Clarence River Reserve.

We got a reasonably early start on Thursday morning after finishing loading the ute.  I did mention to Jocelyn that I usually fit all my gear into my pack.  Looking at what we had stacked into the ute I'm sure glad I don't have to carry all that array of gear and food  anywhere.

After getting through the locked gate we started our climb up to the tops and into the clouds.  Initially it's just climbing up through relatively steep farmland then you get to some seriously steep terrain.
The higher you go the more impressive the scenery becomes until you realise you are actually driving through truly impressive mountains.  The views are awe inspiring and the deep gorges and gullies you are looking down on leave a strange hollow feeling in your tummy.

I stop occasionally to get the binos out and have a look at some places that might hold a deer or a chamois but no luck  .Although I do spot a group of goats high up on a face. The terrain is quite daunting and I think it may take younger legs than mine to retrieve an animal even if I did get a chance to shoot one.

We eventually come through a saddle high up on the range and a DOC sign says it is 1967ft above sea level.  We start winding our way down the other side and the lower we go we notice the vegetation starts to change so that the country looks quite barren, almost desert like.  The briar rose has got a real hold on this country as wherever you look briar is spread through the landscape.  When we get lower down we come across the first of the heritage sites in the Tentpole Hut.  This land has quite a history and some of the old huts and barns are listed as heritage sites dating back to before the 1920s.  There seems to be quite a bit of information around this time but not a lot is known from before this era.

We eventually find our way to the Seymour hut which is going to be our accommodation for the next three days.  There were a couple of sleeping bags inside so we know we will be sharing the hut with others tonight.  The Seymour is one of 3 DOC huts in there.  They are relatively new and sited in lovely spots.

We unloaded all the gear and decided we would go for a walk and a look around.  Unfortunately the southerly had got up and the temperature had gone down.  I chucked a jacket on and Joc put about 5 layers on plus my old swazi pants and 2 beanies and a bloody great scarf around her neck.  Any more she would have looked like a sumo wrestler.

The Clarence had a bit of colour to it after the rain up in the hills.  Looking up the valley from the hut the  scenery was stunning.  We headed back to the hut for lunch then we decided we would do a bit more 4 wheel driving and go and check out the Palmer hut which was about 24 kms from the Seymour.  To get anywhere in here you are driving up river beds or over the hills.  And it is fun although it gets a bit bumpy at times.

We got to the Palmer hut and found a group of 4 hunters there.  They had just arrived 3\4 of an hour before us and said they had seen 2 deer on the way in but the deer were a bit quick for them.  They had also had a bomb up  on a group of goats over the river but it seems the shooting was a bit suspect as nothing had fallen over.  They were an amicable bunch and we enjoyed a cuppa and a piece of fruit cake.  Jocelyn was a bit quiet as all the talk was about hunting.  They had pig dogs with them and it seems a lot who hunt the area are hunting pigs and deer as wherever I went dog sign was prevalent.

I went for a fish when we got back.  I'm keen to catch trout on a nymph again but I think I need more practice.  Over the three days I fished I caught nothing on nymphs or spinners.The only method that worked was softbaits.  I caught five trout and had a number of others that had a go but I didn't hook them properly.

The owners of the extra sleeping bags showed up and turned out to be a couple of DOC workers.  They were in there monitoring changes to exclusion zones that had been set up in there.
I never really got serious about the hunting in there although i never stopped looking.  I must have spent hours with my binos glued to my face looking at those distant hills willing a deer or a pig to poke it's nose out of a briar bush somewhere.  But I did enjoy watching the families of goats interacting.  There were big billies down to little kids but iv'e never enjoyed hunting goats as they seem far too domesticated for me.  I would find it similar to shooting a sheep.  The DOC workers tried to encourage me to get out and shoot a few as they of course just see another pest.

We went for another drive along to Quail flat and had a look at the historical buildings there and it certainly does give you a feel for the history of the place.  Also the people of those times of what they endured in the harsh winters where snow would lock them in but they would still be out doing stock work  and living in these buildings with no insulation and  gaps in the walls.

Wherever we went in there we found signs about 1080 that had been dropped about 4 months ago.  The rabbit sign was everywhere but it was strange as there seemed relatively low numbers of rabbits.  I did find quite a few carcases though so I guess that was the 1080.

There is not a lot of trees around but I found a lot of opossum sign They must live in the briar.  I suppose with such a recent drop of 1080 it would have had a marked effect on deer and pig numbers as well.

On the saturday I did a bit of fishing and Joc got into a good book.  Did quite well on the trout and released them all.  After lunch I put my boots on and headed up the river for a look.  Crossed the river a few times and found a few areas that would be good for a hunt at a later date.  On the way back I stripped off and dived into the river and had a good wash.  It was rather exhilarating but very refreshing.  As a bonus I probably smelt a lot better.  The Clarence river itself is stunning.It runs from fast flowing rapids into deep turquoise coloured pools and it winds itself round big rocky headlands on its way down to the sea.

