137: Banks Peninsula (2)
Catching up again wth blogs as I am at Mt Cook right now but here is what I did during my 2nd trip to Banks Peninsula about a week ago.. and it’s along one..
Back from my 2nd trip to Banks Peninsula. Seemingly I like the area as I have spent another 4 days exploring the region…
Photo Links:
This blog has photo links which mostly link to a photo slideshow of relevant photos.
You can control the slideshow by moving the mouse to the top of the black frame (i.e. above the photo) or select individual photo from the slideshow by moving the mouse to the bottom of the black from (i.e. below the photo). Almost all photos have Descriptions which you can see if you click on individual photos.
Last time I toured around the southern part of the Peninsula so this time I drove around the northern half. Below is the updated map of the Peninsula which shows both Trips, the 1st one in red and the 2nd trip in pink. The pink blobs are where I stayed overnight; Akaroa was a hotel, the other nights I slept in the car somewhere away from “civilisation”.
The map above is not as detailed as the one I have with me so route names are not always visible in the map above.. The nitty gritty details are there to help me later to remember where I took certain photos..
After a little nightmare waiting for my binoculars to arrive in Christchurch (the shop said they would have them the next day but it took 2 days and then they had the wrong one delivered – grrr! Somehow I managed to find the ones I was after in another shop in the end, a place called Gun City and even got them to do a price match to the other shop which meant 20% off their retail price. The reason I was so keen to get them was that those binos were a serious bargain compared to the uk. Paid 87 pounds in the end for some seriously good Bushnell 10×42 H2O waterproof/fogproof Roof Prism binos which are nice and compact for their specs and fabulous for birdwatching. They retail for about 140 in the uk if I’m not mistaken so despite all the trouble getting it I’m quite chuffed with this buy.
03/05/06
Anyway.. after I finally got them I made my way back to Banks Peninsula on the 3rd of May. I drove along the main route 75, passed Lake Ellesmere again and went for another walk there and watched the black swans for a bit. Don’t have photos of them though since they were too far out, excellent to watch with the binos though 😀
I continued my trip, went pass Little River straight to Akaroa Harbour at Barry’s Bay. From there I took the route down towards Wainui again and cut into the hills via Jubile Road for a bit of fun driving up a pretty steep dirt track. Once at the end of that road I turned towards Mt Bossu along Bossu Road. It was late afternoon by now and I wanted to find a place to stay for the night. I planned to sleep in the car, trying out my sleeping gear that I had bought cheaply in Christchurch (in a B&Q like shop). I was keen to get somewhere near the cliffs from where I might see a nice sunsrise so I took Lands End Road seemed a promising option for what I was after.. It lead me through sheep and cow fields down the far tip of land at the harbour entrance. I find it funny that they call it harbour as it is a pretty darn big one and looks more like a huge lake, except it is open to the sea..
At the end of Lands End Road near Lucas Peak was a cattle station (nobody around), I stopped next to it on a field and prepared my stay for the night.
It was dark already and didn’t have to wait long before I could admire the amazing night sky. Wonderful! I could clearly see the Milkyway and the Southern Cross (I think).
I gave it another shot to take pictures of the nightsky (I tried before in Thailand with little success but the sky here seemed even better). The results are actually quite good considering I just used a digital camera..
First night in car:
The night was pretty comfortable. I folded down half the rear seat and put a sleeping mat down lengthwise from boot to back of driver seat. Worked like a perfect fit and a cheap winter quilt and fluffy blanket on top (both much cheaper than getting a descent sleeping bag) worked excellent and kept me comfy cosy warm. There is a photo of me SUV bed on flickr 🙂
04/05/06
I set my alarm for 5:00 as I was not sure when sunrise would be but at 5:00 a brief lok out of the window showed it was still pitch black, 5:30 dark, 6:00 dark, 6:30 I could see a vague glimpse of light so I decided to get up… I got ready, grabbed my camera and set off to walk along the fields further towards “Lands End”. I corssed a few sheep fields climbing over fences. I couldnt find the gates to this seemed the only option.
