Fiordland Geologizing Feb 17-21

I hardly left Fiordland long enough to get deja vu, yet somehow I managed to make it right back. This time around I was assisting a NASA researcher who is interested in basic (high pH) springs related to ultramafic rocks. These springs, some of which have pH in excess of 11.5, are compelling examples of thresholds required for life and are seen as analogs for life on Mars.

We spent the days helicoptering around fiords, glacial river valleys and jagged cloud-soaked peaks visiting springs and taking water, gas and rock samples. Fortunately, one of the springs visited was in my PhD field area (see photo above right), so I got a sneak peek of what I am in for. There's a reason why this stretch of the Alpine Fault has hardly been looked at; for the most part it is very rough and inaccessible country. There was no complaining on my part that these springs of interest happen to be in one of the most beautiful and remote places in New Zealand. Except in regard to the sandflies...

Sandflies, for the blissfully ignorant, are pure, concentrated evil. In a land where there really is nothing to fear but the weather (no poisonous flora or fauna), these rice grain-sized biting flies are the Achille's heel of New Zealand fieldwork. Ungodly numbers of these flies frequent coastal regions of the West Coast. They swarm in black clouds of thousands and instantly prey on any exposed flesh. Their itchy bites leave welts which can last many weeks. Sandflies seem to be partially immune to the most toxic substances you put on your skin so really the best solution is to be completely covered head to toe. Even if protected, having hundreds of sandflies sitting on your clothes and several thousand swarming around you can be mentally exhausting.

So as I was saying we flew around in helicopters to several different sites and returned each evening to a cozy house at Milford Sound. One of the Milford pilots was a bit of a hotshot which made for some memorable rides- skimming close to steep hillsides, dropping steeply over alpine passes, and fast G-force-inducing sideways turns. It was quite luxurious fieldwork and we were blessed with exceptionally fair weather. The first day we checked out the Anita Bay Ultramafics (one of two ultramafic mylonite occurences in the world!) near Lake Ronald- fantastic rocks but no springs. Days 2 and 3 were spent stranded on a 150m long beach surrounded by cliffs in a fiord called Poison Bay. The name apparently comes from the gaseous seeps we sampled that reek strongly of sulfur. These seeps emit hydrogen and methane gas believed to be a product of active serpentinization at depth! Some researchers have suggested that the serpentinization processes here are partially driven by microbes, which is a pretty cool prospect as well. I got good and wet collecting escaping gas from the intertidal zone, while a pod of Hector's dolphins played offshore. Poison Bay may be the motherlode for sandflies. The next day we flew up the Alpine Fault into the Cascade River region to a beautiful spring with cascading orange-red flowstone terraces for 100m down the hillside. This spring has an impressive pH of 11.6 and extremely high rates of calcite precipitation. We then heli-ed to the Transit River where we refound several previously documented warm sulfurous springs. These springs had abundant white stringers of algae typically found at hot springs. The last day was a freebee as the NASA researcher had to conduct chemistry tests on collected samples so I decided to go for a tramp. I hiked up the Deadman's Track, a brutally steep suggestion of a trail that climbs 1000m in only a few kilometers to the highest and most scenic stretch of the Routeburn Track. Despite low clouds and a light horizontal rain, there were still some good views to be had from Harris Saddle. So in under 4 hours I saw the highlights of what is usually a 3 day tramp. My knees are still wrecked from the decent. In a little over a month I've managed to rack up 13 helicopters flights! I don't know what that says for my carbon footprint...but it has been good fun!

Ultramafic mylonites above Lake Ronald

Poison Bay

Lord of the Sandflies

Milford Sound (next 3 photos as well)

Stirling Falls, 50 stories high!

Cascade travertine spring, pH=11.6!

My PhD field area!

Near Harris Saddle on the Routeburn

Fiordland Caving Jan 31-Feb 6

31st- I arrived in Te Anau just as two groups of cavers returned from helicopter trips prospecting for caves in rugged and remote areas of Fiordland. So my first day on this caving trip was in fact a rest day with no caving to be had. I narrowly avoided a cafe tour of Milford Sound by talking another caver into hiking up to Gertrude Saddle with me. It was a beautiful hike that I hope to do again in clearer weather. Fog rolled in from two directions (up the valley and down the saddle) in waves, allowing brief, but spectacular, periods of clarity. The million-dollar view at the saddle was fogged in (this is the third time it has eluded me!), but there was an abundance of hundred thousand-dollar views to be had. Then the obligatory drive through the tunnel to Milford Sound. The sandflies proved a formidable encumbrance to my photo-taking.

