We’ve had such a warm spell here in Motueka that it seemed like Mt Arthur would lose all the snow that had accumulated on it since the middle of May. But the poor weather at the start of the week saw the return of the snowy coat, and this is what it was looking like [...]
Places
Tidal environments are beautiful, transient landscapes, changing at every tide. This is the inlet side of Totara Avenue, near Pakawau, near high tide, and the short, clumpy sea rushes that dominate the inlet are common around the Tasman coast. They’re more likely to occur in what are called low-energy environments, where the incoming tide is weak [...]
The Motueka Aerodrome just west of the town used to host Motueka Air. From 1984 to 1988, Motueka Air flew between Motueka and Wellington. In 1988, Motueka Air moved to Nelson Airport and was renamed Air Nelson. Now, the aerodrome is home to skydiving and microlight flight businesses, along with the Nelson Aviation College. This [...]
Early European explorers released goats in New Zealand so they would have something to eat when they came back. Later, once settlement went into full swing, more goats were brought in, for their wool and to control weeds when land was cleared. As with many of New Zealand’s pest species, they like it here and, [...]
I’ve said before that red-billed gulls and black-backed gulls have this weird, uneasy relationship. The way a single black-backed gull will hang around the smaller gulls as though they’re its minions is creepy and controlling, verging on predatory. Well a couple of days ago, I saw a SciShow video called “Killer Gulls Rip Into Whales [...]
Compared to most of New Zealand’s coastal waters, Golden Bay and Tasman Bay are relatively calm. This makes the region an ideal spot for exploring the coast by kayak. Given the amazing geological formations along the coast, such as yesterday’s Tonga arches and the famous Split Apple Rock, it’s a great way to see some [...]
The Abel Tasman coastline is made of what’s called Separation Point granite. The granite is eroded and the iron in the particles oxidises to form the golden sands the region is known for. These arches at Tonga Bay show the effects of wave action on granite. You can walk through the arches at low tide.
In orchards, apple trees are grafted onto rootstocks rather than grown from seed. There are a lot of advantages to growing apples in this way. One is that the “new” tree gets an established, healthy root system. Also, grafted apple trees tend to stay small, making them easier to manage. One major advantage is that [...]
The white heron/kōtuku (Ardea alba modesta) is rare in New Zealand and looks likely to stay that way. The New Zealand Encyclopedia of 1966 states there were about 20 pairs nesting on the West Coast of the South Island, and nzbirdsonline.org.nz says that there are now about 30 pairs nesting each breeding season. That’s an [...]
The Cobb Valley in the Kahurangi National Park was formed by a large glacier that left behind a steep-sided valley. The Cobb Power Station has the highest hydraulic head of any hydro station in New Zealand: the dam is nearly 600 metres higher up than the power station. The Cobb River runs through the Tasman Mountains [...]