It was pretty cold that morning and got worse as I got higher up the hill. Wind picked up considerable coming from the valley up the hill and with it a lot of mist moved in. Not a good scenario for taking sunrise photos 😉 Eventually i reached a good spot overlooking the harbour and opposide hills behind which the sun would rise. It was then I realised I had forgotten my filters for the camera *bother*;-) I took a few shots at it got lighter bit with the freezing wind soon my lens steamed up (cold outside lens cools lens glas, warm air inside lens and soon you have a nice condensation on the inside of the lens;-) Grrr.. Well I did not want to give up and so waited a bit for the steam to clear but overall the sunrise was not all that spectacular.. i didn’t mind as it can’t always work out, can it..
The mist was really moving in now and no chance of getting any nice shots anyway so I walked back to the car. Some farm workers had arrived by then and I had a little chat with one of them. Was a bit worried they might not like me walking over their land or even stay there for the night but he was very friendly and chatty and didnt seem to mind *phew* 😉
A few minutes after I was back at the car the sun came over the hill opposite the harbour and I had some fabulous views during that time. Not into the far distance but more closeby. The mist moving in from the valley came up in thin bands in some area and the hill that I walked across was in and out of mist. The sun slowly moved in over the hills that I was on and turned the grey views into some nice golden/green ones where it hit the grassy areas… Photos at flickr..
So despite a poor start it actually turned out quite nicely in the end and I loved the views of the bands of mist moving up the hill in the first rays of light hitting the hills..
Dawn/Sunrise at Timutimu Head Photos
I left around 8ish and drove down Bossu road towards Wainui. I stopped somewhere along the way where it was not quite as windy to have breakfast (It was pleasantly warm(ish) now as the sun was out but the wind would have made it difficult to use my gas stove so a calmer area seemed a good idea). I had a nice hot cup of tea and some “interesting” can of all-in-one
breakfast.. Lets not talk about it;-)
Continuing my trip down Bossu Road and once in Wainui had a nice encounter with a group of 5 or 6 Pukeko birds that were feeding in the grassy fields next to the road.
The first time I saw them and they were quite beautiful thought rather shy and I could not get too close..After taking some photos I continued towards Akaroa.
I passed Barry Bay on the way and noticed some birds in the bay. I stopped for a bit of bird watching and got quite excitied watching a range of birds. There were Pied Shags and Little Black Shag, New Zealand Shoveler Duck (first time I see those, beautiful red plumage on the side and a BIG grey beak). There were quite a few Mallard Ducks, nothing special but still nice, two White-Faced Herons, a Pied Stilt and believe it or not I saw a New Zealand Kindfisher perched on a rock in the shallow water near the shore… What a strange looking little bird 😀
I tried to take photos of all of them though the Kingfisher was a bit tricky since it was quite far away. I wateched them for a good hour or two before continuing my trip to Akaroa.
Finally there I checked with the Tourist Information about local walks and then went for lunch at a nearby cafe before going for a walk around the actual Harbour at Akaroa and the Old Lighthouse nearby.
Had great fun watching some seagulls bathing in a little pool. There were lots of them and they all had the same little routine: Spread wings out just a bit, shake your body left and right and flutter the wings in the water at the same time, duck your head under water once or twice and then start all over again.. dead funny to watch 😀
I drove towards Akaroa Head and went for a walk to the tip of the land where another lighthouse stands (a modern one). This place was on the other side of the Harbour mouth, opposite the stretch of land where I stayed for the night.
