As you head south from Hokitika through the forest and the fern-lined State Highway 6, South Westland’s herbal splendor grows with impressive intensity as you head south. The feeling of escaping is magical as you pass through those long green clearings, where the forest canopy crosses the road. There’s insta-gold in every shift. I traveled to Whataroa, where nesting is the star attraction. Just outside Whataroa, the rare white heron (kotoku) nests in the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve from September to March. You can only access the reserve on a guided tour with White Heron Sanctuary Tours, which I jumped enthusiastically, departing from Whataroa Main Street. For 33 years, Arnold’s circle of relatives has captivated visitors, having had the vision of caring for and sharing this world-class attraction. They have doc’s exclusive concession on site and are unwavering to maintain access to the sanctuary, boardwalks and observation hideout built especially in the most sensitive notch condition.
Dion Arnold led our organization of tourists, a naturally captivating host with a delicious and erased habit typical of the west coast, keeping us absorbed through a stream of anecdotes and ideas, underlining his constant love for available conservation. It is presumed that the first target Herons were swept away by the wind across the Tasmanian Sea from Australia several hundred years ago, but the explanation for why white herons only have one nesting site in New Zealand and why it is discovered in this remote expanse of the southwest remains one of nature’s wonderful secrets. . His Australian brothers prefer much warmer climates. The charming walk through the shrine takes you through the fascinating beauty of a primitive forest ruled through Kahikatea, dotted with local trees and plants. It is one of the largest reserves of kahitakea in the country, with many trees After admiring the ornaments of the forest, the first view pleased us greatly with the exhibition with some of the other citizens of the sanctuary: the royal spatula and the cormoranito, all in the air.
Five minutes later, we arrived at the two-story hideaway of the featured attraction. On the other side of the water, the lush rainforest seemed loaded with giant balls of white, fluffy cotton. Kia prays, kotuku. By the time of my stopover at the end of October, there were no fewer than 43 breeding pairs in their nests and the chicks were already born. The season got off to a wonderful start. It was a hotbed of activity, with the parents flying and looking for sticks and twigs to fortify the nest. Back at the pregnant woman’s house, loaded with building materials, there was a wonderful wave of excitement and a birthday party. real and natural. They are also incredibly delicate, even delicate, like snow-white dancers in full functionality mode.
Surely it was desirable to observe from the hideout, where you are about 20 meters from the birds. During the autumn and winter months, they disperse widely throughout New Zealand and are sometimes considered a solitary bird, so definitely plan a summer scale. Dion has given a great deal of desirable wisdom about kotuku, which beautifies our $2 coin. Their bridal parades are very elaborate and men build small platforms from which they promote it to women. The man dramatically lifts his bridal feathers, his neck upright, his beak pounding and the wing feathers beating. Once a female is attracted, the couple softens and intertwines their long S-shaped necks, wings and beaks. Due to its rarity in New Zealand and its beautiful plumage, kotuku was highly appreciated through Maori and European settlers for its decorative feathers.
By the 1930s, her feathers had become a major fad in women’s hats. The species was almost exterminated to meet demand after its only breeding site on the Waitangiroto River was discovered in 1865 through surveyor Gerhard Mueller. In 1941, there were only 4 nests. Fortunately today, the population has stabilized with around 140 kotuku in New Zealand. In Maori folklore, seeing one of those birds only once in his life was considered a good fortune and comparing someone to a kotuku gave him a wonderful compliment. on a scale with the Arnolds. www. whiteherontours. co. nz
The nourishing force of nature is the most productive balm to recharge the batteries from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, which is why Okarito has probably passed out through connoisseurs as a coastal paradise for languid and eco-rich getaways. It may be one of the last special and irreproachable positions in New Zealand. Just 25 minutes south of Whataroa, this irresistibly laid-back village feels like a world on its own. It’s no wonder there is such a sparkle in his eyes, a smile in position, and a warm welcome when meeting the locals. With a permanent population of around thirty inhabitants, the proximity, the spirit of the network and the hyper coexistence are the hallmarks of Okarito. To succeed on this charming seaside, leave the main west coast highway south of Whataroa, for the last 10 miles to the coast, which passes through a majestic rainforest, cut by the pristine Okarito River. Upon arrival, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of the mighty jaws of the Southern Alps, the roaring ocean, the magnificent lagoon, the impressive cliffs and the vast and lush forest of this ecological wonderland that you will love the heart.
