This is the bridge further down the Takaka River from where yesterday’s photo was taken, on the road into the Cobb Valley. As you can see, the approach to the bridge has been washed away. The photo was taken in April, six weeks after Cyclone Gita did her damage.
Places
This photo taken in 2014 shows the bridge that crosses the Takaka River just below the Cobb Power Station. The road provides access to the Cobb Valley in the Kahurangi National Park, but it’s not usable at the moment because another bridge further down the Takaka River was washed out in Cyclone Gita in February 2018. Repairs [...]
Just about ten minutes north of Collingwood, past Ruataniwha Inlet, the road to Farewell Spit runs alongside this little estuary/inlet thing that seems to have no name. Totara Avenue runs down the spit, and houses on one side have a beach outlook, while houses on the other side look out over the inlet towards the [...]
This natural arch is found at -40.498591, 172.695851, just east of Wharariki Beach at the top of the South Island. These cliffs are quartz sandstone, and wind and wave action on the cliffs produce the fine quartz sand that comprises the sand dunes of Farewell Spit. Wikipedia says these cliffs are Cretaceous quartz sandstone structures, while GNS’s ‘Geology [...]
This is the headland at Cape Farewell and the view is out into the Tasman Sea. Past these cliffs, Farewell Spit stretches east for around 30 kilometres, separating Golden Bay from the Tasman Sea. The cliffs are made of quartz sandstones and erosion of them contributes to Farewell Spit’s ongoing growth. But the main contributor [...]
The mosses growing over this rotting log are typical of South Island beech forests. The leafy bits are the mature moss, called gametophytes. The gametophytes produce the stalky bits on the left-hand side of the photo. At the end of the stalk is a spore capsule, which will germinate to produce the next generation of [...]
On a hot summer day, the Motueka River has plenty of swimming holes in which to cool down. This photo was taken in January, at the height of summer, and is a nice (or perhaps cruel?) reminder of what’s coming in a few months’ time.
This Nelson Coastguard boat was on exercises just off the Abel Tasman coastal track early in April. Unlike coastguard organisations in many countries, New Zealand’s Coastguard is not a governmental organisation, it is a charitable organisation operated by volunteers. And unlike other coastguards, their role is primarily search and rescue and boating education, rather than [...]
This rock on the Abel Tasman coast has been freshly sealed with the offspring of the New Zealand fur seal/kekeno (Arctocephalus forsteri). Females live as long as 17 years and start having pups at around 4 to 6 years of age. They have one a year until they die. Pups are preyed upon by orca, sharks [...]
The deep, dark eyes of the South Island robin (Petroica australis) seem to drink in everything around them. They’re such curious things, always wanting to know what you’re doing in the bush. In summer time, during the breeding season, male and female work cooperatively in looking after the eggs and offspring. The male brings the female food [...]
