Nelda Goes to Hokitika

Gaby and I wanted to take Nelda to the West Coast before she left for home at the end of January, so, on the third weekend of January we packed our bags and traveled west over Arthur's Pass to Hokitika. Of course the weather forecast was for rain - lots of rain, but we didn't let the weather dampen our spirits!

As we headed west on State Highway 73 out of Christchurch, we stopped before heading into the mountains to enjoy the scenery.



I gained an audience gathered from a nearby paddock. Cows always seem to be quite curious. I have to admit, it's sometimes a bit nerve wracking to have all these critters just looking at you, as though they can read your mind... Or, they may just think that you might feed them.



From Hokitika we took a drive around nearby Lake Kaniere and stopped to see the picturesque Dorothy Falls, just off the road. The waters which drain off the valleys acquire a reddish tint from the plant material.



Just opposite the road from the short walking track to Dorothy Falls is a track which leads to the shore of Lake Kaniere. We decided to take Nelda to the lakeshore for a look. The bush was thick and shady along the track.



Large tree ferns made me think of remnant forest of a distant past. I half expected to see therapods wandering through the bush.



After about half a kilometer of easy walking track we reached the scenic shore of Lake Kaniere.



Nelda took her colorful purse with her wherever we went. She was seldom seen without it. She made up for the dull and dreary West Coast weather.



One last destination on our wee driving tour was to see the Hokitika Gorge and Swingbridge. The waters which course through the gorge have a wonderful greenish blue cast.



We enjoyed the swingbridge for a while, then continued on down to the river to take a look.



The scenery is great. We would have spent more time there except the biting flies found us.



We had to do a bit of scrambling to reach the scenic spots.



We stayed overnight in Hokitika and the next day drove north along the West Coast to Charleston and back over Arthur's Pass. It rained just about the entire time, but we had heaps of fun.



The constant rain made it a bit difficult to get out and walk, but we did manage a cook's driving tour along a fair bit of the West Coast. We enjoy visiting the West Coast and look forward to our next trip there.

Kaikura Day Trip

On 13 January, we took Gaby's mother Nelda with us to Kaikura for a day trip.

On this trip we decided to try something new for lunch, and stumbled upon a Malaysian Restaurant located on the main road at the north end of town. This restaurant (at the moment I forget the name) serves some of the best Indian/Malaysian food I have ever had. When we were finished with our meal, Nelda went to the kitchen to complement the chef of the small, family run restaurant. It was then that we learned we were dining on the last day this restaurant would be open before being shut down for a year while undergoing a move and renovation! Supposedly they will open back up in the new main shopping center at the north end of town near the New World.

The weather was once again great and we had a great view looking south from the Kaikura peninsula.



The small downtown section of Kaikura.



This is a cryptic sign warning visitors to keep away from the animals - at leat 10 meters. I think the picture shows a person holding a pair of binoculars?



Looking north from Kaikura you see the Kaikura Ranges.



The birds enjoyed the sunshine while relaxing on the parked vehicles.

Western Center For Archaeology and Paleontology

[All images of The Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology were taken by Arthur Kesler and are used here with permission.]

Before Gaby and I left California for New Zealand I worked at the San Bernardino County Museum as a field paleontologist, collecting fossils from the field. In the mid to late 1990s our division worked on a large earthmoving project just south of Hemet, CA. The project was to construct two large earth fill dams for a large water reservoir. During the course of construction (1993-2001) our field crew found and excavated a veritable treasure trove of Ice Age fauna, similar to what is found at the La Brea Tar Pits at the Page Museum in downtown Los Angeles.

Our team excavated and recovered several impressive sites which contained semi-articulate specimens. These finds were carefully stabilized and preserved. After construction of Diamond Valley Lake was completed, the Metropolitan Water District, along with a few inspirational individuals, decided to pursue the construction of a new natural history museum devoted to the natural history of the surrounding area, including fossil finds recovered during the construction of the reservoir. This grand concept led to the planning and construction of Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology.

The folks at the Western Center wanted to put on display several of the larger specimens, complete with mounted replicas. Again, the San Bernardino County Museum Geological Sciences division staff was called upon to make this happen. Through the hard work and creative minds of folks like Michael Stokes, Craig Manker, Quintin Lake, James Bowden, and myself, our team was able to create replicas of these fine specimens. After many months of planning and problem solving, we got the job done.

I have had the great fortune of witnessing this process come full circle: from the search for fossils through the excavation and recovery, the preparation and stabilization, the reconstruction, and finally, the replication. The Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology in Hemet has recently opened its doors to museum visitors. Since I don't know when I will be in Southern California again, I asked my parents to travel to the museum and snap a few photos of the displays.





In 1995, Senior Field Paleontologist Quintin Lake discovered the first largely intact specimen from the reservoir. Thankfully, much of the construction in the area was completed by the contractors, which allowed crews to excavate the find without interrupting their work. This was an impressive find, as it appears to be the largest Mastadon found on the West Coast of the United States. Most impressive about this specimen was that the skull was mostly intact.



The cast of Max's skull is in the mount of the animal, while the original skull is on display beside it.



Quintin's impressive find highlighted the potential for great discoveries in the area. As construction progressed the field crew continued to find many more fossils. Then, in 1997, I found another impressive site: not just a single mastodon, but a collection of at least 6 different large mammals - camel, bison antiqua and bison latifrons, among others. The mastodon, named "Little Stevie," is one of the most intact mastodons found on the west coast with around 60% of the animal found.



