The Clutha in autumn colours and a butterfly

It's that time of year again when I'm likely to be seen down the river as the sun peeks over the Grandview mountains over Hawea way. The next few weeks will see lots of dawn river mists, as winter approaches.

The Clutha with the confluence of the Cardrona river on the left, along with a nice new walkway that heads downstream towards Luggate...


Mt Gold and Mt Burke...


The mist makes for interesting effects...


Meanwhile back home I've been having a new experience hosting the swan plant that has been hosting a forth-coming Monarch butterfly - it's all been quite intriguing, but I missed the emerging beauty and for whatever reason Mr. B. only survived for a few hours. Maybe it was just too cold...


A few good links to finish this post:

Client/acquaintance Peter is flying a Tiger Moth around NZ for a holiday... more>>

A moving presentation on the emotion behind invention... more>>

Friend Ken releases his second book on moose in Fiordland... more>>

Nonlinear iteration or repetition with a slight difference each time

Nonlinear iteration or repetition with a slight difference each time is something I've been thinking of quite a bit recently. The cumulative effect is like steering a boat one degree off course, which is not much at all, yet days later finding you're thousands of miles off-course to the left or the right of your target.

My point here is that any slight change in a repetitious thought pattern can bring about major changes, and so if everything is connected to everything else, as it appears, we can bring change to any situation!

So rambling on: often I'm reminded that it all comes down to awareness. On this score last evening I took a gentle walk from Lake Wanaka down the Outlet Track beside the Clutha river, and found I could walk slightly faster than kayakers, so I hastened to a high spot above rapids and made some photos.

The camera was desperately trying to focus when I clicked the shutter and I found I'd captured a reality a little different to what I'd anticipated...


This is what I had in mind...


Both pictures are true and illustrate to myself at least that to make sense of the fact they are both pretty much of the same subject matter, we need a context that matches both.

So I walk through life of late wondering just where I can place a very small amount of energy in a way that draws events into a context of a higher order, like the first image. All events and situations have a critical point of balance too and once identified we can stop or start anything in our dynamic universe with very little effort, if we know the most effective place to direct our energy too.

We may have to look carefully to find, for example, how to bring plans to dam this river into a focus where people treasure nature, rather than attempting to spoil it in the name of progress and money. When we kill rivers we are indulging in violence against ourselves - if they die, so too will we simply through a lack of water quality [this already happening to thousands of kids world wide daily], not to mention the spiritual...


This living entity with it's feet in the river knows this also , but we simply don't have the context yet to understand what it knows and what we don't know. Our egos need a little dissolution for starters...

A big day on the road visiting the past

The weekend just past I'd set aside to attend the raising of a memorial plaque in Kurow cemetery for my aunt and uncle who passed away a few years back. This involved motoring over the Lindis Pass to the Waitaki Valley and MacKenzie Country to meet with family. North Otago was where I primarily grew up, while my aunt Pat and uncle Jim worked and lived on the remote and very large Otematata Station for about 44 years.

Jim and Pat's new memorial mounted on some greywacke...


Across the aisle is great granddad Silas...


I was a bit late for the ceremony, but it suited my mindset to be alone, and so after reclining on the grass by the memorial and watering the poppies left at the graveside, I wandered about the other graves looking at the history - goodness even discovering folk I knew younger than myself are in residence! I quite liked the cultural difference of this memorial though, but some fresh and cool beers would be a nice touch....


Next I adjourned for lunch to the nearby Awakino Ski Field access road. These modest mountains, The St. Marys Range are where I cut my teeth in winter learning the art of looking after myself in the New Zealand mountains...


Away back in what seems like another age an older ski club member showed me some hidden graves of two very young children near the ski field access road, so in lieu of some exercise in worsening weather I looked for them and found to my delight that [presumably] the local farmer has tidied them up and planted roses. There is an enclosure each for the two little souls...


Grave of the two yr. old Emma Barrett who passed on in 1872...


Grave of 8 day old Jennett Robbie - also 1872...


Looking down the Awakino river to the Kirkliston Range in the Hakataramea Valley...


On the road again in changing weather - it went from gale-force nor west and about 33 Celsius, to sth east gale-force again, with a drop in temperature of about 15 degrees in an hour...


