Saturday Dec. 1st Fishing with Kevin

Today I met up with one of my South Island guides and went out for a short day of fishing. Being a Saturday and his only day off after many days working, we left later than normal and also I was spending the majority of the morning dealing with problems at home with frozen pipes back in Montana, according to my friend, house and pet sitter. So I dealt with how she should handle frozen pipes and also a last minute New Zealand booking for a client who was actually on his way to the airport as we spoke this morning! So off to a late start, but it was still a good productive day albeit a rather chilly one. We were freezing!!! Kevin and I decided to wade wet since the sun was out and it looked like a nice day...BUT as the day progressed, the weather “turned to custard” as they say down here and it got cold and cloudy and a little windy. Just enough to feel chilled to the bone, wearing shorts and wet wading. Brrr.... not a good idea today. Hopefully tomorrow won’t be the same as today’s weather. It’s not supposed to be, but this area is much like Montana in that the weather can change at the drop of a dime.

Nonetheless, we still had a good day of fishing and I caught some nice fat brown trout.




No matter where you are in New Zealand, you are never more than 60 miles from the coast, so weather can change quite rapidly which is what happened today. This was not in the forecast so we’ll see how they do tomorrow. I go out with a different guide tomorrow to a different river.

After such warm weather this entire trip, and beautiful sunny days, today was actually the first day I felt cold and not just cold but chilled to the bone. I haven’t been able to get warm all day so I came home and jumped in the shower and stood under the hot water for ages until I thawed. I don’t think it was actually that cold, but the relative humidity was high so it felt really cold. Coming from such a dry climate, it felt colder to me than if I was home in 20 degrees F.

So, a new report once I see how things go tomorrow. Unfortunately, I’m once again in an area with no internet connection and I’m not set up this trip to do dial up on my laptop so I’m at the mercy of other people’s computers to go online to do anything, This post may have to wait a few days to go up but at least I’m writing it now while it’s fresh in my mind.

OK...off to bed now. It’s 2:21AM in Montana now and I only have two more days to go so I should try to start getting closer to my old time clock as it will make for an easier adjustment when I go back home.

Ciao for now.

Akaroa to Pleasant Point

This morning after a delicious breakfast, I had a walk around the quaint village of Akaroa before heading south to Pleasant Point which is located in an idyllic part of South Canterbury. I forget, when coming from Montana where all roads for the most part are straight as an arrow, just how incredibly wiggly the roads are here! It’s no place to be in a hurry that’s for sure.


The drive to Pleasant Point took around 3-1/2 hours but now I can relax in a lovely cottage located on a certified organic farm called Centre Hill Cottage. Ian Blakemore owns this farm stay retreat which sits elevated above the Totara Valley where he has been farming since 1968. The farm gained full organic status in 1990, running deer, beef, sheep and growing potatoes for the New Zealand Organic Market. Right now the deer are fawning so hopefully I’ll have some photos of baby deer.

Tomorrow is a fishing day so hopefully I’ll have something good to report tomorrow night. For now, it’s time to relax with a delicious New Zealand wine and some locally made cheese and crackers and get ready to head out to dinner in a while.

Ciao for now!

Bonjour from Akaroa - Maison de la Mer

"Akaroa" in Maori means "Long Harbor". The harbor was formed several million years ago with the giant Akaroa volcanic eruption which created the surrounding hills, with the harbor as the crater lake. Over the years the crater lake breached to the ocean, and it's now fully navigable.

The Maori were the first people here in the region, with the Waitaha tribe being the first nomadic peoples on the Bank's Pennsula. They were succeeded in the region in the 17th century by the current Ngai Tahu people who came down from the North Island in search of new resources for their people.

During the early 19th century, Akaroa was the earliest European settlement in Canterbury, and was a whaling port for French, British, Russian and American whalers who traded with the Maori. As a result of this connection, a group of French whalers came to a land agreement with the Ngai Tahu, and purchased a block of land, which is today's Akaroa village. The French formed a company of settlers with the intention of claiming the territory as French.

