Playing on the West Coast

I managed to get away last weekend for a couple of days of fun on the West Coast of the South Island. I joined a group of friends to look for caves in an area between Greymouth and Westport, along the West Coast. I have not had the chance for much cross country travel (called bushwhacking in New Zealand) and was excited about the trip. We left Christchurch around 6:00 A.M. Friday and drove west over Arthur's Pass. The weather has been cold lately and we were all a bit surprised to see how much snow has fallen in Arthur's Pass. Our clear weather window held however, and we made it over the pass with no trouble. We made a quick stop at a cafe and I purchased a couple of savory meat pies to hold me over until dinner. Once our appetites were satiated we were eager to get into the bush. After a short time we parked the truck and geared up for our day of bushwhacking.

We ascended a ridge, fighting our way through the sometimes dense bush. I had the chance to get acquainted with a wonderful plant called supplejack. I don't think this vine has leaves because I never did see where the vines led to. The vines are generally about as thick as your index finger and have the annoying habit of growing in lazy loops and arches and occur in sufficient numbers as to catch on everything - arms, legs, boots, packs, etc. All of us experienced a bit of "bushrage" at one point or another :-)

Lunch stop at the top of the ridge


The flora and fauna was amazing! Aside from the supplejack, we encountered cabbage trees, lancewood, tree ferns, kauri, and many other beautifully green and luscious plants. Curious robins would flitter about, land on a rock or branch within a meter or two and watch what you were doing. No doubt they were thankful for the insects we disturbed.

Most of the ridge is covered in thick bush


Our goal was to look for cave entrances. However, the bush was so thick in places you could be standing within 5 meters of an entrance and not see it. I could not help but think about search principles like "Probability of Detection." Sufficient coverage of this area would be difficult. I am sure we unknowingly walked by as many entrances as we found.

Cave entrances are sometimes hidden by the bush


We found many entrances, but most were either blocked with silt or constrictions which were two small to negotiate. However, it only takes one small passage to connect to a larger system within the ridge, and chance to find virgin (unexplored) cave drove us onward.

This cave descended into a tight and incredibly unstable crack.


At the very end of the day - as is usually the case - we found an interesting feature: A tomo (vertical entrance) with what looks to be a 20 meter drop. We had to leave this cave to explore at a later date as it was getting late and we wanted to get back to the main trail by nightfall. What a wonderful experience! We may not have covered much ground, but there are enough interesting features in this area to make us all want to return. Now we have another goal: to find out where this cave goes.

We got back to our car around 6:00 P.M. and headed back into town to grab a bite to eat. After a relaxing dinner of fish and chips we drove back to Greymouth and stayed with a West Coast caver for the night.

I began the weekend with a bit of play on Friday. We then went to work on Saturday (well, ok, this is really playing also :-). On Saturday our group joined up with a few folks from the West Coast who are all involved in cave rescue. Our goal for the day was to rig a mineshaft to lower an attendant to the bottom (if possible) and back up. Some folks told a story about a person who disappeared many years ago in the area (the body was never found), and it might be possible that this mineshaft could have been the final resting place. Who knows? However, the area is riddled with mineshafts from a previous era of gold mining. The story did, however, add some interest to the operation.

Sorting gear


We measured the pitch with a rope tied to a rock and measured it at about 20 meters, although we were not sure if the shaft continued at an angle or not. This mineshaft was dug into alluvium. Large cobbles lined the walls of the shaft, and we watched as some of the cobbles spontaneously dislodged from the wall to crashed to the bottom. Because of the dangerous objective rockfall hazard, we decided to rig the shaft with a deflection so we could lower an attendant into the shaft without disturbing the walls.

I wonder what's down there?


As this was a rescue practice, we all got the chance to hone our rigging skills by setting up the rope systems. Part of our training included a short presentation about the dangers of bad air present in many mines, and we were encouraged to observe proper safety procedures by utilizing an oxygen monitor. We were also reminded of proper belay technique. After these presentations we set out to rig two tripods, one on either side of the shaft, rig the haul system for the deflection, and the haul system and belay for the attendant.

Proper belay technique


After a quick lunch we commenced the operation, and a brave soul was lowered down the shaft. Actually, due to the instability of the shaft, the attendant was only lowered about 2 meters before being hauled back to surface.

Two tripods, one deflection


Well, we did not solve the mystery of the missing person, but we all had a great day of training! I still wonder what's down there, but I will let someone else find out.

We wrapped up the operation as rain started to fall. We left shortly after packing the truck because we had to drive over Arthur's Pass back to Christchurch. Luckily, only rain fell in the pass and we soon made it back home.

Orana Wildlife Park

On Saturday Gaby and I visited the Orana Wildlife Park, located just west of Christchurch along the Waiamakariri River. The park focuses mostly on large game animals from Africa, but does have a few exhibits of native New Zealand wildlife. Orana is described as an "open range" park, which means, when possible, fences or containment features blend in with the environment - except, of course, for the large, industrial wire screens which separate the lions from the visitors :-) As it turns out, Orana designers took much of the native terrain into account, utilizing the naturally shallow water table to maintain moats which form part of a natural containment perimeter around the paddocks

Self portrait at the entrance to Orana Wildlife Park


The water table has recently risen in the vicinity due to a higher than average rainfall. The higher water table has led to flooding of some areas, such as the ring tailed lemur paddock. Fortunately, a boat has been provided for them.

