I slept quite well last night. The morning was very grey and overcast. There was no real color but beautiful beams of light still made for a fascinating show.
The possum had fallen for the trap last night. There are thousands of them out here and they not only destroy all the birds but also the vegetation. It was hard to look at, but one has to think that they have no predators here. So man has to serve that purpose in this case.
Cute and fuzzy... but out of control
Another mouse was caught too. This Marty fed to the resident weka. It had lost part of its leg somehow so probably appreciated the extra attention. He said it was quite tame and would even take food from your hand. I didn't feel like holding a dead mouse, so I took his word for it. She/he grabbed it and ran off quickly.
Ol' Stumpy
Wekas eat everything... fruit, insects, lizards and clearly small rodents as well.
After a filling breakfast of muesli, fruit (blueberries, peaches, plums, bananas), yogurt, and toast made on the stove top (he was careful to make it "American" style and not the dry British way for me), the sun came out and I decided to go for a walk to start getting some video. The way the workaway thing works is that in trade for being able to eat and stay for free, you work. In my case, Marty was hoping for some nice promo shots and a short movie.
So out I went, startling the weka as I left, past Ella the eel, past the new growth forest and into the old growth forest.
The moon between the leaves
Very tiny berries
Rata flower
A closeup of the Lancewood tree. Marty had pointed out that most native New Zealand plants are sharp and pointy. This tree was no exception.
The full view of the tree. This tree has an amazing evolutionary story. Its lower leaves are sharp and untasty (as pictured above). When the tree gets to be a certain height, the upper leaves turn into plump, soft, delicious things. And that height is?? Well, conveniently it is just slightly taller than the height of the giant moa birds who used to roam the land and eat such tasty leaves. And while the moas have been gone for a while, the plants are probably going to wait another thousand years or so before changing... just to be sure.
A small spider. All but one species (a rare one) are harmless. New Zealand is one of the least lethal countries to be in... unlike Australia which has something like the top 10 most lethal snakes in the world. New Zealand doesn't have a single snake... probably why people are so inclined to walk around without shoes.
A frantic beetle scurried past.
A colorful mushroom...
... and one a bit more plain.
Along the way, I popped down to one of the beaches that is a campsite off the Nydia Track. The tide was out so I could walk along the rocky beach. There were lots of shells and the rocks were still quite wet and sometimes slippery.
This shell was still wet from the retreating tide.
A tree desperately clings to the eroding land.
Having a peek around the corner
Barnacles... attached to a shell... attached to a rock
It was starting to get warm out by the time I got back around 1 pm. Lunch comprised of hummus sandwiches, fruit and chocolate. They don't have screens here, just like Europe, so the house was usually filled with noisy files, bees and other flitty little things. It took some getting used to, especially when eating.
We then took the small boat out and visited some of the smaller bays in order to get some more footage. We shot out at high speed across the small waves. With each hard bounce, a gentle spray of water shot across the bow. The water ranged from vibrant green to deep turquoise.
Native bush
The large, non-native pine tress are being intenionally killed off, with the hopes of eventually restoring the native folliage. Between that and removing all the possums and other undesirables, the ultimate goal is to restore the once vibrant and expansive bird life. Marty said he used to hear kiwi calls from the house, but those have been silent some 20 or so years now.
We paused briefly under a tree filled with cormorants.
At the end of one bay, we tried to make our way up the river, but the water levels were too low due to the drought.
Trying to get up the river. Note the large poepoe (native grass).
Giving up and pushing our way back out
We toured a few more areas and eventually decided to head back. Just as we were turning around, Marty saw a jellyfish float past. Then suddenly there were hundreds of them all around us!
We did a quick sprint back. Rainbows glimmered in the water spray from the boat.
The small island we can see from the house...
... and the small lone tree island that features prominently in my sunrise pictures.
We made dinner over a glass of wine... pasta with tomatoes, broccoli, garlic, onions in a tomato sauce.
It was a pleasant evening and Marty and I talked a lot about life, relationships, futures, etc. He used to mostly live in Nelson, only visiting this place every couple weeks, but now he has switched this to his home, renting out his Nelson residence. He brings a lot of workawayers through here, both as company (since it can get quite isolating) and to help get a variety of things done.
I was quite tired so went to bed fairly early. A mouse ran out of my room as I walked in, and another mouse ran out the front door when I walked down the steps to go brush my teeth. Marty was hoping it was the same mouse, but I had to dash his hopes.
