Wai-iti Reserve/Domain and Walk

Not far south from Nelson (about 30kms) along SH6 is a small settlement named Wai-iti. And just before the Wai-iti Bridge if you turn left, you'll find yourself at a roadside picnic area. It's a decent size spot with several large totara trees and a couple of kahikateas offering plenty of shade.

A little further along is the Wai-iti Reserve. Although there's oodles of room it might be unsuitable for bigger rigs as the left hand bend is a little tight, and there's a few over hanging branches as you approach.

The Wai-iti Domain/Reserve is a massive area with mature trees bordering the perimeter. Picnic tables, toilets and rubbish bins have been provided to make your stay a little easier. It's free, dog friendly and kids will love the huge, flat space to race around on their bikes.

Behind the reserve is a forest walk, which eventually loops back to where you start from. 

To begin the walk, you start by climbing a gentle incline that hugs the side of the hill. After about half an hour (less if your fit, or longer, if like me, you're a bit of a stroller!) you reach the top. 

At the top (summit), you're rewarded with a peaceful panorama of rolling pastures before you head back down the other side.

Being autumn - it was the season for toadstools.

It's an easy walk, the track is wide and smothered with pine needles, plus there's lots of birdsong to enjoy. With no 1080 poisoning to worry about, dogs are safe off lead to run around and explore. 

After awhile, Oakly started to look for some water. We happened to stumble across a forestry water supply but when I saw the colour of it, I decided being thirsty was a better option than having a drink from it!

All up, the walk took about an hour and a half, and that included taking a wrong turn and ending up at a forestry skid site (which had a fabulous view). 

We enjoyed an occasional glimpse of Wai-iti below.

At the end of the walk we wandered over to the Wai-iti River (Wai-iti = small river). It's a shallow river and in summer it's known to be unsafe to swim in or drink from due to toxic algae. But after several recent floods I decided it would be okay for Oakly to quench his thirst.

Red At Night, Shepherd's Delight

Nothing beats a sunset. Isn't it incredible that they're never the same - each one delivers unique cloud formations and one-of-a-kind colour combinations.

Tonight's sunset was a doozy - the heavens were ablaze with vivid colours that seemed to set the sky alight.

Perhaps, like me, you're wondering why one evening there's a breathtaking sunset and the next evening there's nothing - despite both evenings appearing to be much of a muchness, the same temperature, similar clouds etc.

This always intrigues me - I never know for sure when I might strike an ideal evening to capture a sunset shot. So, I decided to see what my buddy 'Google' had to say about it. After reading several explanations it became a little clearer. I'll try and explain how I understand a sunset comes about.

A sunset is caused by small particles of dust. Molecules and small particles in the atmosphere change the direction of light rays causing them to scatter which results in a colourful sunset. Sometimes pollution in the air can contribute and even enhance colours. 

During sunset and sunrise because the sun is low on the horizon, sunlight needs to pass through more air than it does during the day (when the sun is higher). Much of the blue light gets scattered away (due to the small particles in the air), making reds and oranges more pronounced. We see red because red wave lengths are the longest colour in the colour spectrum. Shorter wave lengths such as blue, violet and green are scattered and broken up.

From what I gather, it seems there are a few ingredients required for a good sunset ...

• mid to high level clouds
• 30 to 70% cloud coverage
• clean air
• lower humidity
• calm winds

Now that I'm a little better informed, here's hoping I'll be better prepared for the next spectacular sunset.

And a quote to finish the post:  

When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.

                                                                                                  George R.R. Martin

The Season of Colours

AUTUMN - don't you just love this season! 
The colours. The warm days. The golden light. Maybe not so much the thought that winter is just around the corner. But everything else about this colourful season seems to be a winner.

Have ever wondered how we get those spectacular autumn colours?

Turns out that red, yellow, gold and orange colours are actually in the leaves all the time. However they can't be seen because of all the chlorophyll in the leaves. Chlorophyll is a green pigment that's in all green plants and is responsible for absorbing light from the sun to provide energy for photosynthesis.

So what is photosynthesis? Well plants use a process called photosynthesis to make food. During photosynthesis plants trap light energy from the sun in their leaves. Plants use this energy from the sun to change water (which they get through air and soil) and carbon dioxide (from the air) into sugar called glucose. Glucose is used by plants for energy to make other substances like cellulose and starch.

