear the blocked waterways. She travels in the waters that touch all sandstone. Her domain covers the top of the Island, and when the waters are deep travels as far as the center of the Waka. Her home is here at Wai Koro Pupu, the spring from where her birthing river flows, and where she rests when she leaves her waters in the care of her many children."
Aotea Roa (a-oh-tay-ah row-ah) is the Maori name for New Zealand and means the island of the long white cloud. Taniwha (tan-eh-fa) are monsters that live in rivers. Ra Kai Hua (rah kai who-ah) is one of these water monsters. The Waka is a boat that floats in a vast body of water, the Waitapu (wy-tah-pew). According to Maori legend the South Island is a great boat, a Waka, from which the North Island was fished from the sea. The waters of Kai Koro Pupu travel deep to the center of the Waka, the South Island. The mana (mah-nah) is the force of Huriawas personal spirit, magnetism or personality that is, in part, what others think of you. Mana is very hard to translate into English.
While staying in Takaka we took several side trips. One morning we drove to the very small town of Collingwood, about 300 to 400 persons located near Golden Bay. There we took an all day nature trip to Farewell Spit. Farewell Spit is one of the great bird rookeries on earth. Some species fly from Siberia and North America to nest on the Golden Bay side of the spit. New Zealand law does not allow anyone to enter the nesting side of the spit.
Fossil Point is on the Tasman Sea side of the spit where the sand spit joins the hills. It's called Fossil Point because the young Pleistocene rocks are full of seashell fossils. Resting among the rocks was this seal. She seemed as curious about us as we were curious about her.
We climbed a large sand dune so that we could get a distant peek at one of the rookeries. We could see the Tasman Sea in the distance that separates New Zealand from Australia.
At the far north end of the spit there is a cluster of trees. Among the trees is a lighthouse. The original lighthouse was built of hardwood in 1870. The early lighthouse keepers who brought the soil from Collingwood in their saddlebags planted the Pine and Macrocarpa trees. Because the trees are not natural to the environment of the spit the New Zealand Department of Conservation wants them removed. However the Nautical Commission wants them kept because they are so visible for a great distance at sea and many nautical charts label the lighthouse as Bush End Point at Golden Bay. A 27 m high steel tower replaced the rotting original wood lighthouse tower. The steel lighthouse burned oil and was lit in January of 1897. In 1954 the oil-burning lamp was replaced by a 1000-watt electric lamp run by a diesel generator. In 1966 the lighthouse was connected to the electric main, with standby power from the diesel generator. The lenses revolve around the lamp giving a flash once every 15 seconds. The light beams show through clear and red glass. The white sector light can be seen 27 nautical miles, and the red sector light from 17 nautical miles. In 1984 the lighthouse keeper left. The operation of the light is completely automatic and is monitored by a computer in Wellington.
The giant squid is one of the rarest animals on earth. It has never been seen alive. While Oysters are the normal catch here, occasionally a dead squid is washed up on some New Zealand beach. The first samples of squid were found in the stomachs of whales. Giant squid can grow up to 20 meters long.
After over four hours on the spit we were taken to the top of a nearby hill to get a remarkable view of the entire spit. Then we were taken to a coffee shop where they had this fully assembled skeleton of a Long-finned Pilot Whale. According to a placard in front of the skeleton, the Pilot Whale is the most likely species of whale to get stranded on a New Zealand beach. An adult may reach six meters in length and weigh several tons. Naturalists rescue many whales, sometimes in huge herds. The Maori tell a tale about the stranding of the whales. The legend tells that long ago there was a fierce quarrel between pipi (pee-pee) and kuku (koo-koo) (mussels) on the beach an Onetahua (oh-na-tah-whoo-ah). The pipi triumphed and have ever since lived in the sand. Whales and sharks heard of the quarrel and decided that the battle-weary pipi would make good food. They attacked, but in rushing up the beach they became stranded and tasted only defeat. Thus did whales first die on beaches.
One of our last stops before returning to the town of Collingwood was Farewell Point, which is the most western place on the South Island. There we could see seals swimming among the rocks and dashing surf.
We spent the day driving from Takaka into Tasman National Park and back. From a nearby hill we saw a very hard form of limestone called dolomite that contains magnesium carbonate in addition to the normal calcium carbonate of regular limestone, as well as the very beautiful Golden Bay. Here is a brief history of a railway we saw:
In 1901 The Puponga Coal and Gold Mining Company Ltd. began construction of the Rail Line and wharf near Collingwood. A mile and a half of 2-foot gauge tramway was constructed suitable for light locomotive traffic to haul coal about a mile from the mine to Golden Bay. By 1904 substantial shipments of coal were being made. The largest at the time, 350 tons of coal, were shipped on the S.S. Torgauten. The production of the Puponga mine in 1910 was 30,373 tons. By this time harbor-dredging work has going on and the channel was being dredged form the wharf to deep water so as to admit steamers, which conveyed 800 to 1,000 tons of coal. About 100 men were employed.
From an eastern section of Golden Bay, we saw rows of black dots in the water that are part of a large mussel farm. New Zealanders eat large quantities of mussels and much is exported, mostly to Japan. There is a lot of recreational boating near the shores of Golden Bay. Abel Tasman discovered what now is called New Zealand in 1642. He first landed in Golden Bay. Part of Golden Bay is now a National Park aptly named Abel Tasman National Park.
Today Tasman's name is found in many places in the South Pacific. The Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand and Tasmania the island just south of Australia are examples of prominent places caring the Tasman name. The following is some history that I gleaned from several displays found around Tasman National Park:
In the 1640s the Netherlands were in a strong economic position to find and colonize lands in the new world. The general economy was strong and they had a large fleet of ships. Chartered companies such as the Dutch East India Company sought to monopolize the Asiatic spice trade. Merchants of that time were inspired by dreams of a southern continent rich in gold and silver and populated by a civilized people who lived in splendid comfort.
