Simply Sumpless Dec 30

After spending so much time based out of the caving hut, I figured we should probably fit in some more caving before we took off! With getting Sara back to Christchurch on the 2nd, this would unfortunately be our last adventure of the road trip. I was keen for a quick cave trip into the Simply Sumpless entrance of the Riwaka cave system where I had been once before. This cave system drains a sizable chunk of Takaka Hill including the Middle Earth-Greenlink-Swiss Maid cave system. Despite a hydrologic connection, the link between these two systems remains an important and so far elusive goal for a small group of cavers. If connected, it would become one of New Zealand's most important throughtrips.

So far the Riwaka only has two known entrances. It was first explored by diving the Riwaka Resurgence where the Riwaka River pours fully formed out the base of Takaka Hill. Despite the dive at the entrance, there is well over a kilometer of very nice passage beyond. A local caver plotted up the cave diver's map and scrambled up the hillside to where he reckoned the cave was closest to the surface. Sure enough he found a small hole emitting a strong blast of cool air. Just like that the first couple sumps were bypassed and the cave was open to lesser breeds of cavers.

The Simply Sumpless entrance series itself is not very pleasant- loose rocks, awkward downclimbs, tight squeezes. I let Sara use my cave suit which meant I had to be particularly careful not to scratch or bruise myself. It seems to take ages what is really only about 50m! But then we turned a corner and saw a great dark void with the sound of a river beyond and it is all worth it. This enormous 25 m wide collapse chamber is still just the beginning. We checked out some of the nice flowstone formations before following the main passage up a large boulder scree slope. Beyond the passage forks, both sides forked with rockfall. I did not bring a map on my last trip and so spent a considerable amount of time poking through precarious rockfall squeezes looking for the way one. With map in hand I found the way on after maybe only 10 minutes as Sara snacked. The trip was to go up, not down as I had tried before. The passage opens up again. We followed the red tape paths to a nice grotto of cream-colored formations.

Down a scree slope and back up another we emerged into the largest chamber yet. Here I attempted to take a few photos to show the scale of the place. Very impressive! I briefly headed down the Coffin Slot to scout the continuation of the passage but could tell Sara had enough. Another time, someday.

 

I put Sara in charge of finding our way out. It might of taken a bit longer and there were a few contemplative pauses, but she managed to navigate us back to the entrance without much trouble.

Blue Creek Dec 29

Miraculously, the streak of good weather sounded like it would hold for another couple days so I was really keen to check out Blue Creek on the north side of the Mt Owen massif. This canyon has one of the rare distinctions of being one of New Zealand's few dry slot canyons. The canyon is carved in marble. In normal flow the creek disappears underground above the canyon and emerges at Blue Creek Resurgence just below. This resurgence drains a significant portion of the Mt Owen area (>20 km2), so when it rains and pours and the water becomes too much for the cave system to handle, it floods spectacularly down Blue Creek canyon. Fresh logs and old bolts (now inaccessibly high up the walls of the canyon) are testament to the punctuated activity of the canyon. The lack of water (apart from two pools) means the canyon can be comfortably done without a wetsuit. It also means the smooth, algae-coated, water-sculpted rocks are incredibly slippery!

We found the access trail easily enough thanks to some good directions and made it to the start of the canyon in good time. Certainly one of the shorter approaches for a NZ canyon! The fun began right away. The canyon has lots of downclimbing and depending on skill and confidence many things some would consider a rappel can be downclimbed with care. Nevertheless the rocks were slippery so we treaded with care. I knew the canyon's two longest abseils were 15m and 18m (and a dozen of about 10m or less) so rather than take my longest rope I opted to take my 22m rope and get creative with my pull cord. With care I was able to tie on webbing as a pull cord (photo above). It worked like a charm but the webbing was much more prone to tangling and knotting than rope so I certainly wouldn't want to use it if water was around.

Almost from start to finish the canyon is a true slot. We passed through a beautiful section with particularly sculpted dry waterfalls and fluted walls. The walls were greater than 20-40m high for much of the length. Rather than just a dull black, the canyon walls were lined with ferns, moss and other foliage which transmitted light and gave the canyon a green glow.