Basically, photosynthesis is a function that converts solar energy into chemical energy. The chemical energy is stored for later use. A byproduct of photosynthesis is oxygen, which gets released into the air.

Three factors can limit the speed of photosynthesis ... the intensity of light, the carbon dioxide concentration and temperature.

During autumn because of the changes in the length of daylight and the change in temperature the leaves stop their food making process (photosynthesis). The chlorophyll breaks down and the green colour disappears which makes the yellows, oranges, golds and reds become visible.

Evergreen trees can keep their leaves/needles during winter because their foliage is coated in a waxy substance (cutin) which acts as a barrier and supports the leaves to retain water. Also they have cells which contain an anti-freeze chemical that adds further protection during winter. Water retention in the leaves and the anti-freeze component enable the leaves to carry on photosynthesising to continue providing the tree with energy, even in cold climates.

Now we know why leaves change colour. And the reason they tumble to the ground after displaying a variety of stunning hues is because photosynthesising is no longer happening and without food the stems of the leaves weaken and fall from the trees.

So that's autumn in a nutshell ... my attempt at explaining it. I'm not so sure how people with a scientific background would feel about this basic explanation though.

What better way to wrap this post up, than with an autumn quote...

Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all other seasons.

A Day Relieving Up The Lake

I've relieved at Lake Rotoiti school once before, so I set my alarm for an early wake up knowing it would be easy getting up to teach at this adorable country school.

The entire school's roll is 27 and there are only 8 children in the junior classroom where I was relieving. The kids are a pleasure to teach - respectful, well behaved, polite, kind to one another and eager to learn. Every teacher's dream!

The hour long drive was full of changes - the sun was rising which made the dark sky morph into various shades of pink before settling for a bright blue hue. Mist rolled off paddocks adding further charm to the early morning scene. 

The children had an intriguing start to their week when a convoy of historic military vehicles assembled across the road from the school.

The New Zealand Military Vehicle Club had organised with Principal, Sue Ford, to gather across from the school so the children could see the vehicles.

The club’s iconic convoy of historic military vehicles is traveling throughout New Zealand to commemorate WW1 history and New Zealand’s role in it.

Starting from Rotorua on the 18^th March the Armistice 100 Convoy are making their way to the World’s most unique biennial airshow, Warbirds over Wanaka held in Wanaka on Easter weekend.

The return trip will cover 3,500 kilometres through some of Aotearoa’s most scenic regions. It’s expected to take three and a half weeks and will finish in Taumarunui, a small town in the King Country of the central North Island.

The procession includes 27 military vehicles, 4 military motorbikes and a contingency of recovery vehicles with trailers.

10 Americans have also joined the convoy. In 2017 six kiwis with an interest in military vehicles traveled to the United States and joined the Route 66 Military Vehicle Convoy. Some of the American participants decided to organise a trip to New Zealand, which is how this particular convoy gained its American contingent.

Lake Rotoiti school children joined in singing the New Zealand national anthem and listened while the American members sang theirs. Afterwards they were shown around the various vehicles and were able to ask questions and gather information.

With lots of waves, toots and sirens blaring the Armistice 100 Convoy rolled out of Lake Rotoiti to travel over the Rainbow Road to Hanmer Springs leaving 26 fired-up children in their wake.

After a cruisy day in the classroom, I drove to the lake to take a short bush walk. Tuis chortling high up in the tree tops produced the perfect sound to wind up the day. At times a warm breeze wafted a sweet smell of honey from the honeydew that ran down the beech trees. The sooty mould fungi growing on the waste honeydew formed a dark sponge-like covering on tree trunks, creating a complimentary contrast to the many shades of green.

The lake, glistened in the sun, and although it looked inviting, it wasn't enough to tempt me in for a dip. However one guy wasn't fazed, he plucked up some courage, then sprinted along the pier before leaping off into the water.

Underneath the pier was a swarm of big, black eels. Watching them, gave me another excuse why I didn't need a swim. 

An inquisitive swan patrolled the shoreline keeping an eye on the comings and goings.

A fisherman and his friend about to motor away in their boat received a visit from the swan (in the photo below). It swam beside them and looked over the edge of their boat checking out what was inside before gliding gracefully away.

I think the following quote by Lao Tzu is fitting to end this blog post.

'"Make your heart like a lake, with a calm, still surface,

and great depths of kindness.'