While the French settlers were underway on their ship - "Le Comte de Paris" - the British were signing an historic treaty with the Maori - The Treaty of Waitangi - which made New Zealand an English colony. The British got word of the French ship and rushed to Akaroa just days before its arrival to let the settlers know that the British flag was flying. The British decided to honor the original French land grants, so the settlers landed and set up the small French settlement here in Akaroa under British rule. The original family names are today found o nall the street names around the village. (quoted as written at Maison de la Mer where I'm staying)

Last night I arrived around 5 PM in Akaroa. My destination for the night, Maison de la Mer. As I arrived, Bruce and Carol were hard at work decorating the Christmas tree. Now, mind you, I realize Christmas is coming but I'm still having a hard time getting my head wrapped around Christmas and Christmas trees when it's 80 degrees outside! Nevertheless, it looks lovely twinkling away just inside the front door.

Claremont Country Estate and Limestone Hills

I spent the night in the cottage on Gareth and Camilles' property and then in the morning I went over to the property next door which just happened to be Claremont Country Estate. Gareth arranged with the owners Richard and Rosie Goord, to go out on their private Land Rover "Safari" over the 2,400 acre estate and nature reserve to see some history regarding the limestone cliffs and the hidden prehistoric treasures found inside.

A big attraction at Claremont is the chance to see God's Marbles – massive round limestone boulders dating from the age of the dinosaurs. About 15 million years ago, God's Marbles began to form. Erosion by river, sun and rain has gradually exposed these boulders, which have tumbled down into the riverbed. They can weigh more than seven tons. If I remember corectly, they are more like pearls which are calcium carbonate that formed around dinosaur bones and like a pearl began to grow. So, everywhere you see one of these "pearls", there is a dinosaur bone hidden inside somewhere. How cool is that?


"Claremont also contains rock-solid proof of the disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs. About 65 million years ago, a meteor or asteroid collided with the Earth, striking the Yucatan peninsula near Mexico with the force of a major nuclear detonation. The resultant debris blocked out light and heat, causing mass extinction.
Evidence for this can be found at Claremont in the KT boundary, a layer of rust-streaked rock rich in iridium, an element found in meteorites. This is one of the most visible KT boundary sites on Earth. Dinosaur fossils exist below the line, but none above."


Anyway, after a truly fascinating tour of the high country sheep station, deer farm and my geology lesson for the day, I took off for Akaroa. I drove back through Christchurch and then out to the Banks Peninsula all the way to the end to Akaroa, a little French fishing village. More on that later.

Waipara Valley and Limestone Hills

So today I left the Murchison area and headed back toward Waipara and the grape growing region near Christchurch. I was heading to my friend Gareth Renowden's place to see his truffiere, talk mushrooms and see his shearers cottage. But first, I stopped at the swingbridge that goes over the Buller River and took some photos. This is the longest swingbridge in New Zealand which crosses the Buller Gorge...a long way down!

They have a ride called the high speed comet line which is like a zip line that you can either fly across on your belly or sit down like in a chair and ride across the gorge at high speed from great heights. I was hoping someone would come along and pay to go so I could video them. I suggested to the guy at the comet line that he find someone to go across and he said, he'd take my camera and I should go tell his mate Peter that Markie sent me and he'd film me...so that's what we did. It was really fun and not even as scary as walking across the swingbridge.

Before I got too far out of town, I stopped for a brief time to meet the new owners of Maruia River Lodge on the Maruia River. They are a lovely young couple and I think will do a good job as new lodge owners and I wish them the best of luck with their new venture. I had some extra time on my hands since Gareth had left me a message on my voice mail saying he was going to be in Christchurch until later and wouldn't be home until around 5:30. That meant I had time to take a rod and a walk on the Maruia River and see if I could find a trout to hook. Unfortunately I didn't see any trout so after about an hour and a half I was back on my way south and east. Of course it wouldn't be New Zealand if you didn't have to stop once in a while and wait for someone moving sheep.

Did I hear anyone say truffles? Maybe not this time of year in the southern hemisphere, but Gareth Renowden and his wife Camille have a truffiere planted with English Oak and hazelnut trees with the roots inoculated with the tuber melanosporum truffle spore with high hopes of harvesting the black Perigord truffle this coming winter. Two winters ago he harvested his first ever truffle and hopes that by this next June there will be more. He also has planted olive trees for pressing into olive oil and a nice vineyard of Pinot Noir grapes and Syrah.

