Living in New Zealand: Stand Up Paddle Boarding Around Quail Island
Being an island, Ōtamahua is fun to stand up paddle around. But the wind. Even though I got up early and was down at the wharf by seven most days, it was still windy nearly all the time.
Quail Island wharf on a busy morning. Note riffle of water.
Oh well, it was fun to paddle down to King Billy Island and see all birds. Provided the tide wasn't out and I didn't have to walk across the mudflats.
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On my last day the wind dropped, Hurrah!
A rare calm morning on Lyttelton Harbour
Lyttelton from Quail Island wharf
Looking towards Moepuku and King Billy Island, paddling around Quail Island on a calm day with the tide in!
Living in New Zealand: Being a DOC Hut Warden on Ōtamahua/Quail Island
Taking the Black Cat boat from Lyttelton to Quail Island
This summer I’m volunteering as a hut warden on Quail Island (if you want to volunteer with DOC you can ask them via their website). I was there for three nights last week and I really enjoyed my time. I didn’t see any mice.
My main responsibilities were to keep the place clean and make sure no one had any open fires. Most people clean up after themselves in DOC huts and I didn't have any problems on that score. The only fire lit was the log burner. It has been cool for January, but I think the old guy staying there when I arrived wanted to light it for the atmosphere more than anything else. In any case it was like a sauna when I walked in and I was glad I wasn't having to sleep in the bunkrooms with the rest of the visitors.
Warden quarters are basic. The bunks aren the same as you find in the huts and you still have to bring gas to cook with and a lamp as there is no power in the hut.
I learned an interesting thing from one of the Trust members. He says that birds usually like to poop before they cross water. Their biggest problem right now are the thistles and Red Valerian - both wind-blown seeds.
The history and returning native bush and birds make the island a fun place to walk around.
Or paddle around:
I’ll definitely be back.
Living in New Zealand: Garden Invaders (This Time it's Ducks)
When we moved back to New Zealand a couple of years ago, one of the first things we had to do was fence out the neighbours sheep. I wanted to plant trees, vegetables and fruit and the sheep wanted to eat them. After they broke through the fence a couple of times, we put in a better fence and then I just had to deal with the possums (I still haven’t managed to trap a single one).
Then I saw that the neighbours had got chickens. Luckily the chickens seem to like hanging out with the sheep and so far haven't begun to scratch around my seedlings. The same seemed to be the case for the floppy eared rabbit that kept escaping from other neighbours up the hill.
But now we are being invaded by a family of ducks. They are wild and don't belong to anyone, and are fearless too. It takes a considerable amount of shooing to get them to leave my garden.
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Let's hope this year is when we get our new dog who might do a better job at chasing them away than I do.
New Zealand Garden Diary: Perennial Edibles and Sleeping Bumble Bees
This summer is very cool and my tomatoes, courgettes and pumpkins are sulking, but the beans are getting going and the bees and I are enjoying the flowers in my garden, including the artichokes.
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And there are some edible plants that keep going and going. I love how the walking onions are gradually moving around the vegetable patch.