After a bit of a relax we packed up and headed out . The drive out was great being a beautiful day the scenery was spectacular .Jocelyn seems to suffer a bit from vertigo as in some places she was getting a bit tense especially when I would pull over to have a look through the binos she seemed to think we were going to go over the side.  But she was as amazed by the scenery as I was and we both had a wonderful trip into the Clarence River Reserve.

Wash day at Nelson Lakes

  Travelling with Ken and Vicki

Punakaiki Rocks

Success out of kayak at Lake Benmore

Paua at Kaikoura

Mmmmmm

Buller River

Mussels on rocks at Punakaiki

Fishing at Cascade River










We have taken a camp site at Omihi camp on the coast at Kaikoura.Have to pay here but we have plugged into the power and think $26 dollars per day ok for 3 or 4 days.  Got set up and dived straight  into the water to find a feed of Paua.  Quite difficult in the swell again but managed to put 6 in the bag which is the limit here.  At 125mm for a legal paua you have to cover a bit of ground to find them.When i got in to the edge i remeasured and found 2 where borderline legal so they were returned to the sea.
Cooked them up in garlic and butter and savoured every mouthful.After dinner we went up to the farm and saw Sean and Michelle and Troy.  Dropped off the scuba gear there as well so i could safely continue diving for paua.Dont want trouble with fisheries inspectors.
Sean has been taking the boat out regularly and doing well on the deep water species.
It was really nice going to bed and hearing the sea crashing on the rocks about 12 meters from the rig.

February 2013

February 2015

Been to castle point need to start taking camera out and about.could have got some good shots today.Big cray boats on very large trailers with long drawbars.Castlepoint itself is very impressive.head to wellington tomorrow.5th wheeler towing very well but can be difficult in tight places.

Had a very windy night at castle point sand blowing all over vehicles and the rig.had a pleasant drive to wellington and ended up parking at petone working mens club.the rimutakas are quite narrow and twisting but quite enjoyed the drive.listening to the cricket in the rig.first day of the cricket world cup

Stayed at petone workingman’s club before crossing over.worried about crossing as forecast 40knt winds.wasnt too bad and headed to Nelson lakes.Lovely spot.Went for a kayak beautiful lake but hard to catch a fish.Nice walks lots of eels under jetty.Eels are protected on this lake.

Went to Murchison and stayed at NZMCA park.$6.00 night for me and Joc.Went swimming in Buller river.Even Joc got in in her bra and Panties.Lots of screaming and profanity 

After this we moved on to Westport and headed on down the coast to Punakaiki and stayed in Porarari river carpark.Next morning got up early and parked up at Punakaiki rocks and went for the tour down to the pancake rocks.We then went for a 3hr walk.Was really good.On the way to Punakaiki we stopped and picked a huge bowl of blackberries and also enough mussels for a good feed.Made blackberry jelly and blackberry crumble.

From Punakaiki we headed down the coast and did a few things in Greymouth then went on to Lake Brunner at Iveagh Bay.Ken and I tied to catch a trout but didn’t do any good.Beautiful spot and need to come back and get the kayaks out and spend some time on the lake.Went fishing again in the morning and at last had some luck catching 3 trout.Had breakfast then hit the road and went across to the Arthurs Pass road.Very enjoyable drive all the way to Franz Josef.Stayed in NZMCA park went to town ended up in a bar watching Blackcaps thump England.All over in 12.5 overs of NZ innings

Still at Franz Josef.Heading for Haast today.Woke early again.Watch said was still only 11.30pm took me a while to figure out my watch had stopped.Battery must be flat.Probably be Wanaka before i can get a new one.Went for a fish last night at lake Mapourika.Holds salmon and trout.Told it is a good time of year to target the salmon so we deployed the spinners for an hour or so but with no result.  Transfered to the fly rod and put my successful lake Brunner fly on but had no touchs at all.Ken had no success either.Jocelyn and Vicki went to the hot pools and had a very enjoyable soak.Its  about 140kms to haast so shouldn’t be too long a day driving.Looking forward to catching up with Rod.

Met Rod at Haast and headed down to our destination at the Cascade River block.Travelling through on the Jackson River road we were all taken with how beautiful the area was.Also the isolation was part of the appeal of it all.Coming over the Red Hills We got our first look down at the Cascade River and surrounding bush edges.It just looked like an outdoorsmans paradise.The Martyr river also wound its way down the valley to join up with the Cascade further down towards the sea.We got down to our campsite set up and headed off for a look for a deer.Ken and I had just got set up in our respected spots and we heard a shot over where Rod had gone.So that was venison in the bank.Ken and I saw nothing and Rod had got another crippled hind.Next morning we put the jet boat in the water and headed down stream toward the mouth of the Cascade.On the way we spotted a lot of trout moving out of the path of the boat.At the mouth of the Martry in a very deep clear pool there was numerous  very large trout cruising the depths.down further we set up the rods and started catching a few. then down by the mouth we started hooking into the kahawai.On the way back Ken suggested to Rod maybe he could give the girls a few thrills in the jet boat and all going well untill it all went wrong and we ended up parked up a steep bank high and dry out of the water.

