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Otago on my mind
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Back in Auckland after 3 months, Otago is still on my mind. From November until January 15th, I spent time in Central Otago working on vineyards and orchards. I started out at McArthur Ridge vineyard in Alex for 3 weeks, bud rubbing and single shooting. Every day, for 10 hours, I had the best views of the Old Man range, Leaning Rock and the surrounding area. After 3 weeks at the vineyard, I worked in an orchard in Roxburgh where I did apple thinning and cherry picking (and lots of eating). For the last 10 days, I worked at ENZA, packaging apricots.
In November, I visited the Otago Pensinsula where I went to see the Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head.
In Alex, I met my new friend Emma with whom I did several hikes together. On my own, I hiked the Cairnmuir range from Clyde to Bannockburn and Cromwell. This was a 35km hike with afforded great views of the Clyde dam, many of the orchards in the area, Cromwell, Lake Dunstan and the Dunstan Range and the Remarkable mountains. With Emma, we hiked to Leaning Rock which, at 1500 meters afforded wonderful views of the Aspiring Mountains and the Remarkables. Of the many routes up to Leaning Rock this is the most direct and interesting for those on foot. Leaning Rock - known locally as The Old Woman - is the largest of a spectacular group of huge tors (rock shafts) on the summit of the Dunstan Range and there are wonderful views of almost the whole of Central Otago from the top of the rock. On another trip, I hiked to Fraser Dam and Obelisk Rock which are part of the Old Man range. A very memorable trip was our overnighter via the Roaring Meg Pack Track across the rock and pillar Pisa Range on old gold trails and past the remains of mining camps finishing in Lowburn. The Meg Hut at the top of the Pisa range was a cozy little place which we didn't want to leave. The weather was kind with us during the hike, it only rained over night which didn't bother us. Our last adventure was the one day hike/run of the 60km Kepler Track. Ahhh, what a beauty.... Though we kind of rushed through the track, we did enjoy the beautiful views and the flora and fauna. The next day, we took it easy and went on a cruise on Lake Manapouri that included a visit to the Manapouri Power Station and a drive up to Wilmot Pass. The Wilmot Pass Road was purpose built to aid in the construction of the Manapouri Power Station. A cantilevered wharf was built at Deep Cove, so that supplies could be shipped into Doubtful Sound and where necessary, trucked over the Main Divide. It took two years for the road to be carved out of mountain and bush (from 1963 to 1965), with a length of approx. 20 Km and the highest point of the Pass being 2100 feet. The road was built to better-than-usual standards to take massive transporters, and is now used by tourist and fishing operators. It is one of the few roads that traverses Fiordland National Park and offers magnificent views of river valleys, wild mountain scenery and cascading waterfalls. At the top of the Pass a grand view into beautiful and magical Doubtful Sound may be obtained.
Over Christmas, I had one day off and decided to visit Arrowtown and do some hiking up in the hills. Arrowtown was born as a gold rush township in 1862. Over the years it has matured into a modern small township of 2,000 people. For the past fifty years it was primarily a holiday town, but recent changes to the local economy have seen it become a preferred place to live for the people of the wider area. During my last two weeks, I went to Wanaka, hiking around Diamond Lake. The 3-hour return trip climbs steadily to the lake and then to the summit of Rocky Hill. The views from here are superb and give the visitor an idea of how the glaciers of the Ice Ages carved and shaped the landscape.
Later in the evening, I met up with my Japanese friend Asami who came from Franz Josef Glacier. We also spent the last Sunday of my time in the South Island together, traveling the Catlins braving rain, high winds and hail and a little sunshine in between. I left my wordly possessions, which include my car and some clothes, in Roxburgh and hope to be back in Central Otago in December. Here in Auckland, I am getting ready for my 9 months trip to South East Asia. The next report will be from Singapore. See you there. More thumbnails ...
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