Abel Tasman was born in 1603 at Lutjegast, a village near Groningen, Holland. In 1633 he joined the Dutch East India Company, a powerful trading organization in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. He was chosen for his now famous exploratory voyage by the colony's governor, Anthony Van Dieman, who assigned Tasman 110 men and two small three-masted ships: The 120 ton Heenskerck, and the slightly heaver Zeehaen. Tasman was charged with the responsibility to find the fabled great southern continent and any other lands of economic interest to the Dutch East India Company.
The two ships left Batavia on the island of Java in August 1642, bound initially for Mauritius. By the time they reached Mauritius the ships were found to have rotting timbers. Extensive repairs were made before sailing south and the east on the prevailing winds. He navigated using a magnetic compass, crude instruments to measure the sun's angle and an estimate of the ship's speed. This was a system that led to significant navigational errors.
After sailing for six weeks, on November 24, they sighted a mountainous coastline. They landed and named the territory Van Deimen's land, today known as Tasmania after the Governor of Batavia. After a few days exploring the coast of Tasman they were driven out to sea by strong winds. They then continued sailing eastward in search of the elusive southern continent
On December 13, 1642, Tasman noted "a large land uplifted high bearing southeast of us." This is what is known today as the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. He turned north along the exposed coast looking for safe landfall. After rounding a great sand spit, now known as Farewell Spit, he anchored in what today is known as Tasman Bay late on December 18.
While anchored in what is today known as Tasman Bay, smoke was seen on shore and many canoes came out to the two ships. Tasman's men tried to communicate with the natives, now known as Maori, who paddled several canoes out to the ships. Governor Van Dieman had made sure that many of the officers and crew were equipped with a Solomon Islands' vocabulary that they used in an attempt to converse with the paddlers. They were not able to communicate and it seemed that neither party appreciated the other's greeting or challenge.
The next morning, more canoes put to sea while the expedition's officers were meeting on the Heenskerck. The ships' officers decided that since the inhabitants appeared friendly, the ships would be moved closer to shore to get better anchorage. Several Maori canoes, known as waka, were in the vicinity of the ships when a small cockboat was sent out from the Heenskerck with a message for the crew of the Zeehaen. The cockboat had just begun its return trip when the crew of a large waka began to paddle furiously towards it, striking the smaller boat violently. The quartermaster was attacked and knocked overboard and four sailors were killed. The waka then retuned to shore, avoiding musket-fire from the outraged Dutchmen.
Tasman named the bay "Moordenaers Jaij" (Murderer's Bay) and the land Staten Landt since he thought that it may have been part of the hoped-for southern continent. They then sailed away to the east. A storm forced him to anchor near Stephen's Island, just outside the Marlorough Sounds. Marlorough Sounds is the complex set of islands and bays to the north of Picton and Blenheim and to the east of Nelson. Tasman and his crew celebrated Christmas here by slaughtering two pigs and enjoying an extra ration of wine.
Staten Landt was later re-named Nova Zeelandia, which means new Holland by Henrik Brouwer in 1643 who proved that the original Staten Landt was an island. It is now called New Zealand.
During the next week the ships tacked around the outer Marlorough Sounds and rode out a storm before sailing north up the west coast of what today is called the North Island. Although strong currents let Tasman to suspect the existence of the Cook Strait, adverse winds and lack of enthusiasm among his officers prevented an investigation. They saw no sign of human habitation until reaching Motu-o-pao (an island off the cape they named Maria Van Deimen); nor did they find a suitable place to land and re-supply. Heavy surf and strong winds foiled their attempts to obtain fresh food and water at the Three Kings Islands and the expedition left New Zealand on January 6, 1643. The expedition then sailed northeast, to make the first European discovery of Tonga and the Fiji Islands, returning to Batavia, now Jakarta, on June 14, 1643. They had traveled 13,000 kilometers in unknown seas with the most rudimentary navigational equipment.
Tasman's employers were disappointed with his inconclusive discoveries. Despite this, and a suspension for wrongfully attempting to hang two of his crew he commanded several subsequent explorations including a trip to the far east of the South Pacific proving that it could be entered from the west by sailing around South America. Abel Tasman died in 1659.
The Maori did not have a written language. However, they had an oral tradition of history telling. The following story was on a placard placed in the National Park by the Department of Conservation:
"From the ancient storyhouse of Ngati-Tumatkokriri comes this story of a gathering of strangers who came in their two ships surrounded by seagulls (sails) from far away across the oceans of Kiwa, to the prow of Maui's canoe, to the sea of Mohua (Golden Bay). This begins the story of the coming of Abel Tasman, the first pakeha, and his two ships the Zeehaen and Hemskerk, but the story has been lost, with the passage of time, and the truth remains forever suspended in the seas of time. We only have the date, 18th December 1642 and are reminded of the people who dwelt for 200 years in the area, the Ngati Tumatakokiri who were subsequently conquered by Ngati Apa in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Ngati Apa, in turn, were displaced during the late 1820s by the invasion of Ngati Rarua, Ngati Tama and Te Atiawa, the present day tangata whenua twi of Golden Bay."
We saw many silver tree ferns near Golden Bay. The silver fern, a gray-looking fern, is the national emblem of New Zealand. After our wonderful stay at Takaka we returned to Nelson. We stopped in Motueka (moh-tue-a-ka); a land mass sticking out to see is the Marlborough Sounds, for lunch and had the most wonderful Turkish kebabs.