On the way back to Twizel to regain the company of my family I detoured a little to check out Benmore Dam. I found the visit quite thought provoking given the thinking behind my recent posts on the folly of building more dams on the Clutha River. I was just a kid when this monster was built. Many people don't realise too that it flooded an amazing white water gorge that few people have seen [myself only photographs], that was apparently unique in New Zealand and even more so in world terms...


Next I detoured again to Lake Ohau which is another one of my favourite childhood haunts [caught my largest trout there ever], and in my 20s and 30s the larger area became the focus of much tramping, mt.eering and powder skiing...


The end of a stock fence in Lake Ohau, and the block of mountains in the middle background is the Glenmary Range. The main peak Glenmary is about 8000 ft. and to the right slightly is the incredibly hard-to-reach Glenmary Glacier. I've had a lot of fun in them tha hills...


... and another fence near the Lake Ohau access road...


Many years ago I lived in Twizel for awhile and shifted this house onto two large sections. Apart from many years doing part time renovation on the house I planted about a hundred trees and put them on a trickle irrigation system. It paid off - although the house is long sold and I do miss it a lot, the trees give me great joy...

On another topic some of you may recall a post or two back in Jan. this year about searching for missing tramper Irina Yun on Cascade Saddle in my current near-to-home Mount Aspiring National Park. Well a few days ago her remains were at last found, and fellow blogger and mountaineer Bob McKerrow has done a very good post on the story, which incidentally I think will help her family grieve. Well done Bob... more>>

Lastly, it's been my trend of late to use this place to draw attention to issues I don't agree with such as the damming of the Clutha River, and the Project Hayes Wind Farm [my grounds are simple - blatant use of our unique landscapes at the expense of our own wilderness values and those of our children]. So speaking of children you should read what fellow blogger Marg has written lower down on her weekly post about what our uninspired New Zealand Government is doing to New Zealand early childhood education... more>>

The context of events in life

Whilst Oct. was quite benign, with just lower temps. than normal and a bit more cloud, right now Nov. is still misbehaving: there has been a wall of grey/white obscuring the mts. for a few days now, and recently a wind that never relents as it tore off little branches and leaves off the trees here. But at least the sun has been shining!

A rare calm period, during these late spring windy days on Lake Wanaka...


Last week I posted about the successes of the campaign to stop Meridian Energy [Project Hayes] building a wind farm on the Lammermoor Range in Central Otago, and as mentioned to Marg. who comments here, I find it wrong that we actually have to fight inappropriate ideas forced on us. As if reading my mind I then noted the Otago Daily Times had just published such an article called "Campaign took its toll on project opponents"

The basic problem with Meridian Energy's Project Hayes [and Contact Energy in the case of proposed dams on the Clutha River] is that their mandates [self imposed or otherwise?] are not aligned to support the full gamut of human needs. If they were these sort of institutions could benefit all aspects of our lives. At the moment they do not!

This all seems to come about by the limited capacity of either the individuals concerned flavouring the ethos of the organisation, or the organisation being of such a mind-set, that it/they only attract an energy [no pun intended] which is limited by the context of the inherited levels of awareness of the observers. Motives determine the goals and therefore the end result has little in it to benefit an energy situation that needs a solution. Or you could say the situation is poorly understood - the acquisition and need of energy by human beings goes way beyond electricity!

Therefore a low energy struggle ensues. Rather than "lifting the game" the institutions pull down the big picture ideals of people who could contribute so much, but become engaged in a drain of energy and resources such as reported in the above mentioned Otago Daily Times article.

The ODT also recently published the remarks of an elected counsellor who was criticising the positive and far-seeing results of the Environment Court. What was interesting to me were these two comments left by readers, who have presumably do have a "lifted game":

Submitted by RedTussock on Fri, 13/11/2009 - 7:49am.
Gerry whilst I enjoy your advocacy for common sense can I ask that you endeavour to do some research on what is happening elsewhere in the world. In the US a 345MW Concentrating Solar Power project cost $US200 million to build. It takes up no more land than a large vineyard, costs less, and does not blot the skyline with wind towers. CSP stations produce power during non sun light hours. The technology for new, cheaper, and better alternatives has advanced in the last few years to the point where the expense of wind power both monetary and geographically is hard to justify. The new alternatives are better.

Submitted by Ian Smith on Fri, 13/11/2009 - 11:41am.
Does anyone seriously consider that at the end of the economic life of these towers, (and it will come), the perpetrators will be summoned on-site to spend many millions of dollars restoring the landscape to its former pristine state? Of course not, it will become a graveyard of rusting hulks and a further monument, (as if one were needed), to mankind's greed and stupidity.