1st- Today was spent checking out St. Peter's Cave off the Borland Road. A long 4x4 track through several gates and two streams was followed to deep ruts and thick mud where the cars were abandoned. We attempted to follow a poorly-marked blue spray paint trail through the bush, then skirted a swamp, and traversed a saddle to arrive at the cave. The cave was not too extensive (saw everything in 2 hours), but well-worth the effort- 3 entrances, some fun climbing, a short stretch of strolling river passage, nice formations in the upper levels and the most amazing display of glowworms I have seen. It was a spectacular universe of green stars. So numerous and so bright were they that I was able to see and move through the cave using their light alone. I sat for a solid 10 minutes in the otherwise dark, contemplating glowworms, insignificance, and the vastness of time and space. It sounds silly, but I think these thoughts come naturally when one views this congregation of luminous maggots.

Glowworms!

2nd- Today we took a water taxi across the lake to check out Aurora Cave. What a fantastic cave! The main entrance is greater than 30m high in places. We first explored the mostly dry upper levels through a series of complicated stream passages that somehow led us to the Picasso Chamber with some decent pretties. We then followed the strong draft to the Emerald Pool passage. Not wanting to cave the rest of the trip in wet clothes since I was dry to this point, I did the logical thing and stripped down and swam and waded the 100m or so to where the stream sumps. After some other side trips, we headed down the main river passage, which was fantastic. The roaring, waterfalled underground stream passage necessitated sporty climbs and jumps across the stream to stay dry. At almost 7 km of known passage, it is a really nice cave that deserves to be re-explored and remapped.

3rd- We helicoptered into the least accessible karst field on Mt. Luxmore and set up our base camp for the next couple days. I went into the newly-rediscovered Steadfast Cave with three others to rig the cave with ropes for others to follow, and to see how far we could get. It turned out to be a lot more cave than we thought (which is why we only had 4 muesli bars for 4 people for 7 hours of caving!). All I brought was a spare torch. There were lots of sporty climbing in 20m high rift passages, and 3 tributaries that joined the main stream. We dropped the 20m pit that was the end of the previously known cave and explored a bit further before getting hungry and tired and decided to head back towards the surface. Where we turned around the cave was actually in mudstone. A surprising cave and another one I hope to return to and map if I can drum up interest.

Entrance to Steadfast, camp in distance

4th- I awoke this morning to kea squawking. Today was mostly spent above ground looking for resurgences. We were hoping to find where the water in the cave we explored the previous day ended up surfacing again. We ended up circling the entire karst field, not finding significant resurgences, but rediscovering some caves. I also ended up checking out the new cave, dubbed Hidden Treasure Cave, that was found the previous day by one of the others. I did the cave in boxers so I didn't have to hike around with muddy, wet gear the next two days. Needless to say, I was very conscious of the sharp popcorn formations lining the walls, the muddy floors, and the cold drips that landed on my back.

Searching for resurgences and caves

5th- An incredible day of stunning vistas along the ridges and peaks from Mt. Luxmore. My favorite stretches were those where the ridge was only as wide as the track with dramatic valley heads to either side. The weather was everything I could have hoped for and I could easily see the highest peaks in Fiordland. The brutal downhill switchbacks (>1000m elevation drop) were, well, brutal. Refusing to pay an unpleasant hut warden the absurd fee of $30 to camp in the campground, I packed up, ambled down the track and set up my tent 500m away from the track (which happened to be legal, free, and not infested with rude hut wardens).

6th- A mostly uneventful hike off the Kepler Track via the bush-clad Iris Burn Valley. I reckon one can get a feel for a particular bush within about five minutes so it's easy for the mind to wander on longer bush walks. The size of the huts on this track just seems silly. Back at Te Anau I had a delicious pizza dinner and a great evening chatting and joking with new caving mates (and some of the ones I knew from 2006 as well).