Flea Bay was next on my list but the bay was not al that impressive in the end. I made my way back to Akaroa and stayed at the Madeira Hotel for the night so I could have a shower and all… The Place was probably the cheapest option in Akaroa at $40, shared facilities though. They had a coffee/tea and a toaster there so I could have my own breakfast the next morning which was great but more importantly I could have some bar food and a wee pint of local ale with it 😀 (Food was not as good as at Royal Hotel in Lyttleton though;-))
05/05/06
In the morning it was pouring down with rain and I did not look forward to go out but I left early anyway. I decide to take the Scenic Summit road which leads to all the northern bays of the Peninsula. i took that route despite the bad weather an forecast was rain all day so I figured I just drive the scenic route and then head off down south rather than going to any of the bays.
I did not..
The higher up I got the more mist added to the clouds and rain but at Okains Bay turnoff I took my chances and drove down to the Bay. It was a good decision as weather was fine down there. No rain or mist thought a bit overcast but perfect for a walk on the beach.
There were a few Variable Oystercatchers and some Red-Billed Gulls but other than that not much wildlife. It was here that I noticed for the first time that the beak of the Variable Oystercatchers are not entirely red but rather have a orange tip.. It was a pleasant walk on the Beach and I found some interesting shells and things on the beach that I took photos of plus some nice flowers in the dunes (no idea what they are though)
Since weather was ok I continued from Okains along another dirt track via Stony Bay to Little Akaloa. At the Bay of Little Akaloa I did a brief stop to take a photo of some amazingly green trees in the distance when two Red-Billed Gulls stopped by and landed on a picnic table in front of my car (I was still sitting in the car). One of the gulls was an immature one with black eyes and a few brownish/grey feathers amongst the white ones whereas the other was and older one with with typical red-billed gull look and a white ring around the eye.
They posed quite nicely for a photoshoot and the immature one in particular made it quite vocal that it wanted to get fed (doing so by turning head upwards and making a screaming noise..
See photos at flicker.. The “feed me” closeup and the “yawning” shot of the young gull I like in particular..
Oh and there was also a little Sparrow sitting nearby..
I continued the dirt road around the coast since the map indicated a 4WD route towards Pigeon Bay but I evenutally ended in a dead end (well private land that was gated and I did not want to drive through without permission). I turned around and took a different route from Littel Akaloa to Pigeon Bay which rejoined Sumit Road at some point.
Pigeon Bay is quite famous for the Pigeon Bay Walkway, a 4 hour walk along the shore of the bay to the head of the bay.
It was too late for me to do this walk but instead I took my 4×4 up a steep road called Starvation Gully Road to ZigZag Hill (not making those names up, that’s what they are called!). Atop the Hill was a nice view over the Bay below. Although it was nice weather below (sunny and warm) when I reached the top it was very windy, freezing cold and quite misty.
There were some fields up here but I could not walk across because signs did ask not to enter the land. Instead I just enjoyed the “refreshing” view and took some photos of the view and some amazing tree trunks on the fields. On the way down the sun played nicely with the hilly landscape, I’m always amazed about the intense colours here, be it sea, land or sky.. beautiful!
It was mid-afternoon now and the sun was shining nicely. I passed the Head of Pigeon Bay around 3pm thought it might be fun to try the drive along Little Pigeon Bay Road towards Pigeon Point. The road went uphill through hilly farmland. There were a few sheep and some cows which I could not resist taking photos of (I found them quite amusing staring at me with the funniest “expressions” in their faces ;-)) The final stretch of the road was beautiful. You can’t really see it properly on the map above but the land towards Pigeon Point is a small strip pertruding into the sea. See photos.. The road only goes to a certain point so I parked the car in the fields andf went for a little walk towards the furthest tip of that “peninsula”.
Views here were great and although it was still a bit early to think about a place for the night I decided to stay put and wait for the sunset. My hopes were that the sun would set over the sea but in the end the land opposite the stretch that I was on was pertruding into the sea a little too far so the sun set just behind the tip of that land *sob sob*.
Still the sky looked rather nice and the few clouds that were in the sky turned all orange/red.. lovely.