The old pier does the right task of honoring the people’s heroic heritage as a thriving gold mining town, with poignant exhibits and interpretive panels. I was especially impressed by the symptoms of the blue whale that appeared on the beach in 1908. Su skeleton is now in a stall at the Canterbury Museum, after a force excursion to send this giant from the ocean across the Alps, I walked through the village with the captivating Paula Sheridan, who with her husband Swade , manages Okarito Boat Ecoexcursions and manages many holidays. Okarito may not want more passionate, convincing and exuberant representatives of his people and herbal riches. In 1865, the mining municipality of Okarito became the port city to serve nearby gold fields, despite formidable demanding situations. ocean channel in conversion.
Like so many West Coast cities, I never stop to wonder how frantic the pace of activity will have to have been in places like this, at the height of the boom of the past, full of humanity, commerce and a very noisy hotel scene. The images and works of art in the demonstration vividly capture the age of passld fever. In 1866, more than 50 commercial hotels and department stores and a BNZ supported a population of 2500. A year later, that number had been reduced to just six hundred. Prospecting fever moved further north. There are huts and buildings that still grow in the Okarito that go back to the boom, nothing more than the Donovan store, in The Strand. It is the oldest wooden construction on the coast, which began its life as El Club Hotel in 1865. Converted into a general store in the 1890s, it was run by James Donovan and his wife Eva for about 60 years.
After a fabulous restoration, the construction now serves as a network and library, harboring all kinds of occasions, from ancient excavations to giant concerts. This beautiful window to the rich beyond Okarito is a must. The village is, of course, a tractor beam for the creatives. , presented through one of New Zealand’s most complete landscape photographers, Andris Apse. Its glamorous house and gallery are an emotion and you will be very happy to meet this incredibly humble and attractive boy. Keri Hulme is another resident element, recently disappeared. He moved north of Otago three years ago and packed 35,000 pounds through the engines, but the piece of resistance is undoubtedly Okarito Lagoon, New Zealand’s most giant undared wetland.
With a fauna and flora of salt water and new water. This extensive estuarine lagoon is full of birds and is the most productive experienced an eco-adventure with Paula and Swade. Su specially built flat-bottomed boat reminded me to sail in the depths of the Everglades and will equip you with carpets and binoculars to decorate the shrink experience. They organize a variety of excursions, however, the excursion for early risers, to the first blanket of the day, is the most productive time of the day to see as many as 70 species of birds feed in the lagoon, while the wonderful members of the lustrous rainforest play a mirror mirror on the wall, in the calm waters of the lagoon. It’s an awesome breakfast. The large collection of birds is impressive, from royal spatulas, barges, terns and oysters to magpie stilts, Caspian terns, ducks of paradise . . . and above all, the wonderful white heron.
They can nest in the northernr summer in Waitangiroto, however, the lagoon is their main source of food for the kotuku. It is also the permanent house of component of the population, after leaving the nest, so you will see them all year round circular on the Laguna Okarito, adding the bird to which they nicknamed “Heronius”. Paula and Swade can also offer you a holiday home to rent, either for a night or a month. I stayed right next to Keri Hulme’s old space (feeling exhausted by those who moved in and that e-book library), in Pukeko Landing, with a touching view of the ocean, with a pohutukawa tree humming from tui to tui. outdoors the living room. Okarito takes you to another realm of solitude, nestled between the mighty Southern Alps and the Tasmanian Sea, where a deep respect for the glorious ecosystem is rooted in the DNA of the people. With a handful of gloriously warm and earthy residents, this is a position that will captivate you with its bewitching buckle. www. okaritoboattours. co. nz
Finally, if you need to load a touch of geology and long-term crisis tourism into your itinerary, leaving Whataroa, why not do an Alpine Fault Tour?It’s really very informative, with a captivating 3D animation modeling produced through GNS, which illustrates vividly then take you to Gaunt Creek, where you can see and touch the edge as the paper of two large tectonic plates. Insert your finger into the crack and you can touch them. It is quite surprising that each every three hundred years approximately, the entire Pacific plate rises 4 meters and horizontally 8 meters. Reservations are esenciales. www. alpinefaulttours. co. nz
For more tips on regional tours in this sublime and wild pocket of New Zealand, www. westcoast. co. nz
Mike Yardley is our resident traveler at Jack Tame on Saturday morning.