Many of the abseils had false floors. This happens when sediment and other debris gets trapped behind wedged logs or rocks and builds up the floor of the canyon to make a drop. We saw several places where out of reach bolts indicated places where false floors had collapsed. Many of the old bolts we used led to awkward abseils. For a change of roles I let Sara rig several of the drops.

When we got to the first waist deep pool at the base of a drop I heroically tried to give Sara a guided abseil to avoid the pool (I was partially successful). I gave her a piggyback ride across the second waist deep pool to spare her the dead creature-brewed freezing water. Sara was getting cold, and admittedly I was too after the wades, so we carried on at a steady pace.

Something like 16 abseils later we exited the canyon and scrambled down past Blue Creek Resurgence. From here we had a cruisy walk back on a good quality track which past several interesting mining relicts. Really glad I got to see this canyon.

Wairoa River Dec 28

When asking a Nelson caver for advice on cool things to do in the area, kayaking the Wairoa River was right at the top of his list. The river is one of several tidally-influenced rivers that drain into the Whanganui Inlet. It was therefore imperative that we go at high tide to avoid paddling through mud. It was a dreary, drizzly day, but at least the weather was offset by a cheery elderly couple that wanted to hear all about what we were up to as we readied the kayak. We paddled up the wide mouth of the Wairoa inlet until it gradually narrowed down to the normal width of a river valley. The bush we past was beautiful and appeared completely pristine. Tree ferns, kiekie, nikau palms. Ratas were in full bloom, painting the green hillsides with red splashes.

After a long straight stretch, we turned a corner and continued our exploration, not quite sure what the river was about to do. During one heavy fall of rain we ducked under an overhanging tree which served perfectly as umbrella, and watched the drops bounce of the tannin-stained waters. Eventually the river narrowed down to 5m wide and the river turned a rich tannin brown. We were now out of the realm of tidal influence.

The trees now stretched over the river, forming a tunnel to dissipate the rain drops. We continued to where there was a log jam across the whole river. We called it good and began our paddle back. We found a shallow spot in the middle of the river where at least a dozen large eels congregated. We spent several minutes searching out the biggest ones and Sara carefully took some underwater photos. We had paddled about 4 km up the river which made for a nice relaxing round trip. It was a wonderfully peaceful place.

Thanks to Richard for another great trip with his kayak.

Waterfall Creek Dec 27

I was long overdue giving my canyoning mate Toine a call. He had recently moved to Motueka to start up a canyoning business in and around Abel Tasman National Park. I gave him a ring hoping to find a time we could meet up. He mentioned he had a Waterfall Creek trip on tomorrow and asked if Sara and I would like to tag along. Even better!!!

We met Toine and company at a foggy and early 6am on the top of Takaka Hill. Factoring in the driving, hiking and canyoning itself made for a long day. After a quick howdy, we caravaned behind them to the Awaroa roadend. We followed an old farm road to a historic homestead. We continued across manuka flats before climbing up the steep hillside to the start of the canyon. It wasn't a difficult walk, but it sure was sweaty!

After lunch we all suited up. Toine and Lee gave their clients the crash course, and down we went. The first abseil was only a 20m walk from the drop in. Water levels were relatively low which meant we could abseil through the guts of the waterfalls and not worry about getting slammed. It was really neat to have a carefree trip taking photos and watching Toine and Lee do their thing.

        Using a human anchor

        Negotiating a log jam

 
What a great canyon! Although narrow slot canyons are probably my favorite, the wide open style of this canyon meant it had lots of color and lots of variety. Green moss, ferns and trees everywhere. Actively water-worn granite had a nice light salt and pepper color while the weathered granite surfaces had a nice bronze hue. The canyon had great features too. Unique waterfalls, breached potholes, natural arches, fun downclimbs, jumps to 10m and slides to 16m! The "King Slippa" slide in particular was just perfect (below). It is smooth and fast with virtually no way to screw it up, and best of all, it is easy to climb back to the top of it and repeat to heart's content.

The canyon the opens up for about a hundred meters and the creek flows over a great wide slab of granite bedrock to drop again at one of the larger waterfalls in the canyon. A traverse bypasses a frothy slanted slot. A few more downclimbs, abseils and slides lead to another short scramble past a bouldery slip area.