Pigeon Bay and Pigeon Point Pics
I cooked dinner with my little gas stove after sunset (it was dark by 6pm), read a bit at candle light (surprising how much heat tea lights produce in a small room (despite the window beign open a bit for fresh air)). Around 8pm I was in bed and naturally woke up a few times before the next morning because I’m not used to sleeping such a long time…
06/05/06
Sunrise was nothing worth mentioning (sadly) except that it started around 6:30. I did head off around 7ish (I actually enjoy those early starts since sofar the early hours were always quite eventful with respect to unexpected wildlife sightings).
The route I took was another 4WD track over the hills towards Port Levy.
Port Levy was a lovely little Bay with not much happening other than a few houses and a pier with some Seagulls on it 🙂 I got there at a good time though for the sun to peek over the hills that I just came across from pigeon Bay. The sun didn’t reach the bay yet but it lit up the hills opposite in the most amazing, glowing orange colour. The impression of burning hills came to mind, accentuated by the fact that only a narrow band was illuminated due to a narrow opening in the cloudy sky through which the sun shone.
Thoses hills also were the location of “The Big Nipple” 😀 Sorry but if you check the photos you will see what I mean. I don’t know what that odd looking hill is called but no doubt the locals have some special nickname for it 😉
I stopped at Picnic Area to tidy up the car a bit and make use of the Facilities (Toilets & Running Water). I was busy tidying the car when I hear some odd noises in the background.
I looked around the corner and saw a group of California Quail Birds picking the grounds. I watched them with my binos for a bit and then thought I might as well try to take some photos thought the birds were incredibly shy.
I had a great spot hiding behind my car while the birds slowly walked towards me but even though I was mostly hidden behind the car as soon as the birds reached a certain distance the made a quick escape, first running like the wind in front of my car and making plenty of puk puk noises and then taking off with a big fluttery noise.. The just flew a few meters away from my position and resembled down the road.
Amasingly more and more Quail came from the direction where I spotted them and all did the same, walking towards me, start running and the fly a few meters down the road..
I reckon there were about 40-50 birds. Most pics didn’t turn out because the birds were so quick resulting in blurred or empty shots (I had quite a few ’empty” photos with no quails in them cos they just shot off when I took the photo (couldnt help laughing about this at the time. reminded me of Speedy Gonzales somehow))
Then when the Quails had barely left, my car (the doors were still openm from the cleaning) was invaded by a Fantail. I fluttered around me and then inside the car, stayed inside for a second or two, came out and almost hovered infront of my face for a second before shooting off.
Fantails have a reputation for being human-friendly and often come quite close as they make use of the fact that people disturb little insects/flies in their vicinity and the Fantail comes close for a little feast (much to the delightment of the people involved, including myself! It was wondeful to watch)
I finished up the car and then walked down to the little pier. On the way I was greeted again by the Fantail, this time really flying around me, hovering almost face-to-face. I watched him for a bit as he kept flying around me, into bushes and back towards me. At one point he came down to a fence every now and allowed me to take a few shots (impossible while he is flying around me). This was another great event that morning..
BTW Fantails use their wings to bounce insects off them to make the catch. Due to this their flight looks incrdibly odd but rather acrobatic.. Excellent to watch..
Port Levy Quails and Fantail Pics
Other birds I saw at Port Levy were a Songthrush sitting on a fence near the little Pier, White-Fronted Terns, Red-Billed Gulls (very common) and one Black-backed Gull amongst them at the Pier. On the way out of Port Levy I had one bird encounter after another including a Spur-Winged Plover with its yellow Head along the shore and a field next to the bay was teeming with Paradise Shelduck, Pukeko, two more Spur-Winged Plovers and two White-Faced Herons.. it was a fabulous morning for bird watching and I was rather happy to have stayed in the area for the night 🙂
From Port Levy I drove around to Purau Bay, Diamond Harbour, Governour Bay and Lyttleton and eventually made my way back to Christchurch for the night before heading off towards Mount Cook the next day.
Tags: New Zealand, RTW 2005/2006, South Island
saschas
[…] 137: Banks Peninsula (2) […]