The ringtailed lemur paddock.


Orana Wildlife Park does house some native New Zealand species, such as the kiwi. The kiwi is a nocturnal animal, so it sleeps during the day and forages during the night. This arrangement would normally make for a boring display - the birds would all be asleep during normal business hours. To add more interest to the display, kiwi are usually housed in what is known as a "kiwi house." The birds are placed inside a light tight building, and the lights are slowly shifted twelve hours off. In other words, inside the building the birds are fooled into thinking it's dark outside, when they are more active. This was perhaps the first kiwi house I have visited in which the kiwis were active! It was great to see these big funny looking birds waddle around the enclosure. Flash photography was not allowed inside the kiwi house, so you will have to settle for this lifesize replica of a kiwi - the bird, not the person :-)

The kiwi house.


There was a nice display of some native and endemic bird species, such as the kea, tui, and pukeko. They have a small aviary which contains a variety of New Zealand birds. The exhibit was lush and the air filled with interesting bird calls.

The New Zealand bird aviary.


A picturesque clumb of stalks in the moat which formed the front perimeter of the Rhino paddock. I felt quite safe knowing this clump of twisted sticks and twiggs formed the heart of the perimeter enclosure and would stop a potential charge from the 4000 pounds of malice roaming beyond the moat.

Reflections


I had to try out the flying fox located in the Adventure Playground. In New Zealand a flying fox is a system where a cable is suspended between two points with a basket or seat attached to the cable with a pulley. These systems were originally developed as a means of transporting goods or people across a river or gorge. The flying fox has since been transormed into an exhilerating use of a zip line!

The flying fox.


Hmmm....This could be interesting!


I am fascinated with big cats. I grew up with house cats and have always thought it interesting that our pet cats share many of the same behaviours with their distant wild cousins. I enjoy watching the big cats on display, especially when I see the same behaviours my house cats have shown. I like to imagine that my house cat is a wild cat, hunting for prey in the wild. From afar, I can even imagine one of these as a house cat - from afar! From close up, you can see these cats are not quite the same as your house cat.

The Lion Encounter Ride: It seems Orana Wildlife Park offers a special visitor engagement whereupon a park visitor may encounter the feeding of lions from a most advantageous point of view. It was just after 2:00pm and I hadn't eaten lunch yet; at least this would provide me with the opportunity to watch other critters eat. Upon paying the necessary $12.00/person fee I was handed two tickets - printed on red paper no less. The intrigue rose when I read the tickets. Printed on the tickets was a list of rules:

Lion Encounter Ride Ticket

Rule #1. I will follow the instructions of the animal keeper at all times.

Rule #2. I will keep my whole body (including arms & legs) behind the central barrier.

Rule #3. I will not attempt to touch the lions under any circumstances

Rule # 4. I am taller than 1.4 metres.

After reading this list of rules, a few thoughts came to mind: Rule#1 is sensible enough. I wonder what happend that caused the phrase "including arms & legs" to be added to Rule #2 ? Isn't Rule#3 a bit redundant? I mean, this is supposed to be an encounter with feeding lions. And apearently, according to Rule#4, whatever size the appetizer, it appears the lions have a minimum size for a main...

The chuckwagon - I mean - our lion encounter transport vehicle.


According to the animal keeper, in captivity these lions usually eat around 8 pounds of meat at a sitting. We were then informed that if the lions are fed that much every day they become lazy. So, to maintain healthy activity in the animals, they are not fed every day, but have "fast days," which provides the big cats ample opportunity to digest the bone and sinew they eat along with the more choice bits. Needless to say, these lions had an appetite.

Hungry lions.


These were BIG CATS. They had BIG CLAWS and BIG TEETH. I guess our animal keeper has not read Rule #2.

Oddly enough, their breath smelled faintly of liver and kidney slices in gravy...



Our lion encounter vehicle stopped in front of the large viewing stand positioned safely outside the paddock (do they know something we don't?). At this point a couple of the more "active" cats decided to jump up on top of the cage. Above our heads. The big cats walked back and forth across the top of the cage. The lion was hungry. It was drooling on us. Occasionally the animal keeper would reach into a bucket, pull out another chunk of meaty bits and push it through the heavy metal cage for the big cat to gulp down. The big cat jumped off the top of our cage as easily as it jumped up - what a site!

The lions ride for free.


Wondering how to get at the soft pink meaty bits inside?


The moat in front of the giraffe paddock.


A curious giraffe.


Yes, you can feed the giraffes. If you can hold onto the stalk hard enough the giraffe will wrap its toungue around the branch and strip it clean of leaves.

A hungry giraffe.


The giraffe shared their paddock with a few pukeko.