Excavation of the "Little Stevie" site took three weeks. There is a display which adds some detail to what is involved in the excavation of a fossil site.



Carefull attention to detail in the field can offer valuable insight into reconstruction of what the area might have been like thousands of years before.





My Mother enjoys the "Little Stevie" display!





The field crew again continued to recover large numbers of great fossils from the reservoir. The next "big" find was when I found what turned out to be a mammoth which is caled "Zena." Astonishingly, the skull of this individual was found to be mostly intact (along with the tusks). The field crew had a great time overcoming the challenges of recovering this specimen.



Again, the original skull is on display next to the mounted replica.



"Zena" mounted for all to enjoy.



There were of course other animals found as well. This mount of a Sloth is similar to the species of incomplete sloth specimens found during the project.



"Zena" and "Max" stand side by side for visitors to enjoy.



Behind The Scenes

What may not be evident from the finished museum displays is the hard work and devotion of the entire field crew. These folks worked tirelessly for over seven years, diligently searching for fossils which may have been exposed by construction. It is the field crew which made all this possible, for they are the ones who showed determination and perserverence in the search and recovery of these splendid specimens. These are the folks who had the knowledge and desire to recover these awesome fossils for future generations. They are the ones who laboured hard and long, and deserve to be recognized for their efforts. I wish to thank all those folks who were a part of our field crew at the musuem.

I would like to extend a special thanks to my good friend and former colleague Quintin Lake, who taught me much about looking for fossils and how to recover them. He continues to be an inspiration for me.



I would also like to thank Craig Manker, who picked up where others had left off in order to make sure this project would get finished. He stuck in there for the long haul, devoting countless hours and working through much frustration to complete the task at hand. I congratulate you Craig on a job well done.



I have never worked with such a wonderful group of friendly, eccentric folks who love what they do.



My last great highlight before leaving the San Bernardino County Museum was to be able to make one of the first successful casts of a tusk!



I would also like to thank Jim Bowden, whose expertise helped to replicate the colours of the original specimens. His great skill definitely shows in how well the casts came out. I am sorry I do not have a photo of you to post here Jim, but I wanted to thank you for your efforts none the less.

If you ever find yourself wandering about around Southern California, I would encourage you to make a stop at the Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology in Hemet and discover what might be found beneath your feet!

Scotts Valley Track

On slopes of the ridges surrounding Heathcote Valley there is a walking track called the Scotts Valley Track, which meanders across the valley slopes around our house. In late Septemper, 2006 we decided to check out the track.

The carpark for the track is just a few blocks down Bridle Path Road.



The start of the track is rather steep, but the views are worth it! Along the ridgeline, Mt. Cavendish is on the left and Castle Rock is on the right.



The trail passes through an old abandoned stone quarry.



The floor of the valley is where Heathcote is, and the top of the ridge runs along Mt. Pleasant. It's the area between the valley floor and the ridgeline which constitutes the reserve.



There were groups of these small, colourful flowers along the track.



The yellow flowers seemed to be abundant along the slopes.



These are our neighbors. They have a voracious appetite. We can often hear their occasional bleating from the house.



A view of Heathcote Valley from the Scotts Valley track. The large building in the center is the old maltworks.



The track mostly traverses the slope as it heads towards the Bridle Path.



To the north Heathcote Valley opens up to an estuary.



Near the juncion with the Bridle Path, the Christchurch Gondola heads to the summit of Mt. Cavendish.



The Scotts Valley track ends at the Bridle Path, and a short walk back down to our house. The Bridle Path is the original route over the Port Hills to Lyttelton Harbour. The Bridle path is also a nice track.

Nelda Goes Tramping

Gaby's mother Nelda stayed with us for a couple of months and we decided it would be nice to show her around a bit. Over the first weekend in January we decided to lend a pair of hiking poles to Nelda and take her into Arthur's Pass for a short hike along one of the many walking tracks. We chose to drive into the community of Arthur's Pass and take Nelda along the Devil's Punchbowl Falls track. We had perfect weather for our hike.



I asked Nelda if she had ever hiked any sort of track like this, to which she replied that she had never hiked in her life. What a great opportunity. I am glad we had the opportunity to take Nelda with us and show her the outdoors up close and personal. We had a great leisurely walk along the trail which gave me the opportunity to snap a few images.



The Devil's Punchbowl Falls track leads through the beach forest along the valley sides.



It was great to see Gaby and Nelda together enjoying a bit of nature.



I find the plants here to be very interesting. Around every corner there is something new to investigate.



There was still a bit of snow in the mountains.



We noticed these interesting tracks on the leaves of this plant.



I love ferns, and there are many, many here.



When we looked at our walking track options I voted for this track because I thought we would have the opportunity to walk very near the falls. I was a bit disappointed when I realized this stream was about as close as I would get to the falls, which were much higher up the slope. Still, the track was great and Nelda enjoyed it.



There were loads of other things to see aside from the waterfall. Besides, it was a perfect day to be outside.



The track continues over the river and eventually leads back to the main road, but we decided to turn back towards the carpark and weigh our options.



I really wanted to see a waterfall, and the nearby track to Bridle Veil Falls is best described as walking up and down a very long staircase. Nelda decided she had had enough tramping and opted to enjoy a rest on a comfortable rock while Gaby and I hiked up to see the falls.



The route description to Bridle Veil Falls is aptly described, as there are newly built stairs which climb the steep slope. However, the track is short and the view is awesome: just the sort of waterfall I was after!