May 2025

I've spent the last couple of weeks in Mohua (Golden Bay).  A work opportunity came up that was too good to turn down, and at a perfect time in terms of my shoulder healing.  Luckily a fairly good time to leave the garden to its winter slumber, though I wish the weeds also got that memo.  I suppose no hurry to sort them out.

             

Before I left, we managed to complete all the self-wicking beds.  No mean achievement given that there are 11 half-IBCs and 3 blue barrels, and each one took 5 full wheelbarrows of soil/compost.  It's been great to use up the delicious compost that's been sitting in the big compost bed since long before we went to Australia.  Heaps of topsoil is left over from the original raised beds that will have to find a home somewhere.  

The self-wicking beds are all planted up too.  2 are full of Karyn's strawberries, 2 have raspberries (self-supporting varieties), and the rest are accommodating whitecurrants, NZ cranberry (Chilean guava), gooseberries, redcurrant cuttings, and 3 blueberries in the half barrels.  Peter will grow spuds in 2 and breed White Cloud Mountain Minnows in another.  The last one is spare but probably not for long.  

                                   

The vege garden had been planted fairly late in spring, delayed by being out of NZ, but it's managed to crop reasonably well.  There are still perpetual leeks and walking onions, and the yacon is hanging in there until it succumbs to a big frost.  The Verdia is producing lettuces, greens and celery, and some herbs.  I bit the bullet and dug up the skirrets, not really knowing what I'd find.  Only a small crop but they were sweet, chewy, and tasty after being blanched and roasted in butter.  Probably not a big thing going forward for me, but I replanted the base plant so it can remain a curiosity for another season.  Gotta love a weird vegetable!  I decided to go ahead with a proper winter garden, and commandeered Karyn's bed, which had been emptied of its bounty and fertilised with compost.  There are now heaps of red onions, spinach, bok choy, beetroot, and mizuna seedlings planted up, and carrot and parsnip seeds sown.  I'm interested to see how well they grow, and therefore how worthwhile it is to create a future winter garden.  I won't plant garlic as it seems to find its own way into my flower garden.

The drive to Tākaka takes about 3.5 hours, and I included a recharge stop in Motueka to ensure the car made it over the Tākaka hill.  It's a long way for work, but a beautiful route and you could never tire of the view from the hill saddle, looking out over Tasman Bay and Golden Bay, both arms of the Tasman Sea.  

                    

                                             

I was staying in the gorgeous Ligar Bay, a few km along the coast from Pōhara.  It's a breathtakingly scenic route to the health facility in Tākaka, and includes a section of road crossed by Little Blue penguins.  I was lucky enough to come across a little blue whilst driving home from a birth one night.  There wasn't any other traffic so I could spend a while happily watching it.  The photos of Ligar Bay are taken from the site of the Abel Tasman monument.  Tasman was the first Pākehā to arrive in Aotearoa on 18th December, 1642.  The monument tells us that '...the story has been lost, with the passage of time, and the truth remains forever suspended in the seas of time'.

          

I revisited Te Waikoropupū Springs, where we'd been previously with Marcus and family many moons ago.  These are the largest freshwater springs in NZ and an extremely serene place to contemplate the meaning of life.  The springs are recognised for their spectacular colour and clarity, estimated at approx 76cms, close to that of optically pure water.  To local māori, Te Waikoropupū is a taonga (treasure) and is considered wahi tapu (sacred), to be held in high cultural and spiritual regard.  Legend has it that Waikoropupū is the home of Huriawa, one of three main taniwha of Aotearoa.  Huriawa is a diver of land and sea and is believed to rest beneath the surface of the springs.

                 

                                                 

On a day off, I took the road to Collingwood, which welcomed visitors that day with a double rainbow.  It's a quirky little place in a stunning location.  On my return journey, I stopped off at Milnthorpe Park Scenic Reserve on a tip-off from my colleague, Ruth.  It's a coastal conservation area featuring a network of walking tracks.  The photos show one of the wetland zones within the regenerating vegetation, and Milnthorpe Beach, just north of the Parapara Inlet.  It was an exquisitely beautiful walk, and getting lost just added to the joy.

 

Labyrinth Rocks Park was also a fab find. In a fairy-tale other-worldly location, maze-like pathways weave through gnarly limestone outcrops and lush native bush.  Locals hide little toys and figurines for children to scavenger hunt.  It's another place where getting lost is part of the experience.

I have been booked for a few more weeks of work here in Golden Bay - plenty of opportunity to see more of the local sights.  A couple of my old neighbours (and previous yoga buddies), Helen and Kate, moved to Pōhara with their respective partners.  Obviously, I bumped into Kate on day one as she works in the Primary Health unit too.  It was lovely to catch up with them both and will be good to see more of them when I'm back.  Such a small world!

Plans are afoot for my (special) birthday holiday in Rarotonga.  Where better than Aitutaki, the world's most beautiful lagoon, to celebrate the arrival of my sixth decade?  There are other activities like sea scooter snorkeling and paddle boarding to check out.  Researching the options is ramping up anticipatory excitement and providing a raison d'etre for those extra working hours, and it's great to have some happy sunshine to look forward to in winter 🌞