Unfortunately in the process ken and I got fired out of the boat and into the turbulent waters of the cascade River.I  came out unscathed but unfortunately ken suffered some very painful damage to both of his lower legs.Once the initial pain eased he found he could move around ok but both of his legs were very swollen.Next day Ken took a rain check and Rod and I went fishing.I tried the softbaits which proved a huge success.I caught a number of  large trout and Rod also did well on his favourite lure.By the time we got back the weather was starting to pack up so we did the same and packed up and headed out.We ended up staying at Pleasant Flat D   oc camp just before the climb up and over the Haast Pass.We said goodbye to Rod at Haast.Had a Pleasant evening and in the morning headed over the Pass stopping at the Blue Pools and also Makarora for a coffee.Then we hit the road and headed for Wanaka.Ended up camping at Albert Town in a council camping ground by the river.Went to town checked out Puzzling world and did a bit of shopping at Brendon and Sharons Bidvest outlet store.What a great shop.Allsorts of exotic food.Then  back to camp and Brendon and Sharon called in for a beer and wine.We had one of the trout caught at the Cascade for tea.Jocelyn cooked it in a Yellow curry and everyone was very impressed with the dish. Tomorrow we are off to Twizel to the canals which are famous for very large trout and salmon.This will also allow us to go to Mount Cook and the Hermitage where we hope to do some epic walks.

Well we made it to Twizel and the canals. Nzmca camp right on the canal by the salmon farm.We got to see quite a few salmon and trout caught.Unfortunately we struggled to catch a fish.Took a while to find out the different rigs the successful fisherman were using.lost a couple of good ones and saw a nice 17lb rainbow caught.Went up to Mt Cook for a look. The mountain and glaciers were awesome.Unfortunately Kens legs were still a bit sore so the epic walks were put on hold.Display on Sir Edmund Hillary at the Hermitage is really good.Well worth the visit.Got back to camp and the following day we picked up James and Grace from Kurow where we met Rod.They have come to stay for a couple of nights.We moved up to lake Benmore at the OhauC outlet.Council camp $15 a night for family.Lovely spot right on the lake edge.Alot of fish get caught around here.Salmon and trout.I caught my first trout out of my kayak today.Will return to this camp and spend more time here.We had to get the kids back for school on monday.

We shifted to Rods and dropped kids off ready for school monday.Emptied out the rig of clothes that needed washing.Got out the hose and washed the ute and the Sundance.Then pulled everything out of the storage cupboards and resorted them.Enjoyed our time with the family.We then headed off to the Wainakarua River mouth.The track is a bit rough going in but quite a pleasant spot.Unfortunately the sea was just rough enough to make it rather awkward to get paua which was our main objective.Rod and James came down on day two and we spent quite a bit of time in the water but we were getting hammered by the waves.We came out with only one keeper and a significant loss of blood from the rocks.But oh that one paua was exquisite.Shelled,beaten,sliced then fried in butter and fresh garlic.We will have to try again when we get to Kaikoura.When we headed out we met the Lamb family at the Waitaki River picnic area and had a nice lunch before saying goodbye and we headed north through Geraldine and went to a DOC camp called Orari Gorge scenic reserve.Camp was empty.Nice camp spots amongst the trees.The bellbirds were everywhere so the birdsong was amazing.We set up camp and went for a walk up the doc track.Took just over an hour at a brisk walk to complete the loop back to camp.Very enjoyable but we were experiencing some significant thunder on the last stages of the walk.Had dinner and sitting  reading when an almighty flash and immediately followed by a tremendous boom of thunder.Jocelyn rose off her chair with a shriek and a very bad swear word.

Rained through the night.Next morning I had breakfast and repeated the walk of the night before.Enjoying the bellbirds morning chorus.

We were going to do the washing but turned out the water when it came out of the hose was very brown.So we decided not to fill the tank here.Moved off and had a look around Geraldine then went to Arundel reserve by the banks of the Rangitata River.Had lunch then went for a drive up to Peel forest.Carried on up the Rangitata river.Its  a no exit road but it goes a long way.The further up you go the more impressive the mountains get.It becomes real thar country.might be a good place to come back to and try some fishing.I know hunters drive up the river to get access to some great thar hunting.

We noticed we had run out of our road user miles by about 2000kms so i made a quick trip into Geraldine after breakfast and topped them up while Joc did the domestic chores.Left Arundel reserve and took the inland scenic route towards Methven.Got to the Rakaia Gorge and waited inline for bridge repairs.Lucky we arrived towards the end of the 25 minute wait time.Decided we would head to Lake Ellesmere and stay the night.Took a very round about route following instructions from the NZMCA bible and the GPS.By the time we got there we were well overdue for lunch.The lake is very large and I hear can get very windy.It is salt water and a very murky green colour.Having a bit of trouble with my back at the moment so i am finding it a bit hard to walk and do exercise.Hopefully it will come right quickly.Have decided we will go to NZMCA park at Weedon tomorrow and park up then we can take the ute and check out Christchurch and Banks Peninsuila.

March

Met Barry and Desrae for lunch at the top of the Gondolas then they came for dinner and drinks round at the park.  This morning we are off to Kaikoura.