The canyon then narrows again for one of its nicest sequences; three very nice waterfalls in rapid succession. The first an abseil, the second a fun zipline across a pool, the third a very steep and slightly intimidating 16m slide. I was first down and got a face full of water from not leaning back enough! Sara hesitated for several minutes, before eventually going for it. She was all smiles when she came up.

        Lee at the top of the last slide.

Another jump and abseil later and the canyon was over too soon! We strolled down the stream, regained the track, and headed for Golden Bay. Sara and I both had a fantastic time. It made all the difference having the local knowledge of which drops could be jumped or slid. And going as a group always makes a canyon more cheerful, friendly and fun. It is a very nice canyon- definitely my favorite on the top half of the South Island (so far!). Huge thanks to Toine and Lee at Abel Tasman Canyons for a great day out!

Rawhiti Cave Dec 26

After a late Christmas night at the Brewers, we had a lazy morning at the hut before driving down the hill to Golden Bay. We had planned to kayak the Wairoa River off Whanganui Inlet but the tides were all wrong by the time we got up and moving. I felt discouraged. We hung out in Takaka, doing laundry and coming up with a plan. While our clothes dried we checked out nearby Labyrinth Park, a neat network of paths through nice karstic limestone outcrops. There must be hundreds of plastic Happy Meal-like toys hidden in nooks, crannies and trees for kids to find. It was even tackier than it sounds, but I suppose small children would really enjoy it.

Once laundry was ready we drove off to go for a hike to Rawhiti Cave. Upon arrival we saw the DOC sign suggesting the cave was a longer hike than we thought. I managed to talk Sara into trail running it with me...at least until it started steeply switchbacking up the steep side of the valley. I was drenched in sweat by the time I reached the cave but greatly enjoyed the cool air sitting in the cave entrance. The entrance chamber is enormous and its ceiling is literally coated in formations. The cave suggests a bigger system nearby but so far as I know this is the only thing that has been found in the area so far. We relaxed for 10 minutes before running back to the car. It was great to get in some exercise and sweat a little.

Abel Tasman Dec 23-25

Ever since my first visit to Abel Tasman National Park I have always wanted to do a multi-day kayak camping trip along the stunning granite coastline. Many of the coast's more picturesque and isolated beaches are only accessible from the sea and there is nothing like that extra bit of freedom compared to walking on a track. Since we would be going at the height of the summer holiday season I booked in tent campsites well in advance. I had planned to do a three day trip with a canyoning trip on the middle day. After just getting back from Harwoods, Sara vetoed my plan for a more relaxing trip staying at the coast. Once I saw the modest double sit-on-top kayak Richard would let us borrow (and the lack of space available for gear), I gave in. Logistically it was easier and would could enjoyed luxuries like a comfortable tent and sleeping pads instead of the cramped ultra-lightweight 1.5 man tent we borrowed from Richard.

We arrived in Marahau to a pretty nasty wind-chopped sea. Worse still, the wind would be a headwind. My enthusiasm waned as I watched a double kayak paddle heroically into the wind...making disturbingly slow progress along the shore. Fortunately, Sara's enthusiasm was high so off we went to give it a go. It was still early in the day and if we were desperate we could camp before our destination or turn back. The tide was reasonably far out at the time, which unfortunately meant hauling the kayak several hundred meters across the sand flats to the shore. Eventually we were on the water and making slow but deliberate progress. Sara was getting slammed by wind spray peeling off the bow and her eyes were burning from the salt water. I offered her my swim goggles which greatly improved her comfort, but decreased her vision.

We paddled for what seemed like ages across Sandy Bay aiming for the first headland at the start of the Abel Tasman coast. We stopped for a rest at the south side of Apple Tree Beach- I was so over paddling in the wind that I actually preferred to drag the kayak in the water along the beach to the north end to help us gain several hundred meters of ground. A friend of a friend struck up a conversation as he recognized our kayak and we had a good chat before we headed on. This next stretch through the Astrolabe Roadstead was considerably more sheltered so we made better time and gained some confidence. We had a nice rest and a swim at beautiful Watering Cove (above) , one of the last beaches before we entered exposed waters again.

