Category: Wildlife

The Catlins

Found in the depths of New Zealand’s South Island, the rugged coastline of The Catlins looks south towards Antarctica.

Getting out to the coast was feels like a breath of fresh air, regardless to the fact we live on the boarder of one of the world’s pristine national parks. The sea breeze is different to the dry Wanaka air. We forget home much we like the coast after being way for so long.

We spent the weekend down by Nugget Point, an iconic location for photography and wildlife enthusiast. The beaches here host Sea Lions and Penguins among many other walks of life.

The wildlife is not the only attraction, the coastline boasts some amazing geographic features such as blow holes, cliffs, bays and surf!

This is one of my favourite pictures from our weekend. It tells a lot about the location. The wind blown tree, rugged landscape, landscape use, and funky lines.

Elephant Rock

“Geology Rocks”. It’s true. I will proudly admit that I really appreciate an impressive rock formation, just like any other one of natures aesthetically pleasing products.

Coastlines are extremely dynamic parts of our earth which are forever changing over varying scales. In one meteorological event, significant parts of our coast can be destroyed, constructed and altered by the forces of wind and water. In 2005, the Outer Hebrides experienced this as the sea claimed up to six meters of coastline in one surge. These conditions are prime for the creation of impressive structures, commonly in the form of stacks, caves and arches.

My brother and I both studied Geography as undergraduates around the same time period; although at different universities. Coincidentally, at this point in his career our father began drawing and developing his interest in iconic rock formations beginning with those close to home in the North East such as Marsden Rock. From here he moved on to more impressive and unusual structures such as the Drinking Dragon rock, Isle of Mann. Whilst reading about these rocks around the UK, I frequently came across ‘The Elephant Rock’. This was always a particularly impressive image to come across, so much so that I always questioned its authenticity – “it’s probably nothing like that in real life…”.

Oh, how I was wrong.

The Elephant Rock is located at Tongaporutu near New Plymouth on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The rock itself is sited at an area referred to as Three Sisters Rocks. The Three Sisters were rocks found on this part of the coastline, however only two still remain today. This part of the coastline is littered with stacks, arches, caves and cliffs which have been carved by coastal erosion. It is possible that this part of the coastline is the most impressive I’ve ever seen. The cliffs are high, the arches are cavernous and the coastline is ongoing in both directions, with the stereotypically volcanic Mt Taranaki on display in the distance to the South. The rocks are patterned with numerous layers from top-to-toe.

This location is only accessible by foot at low tide. As you walk out along the river estuary you find a range of structures that all look animal-like as your imagination is in full flow at the thought of the Elephant rock. It was up until this point that I still believed the rock would not look as impressive to the naked eye, I then spotted an enormous elephant in the distance between the sisters. It even had a hairy back!

 

 

Barefoot Manta

After missing the Manta Rays at Mantaray Island, we decided to make Barefoot Manta Island (or more traditionally know as Drawaqa Island) our final stop. This resort is on a neighbouring island and offers the same experience of sighting the rays. Again, we boarded the Flyer and headed south before jumping on our Water Taxi out to the island. As we were taking part in a group check in, we couldn’t believe it, the drum started beating, a ray had been spotted. We made an abrupt end to the check in process, left our bags where they were and charged for the boat. Before we knew it, we were swimming with a 4/5m wide, unworldly creature in a channel just off the island.

The channel is ideal for rays as it is narrow and has a strong flow of water passing through it. Effortlessly, the rays glide along in the water drifting with the currents before turning on a wide bearing and gradually working back up against the current. The ray looked elegant and calm at all times, yet for us humans it was a slightly different scenario… When our group attempted to swim against the current we realised why there was safety talks. Fighting the current on the surface took a lot of effort. We were battling against the tide, yet not realising how much as we were fixed on the ray.

[photograph by Jarkko Lainee]

Blue Lagoon

Our next stop was Blue Lagoon, one of the more up-market places we stayed in the Yasawa group. We stayed there at additional costs to our deal however, the food was worth it at FJ$99 each. A la carte menu and Lovo (traditional fijian pit oven) buffet. The food was awesome.

We knew this was one of the best parts of fiji for reef life so we wolfed down our lunch after arriving and jumped on a snorkelling trip that was just heading out. When we got there, we were dropped off on a sand bank just off the Blue Lagoon. A couple of snorkels poked out the water giving away peoples locations. We threw our masks on and plunged into the ocean and swam out to the coral which was bursting with life. Groups of Triggerfish, Damselfish and Butterflyfish dotted around the reef, it was good fun to swim through the schools of fish as they swim in the opposite direction. Clown Fish were hidden among the soft coral which was full of colour, far too much Finding Nemo jokes were brought to the table.

After Snorkelling we went back to the beach in front of the resort which was beautiful. A narrow white sandy beach with a steep drop into inviting blue water. We had a few beers and chilled out, reading on the beach and taking the odd dip to cool off until there was an epic sunset to cap off the day. As night fell, we got ready for the Lovo Buffet and were entertained by the staff of the resort who put on music and dancing which everyone could get involved in. After a mouthwatering dinner we went back down to the beach for a bonfire and a few cocktails. The fire was amazing under a perfectly clear night, a few powerful cocktails in the hammock meant it was game over for us; great end to an amazing day.

Seeking Manta Rays

The next stop on our island hopping tour was Manta Ray Island, the main island I wanted to visit while in Fiji. Here, I really wanted to swim with the famous Manta Rays. These gigantic sea creatures can reach up to seven meters in width and are classed among sharks. These rays are filter feeders and seem to enjoy the tidal dynamics at play between these closely situated islands. The flow of water between the islands produces the perfect feeding grounds for Manta Rays who use the currents to effortlessly glide through the water filtering for Zooplankton. The location and biodiversity also provides cleaning stations for the rays to interact with other reef species.

Unfortunately, we did not manage to swim with Manta Rays. We were only there for one day and although they have eyes out on the water at all times, like the previous five days, they spotted nothing. Nevertheless, the resort was one of the nicest we stayed in and was a very chilled place to chill. I managed to have a quick snorkel and I spotted more life in 15 minutes than I had all trip, this place was crazy. Their coral gardens were stacked with colour, it was like someone had photoshopped the seascape. Like a ray, I let the current take me through the reef for a while before I retired for the day and aimed for the pizza oven and bar. Fortunately, we did manage to view a Manta Ray from the shore which swam unusually close to land, just as the sun was setting and we were having a booze on the beach.

That night we ate well. It was a long time coming after the previous few nights. The entertainment and overall experiences had been amazing, however the food was gash. A three course meal, a la carte, was definitely what the doctor ordered. The food was great and the large, souped-up Aussie lady decking it after missing her chair was great entertainment. Later, a relaxed night with beers and cocktails on the beach loungers softened the blow of not swimming with the rays.

Sea Snake

Just as we were about to leave Safe Landing I noticed the locals gathering on the beach pointing and watching something. A highly venomous Sea Snake had come ashore which was a rare sight. The locals suggested it may have been coming ashore to lay eggs and said they have only seen them on land few times. A guy we shared a dorm with got a bit of a shock when he thought back to the previous day when he was swimming with one at the blue lagoon assuming they were harmless!