I therefore wonder at what seems to be a very limited view of the goals and solutions proposed by Meridian Energy, Contact Energy and the current New Zealand Govt!

The Blue Lakes of St. Bathans. A legacy left behind by the resource gathering of earlier generations. In this case a pretty and interesting slice of history, or should I say "sluice"...

Wind Farm - Environment Court decision in favour of landscape values

There has been an encouraging result out of the Environment Court, recognising the unique scenic wonders of Central Otago's block mountains. The Court was sitting to decide on the suitability of a huge wind-farm on the Lammermoor Range, and they've ruled against such development.

I was always amazed at the audacity of such a development on such a special landscape - two aspects really: the obvious visual impact, but also the glossed over infrastructure of roads to be built and how to maintain same.

The Otago daily Times has published a few articles recently:

Project Hayes: Gone with the wind

'Silent majority' not acquiescent on wind farm

To give you an idea of the landscape I've published a series of landscape photography efforts I've made over a few years of 4wd wanderings on these mountains. Taken in summer I might add - winter would be a whole 'nuther ball-game!

It's really a fine weather road I've used...


Two Land Cruisers in expedition mode about to head over the southern end of the Lammerlaw / Lammermoor range...


Descending, and now to where there is some green grass, we're now well down of the Lammerlaw range. Note the rocks for gate posts..


On the Paerau - Patearoa road we stopped to let a mob of sheep by on the hottest of hot summer days, and because we had a fridge full of beer we gave the astonished farmer walking with them a bottle of ice-cold Speights...


We deviated and came out to Ranfurly on this trip for a coffee and minor supplies. Ever since the advent of the hugely successful Central Otago Rail Trail, it's been pretty sophisticated in Ranfurly...


Ranfurly lady...


The historic Styx Hotel and Styx Jail/ Gaol ["Styx" is also known as Paerau] lies nestled beside the Taieri River at the foot of the Dunstan Trail. There used to be a hotel on both sides of the river because of its importance as a stopping place, and in case there was a flood...


This chain in the historic Styx Jail was possibly more of a lock-up for protecting gold bullion during overnight coach stops than it was for prisoners...


Here a local artist at Styx paints beside the meandering Taieri River, actually in this area home of the extensive Taieri River wetlands...


The altitude is deceptive but does add to a "big sky" feel...


At a welcome creek of really pure water filtered by mosses etc. we re-filled our vehicle water bottles...


Rocks used as fence posts abound in this area...


I'm sure perceptions will now be altered by planners such as those hatching plans for dams on the Clutha River! However there are people out there with different agendas: "Wind farm group laments decision"... more>>

Nostalgia is not what is used to be!

As I get older it seems everything becomes more dynamic almost daily. But when we live in this paradise called New Zealand, and Wanaka the growing town I live in, I lament some things that pass under the guise of progress. Our new govt. seems bent on turning back the clock too as they seemingly contemplate undoing good work on legislation such as the Resource Management Act, and there are mutterings about our privacy and rights being compromised, and exploration mining in National Parks, and did I mention the insidious way an Aust. Company is starting to promote more dams on the Clutha River.

Why too does John Key remind me of Tony Blair associated with "over the top" regulation and eroded privacy! We need to learn from history!

Life here was once more fun, but if I get "down' about this I remind myself to look up at the mountains - they endure and are a constant, along with the westerly sighing and sometimes roaring as I write.

It was only 16 years ago I was part of a horse trekking company right here in town, but for many reasons, not the least being traffic and urban sprawl taking over grazing, we shut it down several years ago.

We used to mainly take clients up Mt Iron...


I forget the names of these neddies but one might be Monty. I'll never forget Barney though: he'd play fetch with a tennis ball, use his teeth to untie the hitching ropes on other horses, go under electric fences and stick his head in the kitchen window to see what was happening, and he was a big horse too.

One night he escaped from his solo occupation of a paddock near Mt Iron, and he galloped past our house to be with his mates grazing down by lake. We heard the thunder of hooves and simply exclaimed, "that'll be Barney - we better go and let him in the paddock". Imagine if that happened today - what a fuss there'd be! And there was another time when about twelve of them got out at 8 am one Sat. and galloped towards town. We headed them off on the out-skirts, but oh what fun and how magnificent a sight. But if that happened today it'd be chaos of one sort or another and I doubt anyone would be amused - probably more scared and we'd probably make national TV news!