We had only a kilometer and a half to go so we both powered on through. My rhythm was often dictated by Sara's (since she was in the front) but I found I could take slightly deeper strokes as needed to gain speed or change direction. We stopped twice for a minute's rest in the slightly calmer water in the lee of slight headlands, and then at last turned into the gracefully arcing bay of Te Pukatea where we would be camping for the night. The beach here was littered with thousands of little blue jellyfish in a neat line along the beach where the waves lapped against the sand. We enjoyed another swim in the beautiful waters before setting up camp. Despite not being the first to arrive, we definitely had the best camp- ocean front view, picnic table, clothesline, hummock. After dinner we went for a short walk to Pitt Head where we scouted the coast we would paddle tomorrow. The wind calmed and it turned it a beautiful night. We feel asleep to the sound of waves meters away.

        The beach at Te Pukatea

        Te Pukatea Bay

Since we only had 6 km to go on day 2 to reach our next camp (and since we wouldn't be canyoning), I was feeling pretty relaxed and not terribly excited. Nevertheless we got a relatively early to to enjoy the most of the calm sea conditions before the 10 am wind kicked up. We headed across the wide mouth of Torrent Bay and Boundary Bay (where the beaches were studded with holiday homes) so that we could enjoy some of the more remote and picturesque beaches of the trip. A small beach near North Head was particularly beautiful so we stayed and enjoyed it for some time. We then went around the corner and explored up the inlet at Frenchmans Bay. The beach at Sandfly Bay did not look particularly exciting so we paddled on across Bark Bay to have an early lunch and put-in at Mosquito Cove where we would camp the night. We then set up camp, ditched our stuff, and went for an explore north along the coast. We paddled through the maze of rock shoals protecting Mosquito Cove to the north and headed on past the appropriately named Foul Point. We found a nice secluded beachlet a bit further on that we shared with an unconcerned seal. The problem was the sun beat a little too hard in the bowl-like depression so we huddled close in the small patch of shade. Later a seal frolicked in the water and didn't seem to mind us joining it.

We noticed the wind swell whipping past the point seemed to be getting much worse so we decided to saddle up and head back to Mosquito Cove while we still could. This time we had to paddle obliquely into a headwind and the biggest rolling swell of the trip. Steadily we made progress. The tide was higher which made traversing the rocky shoals considering more difficult. With caution we found a way through and regained the sheltered comfort of  Mosquito Cove.While the tide was still somewhat low, we walked up the drained estuary and bathed in the refreshing freshwater of the creek that feeds it.

Mosquito Bay is quite a pretty spot that changes drastically with the tides. At low tide the granite hill which divides the bay is connected to land by beach sand (a tombolo), while at high tide water floods the beach and estuary and the granite hill becomes an island. It was yet another beautiful night.

We awoke to a sunny and warm Christmas morning. The sea was the calmest we had seen it in the last several days which was comforting as we had about 15 km to paddle to return to Marahau. Since we had already explored much of the coast between Mosquito Cove and Te Pukatea, we paddled on at speed to have more time to check the beaches and coast we grunted past on the first day. Conditions were great and amazingly we covered the 4.5km between the two campsites in under an hour! We stopped in for a sunbath at an indented little beach near Te Karetu Point. We found a neat little arch near Watering Cove, then onward to Observation Beach, Cyathea Cove, Akersten Bay and Stilwell Bay. We explored a few more arches and sea caves- despite the occasional holiday home cluttering the view, this was definitely one of the nicer bits of coast. We were fortunate that since it was Christmas there were few people around and no water taxis or kayak tours running. It was amazing to have such nice conditions, peace and quiet right in the middle of the high season.

We had a final swim at Coquille Bay before paddling on to Marahau. En route a little blue penguin popped out of the water so we followed him until he dove under- the obvious sign that he had had enough attention for the day. The tide was higher this time which made landing and unloading the kayak considerably easier. If I was doing the trip again (and not canyoning) I would plan to kayak as far as Awaroa Bay to take in more of the more remoter and seldom visited beaches. All in all it was a great trip. Thanks to Richard for the use of the kayak.