After talking mushrooms and travel all night and exhanging mushroom photos of Gareth's trip to China and Shangrila, and some of my multitude of mushroom photos of which Gareth refers to as "mushroom porn" since he lives in a somewhat mushroom deprived country now, we called it a night. Of course it didn't hurt that we had a lovely roasted chicken dinner and polished off 4 bottles of wine between the three of us.

Gareth has also just published his new book entitled "Hot Topic" Global warming and the future of New Zealand" I'm looking forward to reading it on the plane coming home.

Hanmer Springs to Owen River

Today was kind of a bust. I took off this morning from Riverview Lodge and only got about 20 kilometers and had to turn around and go back. There had been a horrible fatality accident involving a car and truck on the Lewis Pass Road going to the west coast and they had to close the road for about 3 hours to investigate and clear the bodies etc. Not a pretty picture at all and not what you want to ever see on the road. I got there just after I'd been in the town of Hanmer Springs when the siren went off for the volunteer fire department. As I got up the road about 20 k's the road was closed off to through traffic and they said it woud be up to 4 + hours before they had the road cleared, so I had to go back to Riverview Lodge and wait it out. While I was up there a helicopter life flighted someone out so I hope they make it ok. I finally got my start at 4:15PM to drive my 2+ hour drive to Owen River Lodge. I got there around 6:30 and finally I could relax again.

These roads in New Zealand are quite wiggly and winding and people tend to drive too fast and underestimate the speed on curves even though they post the optimum speed. I can't imagine how an accident of this severity could happen on a sunny, clear day with no slippery roads or ice or rain or anything, It had to be all driver errors. I've seen fatality accidents in Montana where people fall asleep at the wheel because driving through Montana is all straight and hardly any curves, but over here, it's all curves so that can't possibly be the problem. I'm guessing the small car was going too fast around the curve and got into the gravel on the shoulder and over corrected when they lost control and ended up going under the trucks' trailer and the car was just toast! No way anyone could have survived a crash of that magnitude. OK...enough of that. I can see it's not going to go away in my mind very soon.....

Today the weather is better than yesterday but although it started out this morning without a breath of wind, it picked up big time this afternoon around 2:00. I hope tomorrow will be a good day as I'm heading out in the morning with a guide for the day for some west coast fishing. We're not quite all the way on the west coast but we're certainly close. I hope the fishing will be better than yesterday!

We had a nice meal of Lamb chops and home grown brocolli, and baby new potatoes with profiteroles with chocolate for desert.

I'm off to bed now as it's been a trying day dealing with the hard cold facts of life that if people don't drive carefully, they die! Someone's family or family's are going to have a long hard time dealing with the reality of what happened today.

Riverview Lodge Hanmer Springs

Wow, what a view from this place! The Southern Alps in the background and all the colors of spring...pretty magnificent. Too bad the fishing couldn't have been as good. I guess we're not in Motu anymore, Toto!!!

Today John and I walked what seemed like an eternity over river rocks and didn't see a whole lot of fish. On top of that, the weather has changed a bit here heading into the mountains and the wind blew all day from the minute I got up this morning until now and I believe it's still howling out there. Ever try casting a flyrod directly into gale force winds? it's not pretty, let me tell you. At times my cast came back right at me and tried to wack me in the face. This is not my idea of fun and it's not at all like Motu where there are fish everywhere and you can SEE THEM!!!!! OK...enough whining. We only saw three fish and I hooked two of them and landed one...albeit a rather smallish one, but it was a sea run brown so it was feisty and different to look at. Better than nothing I reckon...although the pesky sand flies are not much fun to deal with...that's a fact of life on the west coast of the South Island though and you just have to be prepared with bug stuff which we were.



When we returned to the lodge, Robin had a pleasant surprise in store for me. We took a run into Hanmer Springs and she had a pass for us each to take a soak in the hot pools and have a Swedish Massage, which was absolutely delightful. It saved the day as far as I was concerned.... that was a very nice surprise and then we came home to the most elegant and gourmet dinner. They have hired a chef from Germany for the season as well as another person from Switzerland to serve and help out. They did a great job and the chef is quite talented.


Tomorrow I have all day to drive all of two hours so I can take my time and maybe go back into Hanmer Springs and look around in the shops. Not much was open today as it is Sunday,

Ciao for now...I'm heading for bed.