· A Sandfly in the OintmentTe Anau, New Zealand · 4th Apr 2008 · Posted by Margaret
We were up before the sun next morning to get an early start for our walk to Jamestown. It was another lovely day. We had a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxed walk. Our information sheet made the track sound rather boring talking of lots of scrub and tutu but it was quite beautiful with a variety of bush types, tree ferns and smaller ferns as well as lots of berries. .
We crossed the wide and rocky Jerusalem Creek where someone had hung a pair of boots on a pole with a notice saying that if the water was as high as the soles of the boots, the creek was probably too high to cross. An amusing measuring stick recommended crossing methods for different water levels – dog paddle, swim, raft, kayak and finally jet boat. Fortunately for us, there was no water in the creek at all today so we had no such decisions to make.
The track eventually took us out onto the lake shore which we followed for the rest of the way to Jamestown. We saw five white herons out on the spit in the middle of the river. It was a lovely walk with wonderful views of the mountains at the head of the lake. The beach was lined with kowhai trees which must be a picture in spring, also rimu and a variety of other trees. The lake was very calm.
Jamestown is set in a pretty, horseshoe-shaped, sandy bay. Hardly a trace of the town remains but a plaque, a couple of broken stone fireplaces and the remains of a stove with a few dimple-bottomed antique bottles which people have unearthed. In the 1870s the Government planned quite a settlement here and a number of families settled and built houses but the settlement did not succeed and the bush has now taken over.
The trip back up the lake and the river was a bit rougher than on the way down. Some of the shingle slides were absolutely enormous. It is said that, if these young mountains did not erode at such a rate because of the harsh weather, they would be as high as Everest as they are growing at such a rate.
The sandflies are prolific here and I was amazed that, when we stopped for a few moments in the middle of the lake to view the scenery, the sandflies were feeding upon us within seconds. They are the one down side of Fiordland. Maori legend tells of a female deity who decided that Fiordland was so beautiful that nobody would ever be able to leave. So she created sandflies to create a deterrent and a very good job she did. Even a strong concoction of baby oil and Dettol only deterred them briefly.
We felt as if we were coming home to Alabaster Lodge which we shared tonight with an Australian girl and a young English chef who is working on the tour boats at Milford Sound. By the time we arrived back it was quite warm so we had another swim. We had a fun evening doing crosswords and chatting with the girls.
We crossed the wide and rocky Jerusalem Creek where someone had hung a pair of boots on a pole with a notice saying that if the water was as high as the soles of the boots, the creek was probably too high to cross. An amusing measuring stick recommended crossing methods for different water levels – dog paddle, swim, raft, kayak and finally jet boat. Fortunately for us, there was no water in the creek at all today so we had no such decisions to make.
The track eventually took us out onto the lake shore which we followed for the rest of the way to Jamestown. We saw five white herons out on the spit in the middle of the river. It was a lovely walk with wonderful views of the mountains at the head of the lake. The beach was lined with kowhai trees which must be a picture in spring, also rimu and a variety of other trees. The lake was very calm.
Jamestown is set in a pretty, horseshoe-shaped, sandy bay. Hardly a trace of the town remains but a plaque, a couple of broken stone fireplaces and the remains of a stove with a few dimple-bottomed antique bottles which people have unearthed. In the 1870s the Government planned quite a settlement here and a number of families settled and built houses but the settlement did not succeed and the bush has now taken over.
The trip back up the lake and the river was a bit rougher than on the way down. Some of the shingle slides were absolutely enormous. It is said that, if these young mountains did not erode at such a rate because of the harsh weather, they would be as high as Everest as they are growing at such a rate.
The sandflies are prolific here and I was amazed that, when we stopped for a few moments in the middle of the lake to view the scenery, the sandflies were feeding upon us within seconds. They are the one down side of Fiordland. Maori legend tells of a female deity who decided that Fiordland was so beautiful that nobody would ever be able to leave. So she created sandflies to create a deterrent and a very good job she did. Even a strong concoction of baby oil and Dettol only deterred them briefly.
We felt as if we were coming home to Alabaster Lodge which we shared tonight with an Australian girl and a young English chef who is working on the tour boats at Milford Sound. By the time we arrived back it was quite warm so we had another swim. We had a fun evening doing crosswords and chatting with the girls.