Feeding out post snow storms was always pretty, but it was wise to put out many small piles of hay so the horses would not all fight over one. They get quite hungry in these conditions...


A few valleys were easier to access back then too...


We used to do the odd trip overland to the lake outlet - the start of the Clutha River in fact, and the Asians used to love the colour of the grass...


Bye for now - got to fly - work time!

Bits and pieces: Clutha River, crosses, Cardrona, and the horror of removing your own leg to live

I've blogged a few times on the recent revival of plans to dam the Clutha River, and it's nice to see I'm not alone:

The new Clutha River Forum, sent a press release to the media on Friday 16th October. They have considered Contact Energy’s four dam options, and unanimously support "Option five – no more dams" ...more>>


My son and friends like to do what kids like to do, and have done for generations: float down the Clutha...


On my last post on the Clutha a couple of weeks ago I posted photos of an unusual cliff Dougal and I came across. According to my good friend Ian who used to work as a scientist on the mountain building processes in New Zealand, this is layer after layer of glacial silt, much of it deposited by wind, then modified by the ebb and flow of the glacier's terminal and lateral moraines, and weathering, but as it's densely packed it's resisted this quite well - the scolloped areas indicating less dense packing...


During the week I had cause to make some photos of a local Wanaka church to illustrate the invitations to a friend's wedding next year. Although they cannot all be seen here I was intrigued by the number of crosses [4 at least] adorning the structure's roof and how light and shadow add some more...


This weekend has not been blest with good weather, but sniffing a clearance at noon today Dougal and I headed to the top of the Crown Range road to go exploring to the east.

Dougal looks down the Cardrona Valley...


A substantial ancient landslip [dead center of photo]...


With amazing speed a snow storm came in...


...and then it cleared again for the rest of our descent down an easy road...


And lastly dear readers if you're feeling hard done-by with life and maybe things like the recent increases to our NZ ACC fees, or whatever, we can get some perspective [thanks to Bob McKerrow's blog] on life by reading how Ramlan had to saw his own leg off ...more>>

More Clutha River meanderings, this time with a flavour of gold mining history

After an unsettled but mild beginning to spring, this weekend, both mornings when waking we found it snowing outside. Conducive then to being indoors, Dougal and I decided on some exercise this Sunday afternoon when there was some sun, so headed off again to explore the Clutha River, determined to make a competent job of landscape photography to publish here to draw attention to ill conceived ideas quietly being published by the spin doctors telling us we need more dams on this world heritage class river!

In the vicinity of Reko's Point again...


Drift fishing by raft - this was maybe my friend Lewis who runs an Eco Rafting operation on the river, but the wind did not enable him to hear my greeting from atop a rather large cliff...


Thumbing our noses at tracks, up the bank we travelled noting the recently established Didymo is slippery stuff to walk on when it's exposed...


This forced us into some scrub bashing, which in turn forced us to travel under this very interesting cliff, until we could turn the upstream end and gain a broad terrace to pick up the track home...








On turning the upstream end of the band of unusual sedimentary layering, we're still very puzzled as to the purpose of this small and strongly constructed wall right on the very end of it. Behind Dougal there were many gold working tailings, and surprisingly they'd piled the rocks right on the very edge of the aforementioned cliff - little did we realise while traveling below that this had been done, and I still can't understand why they did not just toss them off, and if they had we'd have noticed the extra complexity they would have added to our scrambling...


On higher ground again we found the travel easier as the soil and pene-plain rocks don't encourage vegetation...


On these wandering, as opposed to having kayaked this river many years ago, I'm starting to realise that to understand it's place in the environment we have to walk and explore the banks and look at it in the bigger picture of the landscape. In this instance in relation to the end view of the Pisa Range...


... and also in the context of the huge areas neighbouring the river where native vegetation and bird life, native and otherwise, flourishes. I was relived we were on our short little ridge/terrace which allowed us to have a semi "high" route through this rich and densely growing Kanuka, and Matagouri etc...


This week's link to a newsworthy blog puts the very essence of life in perspective: Bob Mc Kerrow's DEATH, DESTRUCTION AND HOPE IN SUMATRA EARTHQUAKE.

Keep up the good work Bob, take care and know our thoughts and prayers are with you and those caught up in this tragedy.