Tuesday, November 3, 2015

An Unplanned Hike in Arrowtown 2

Post 2

The last post was cut when we were feeding the birds, while resting on the grass under a tree. It was time we start for our next plan, the HIKE. Hiking in New Zealand has another term, TRAMPING.     . I told you earlier we had a plan to do some walking, there are clear marks where the trails are and the time needed to finish them. So we ventured on one, that which needs thirty minutes. We envision it is only on the low plains near the Arrowtown River, we ventured on the left.

the walking maps at the start of the trails

We agreed to try hiking, which the New Zealanders call tramping, just the short one since our legs are not primed to do that. However, there is a very clear way to the roadside and we ventured on that track first. It says there are art houses, so we braved the very hot sun along the road.

At least in Arrowtown, even if the sun is shining bright, the temperature is still a bit cold. We didn't remove our beanies and our sweaters. My sister's name is Emily and we didn't let this label without her photo.

Views are lovely along the road, and we passed by some private houses with nicely landscaped, trimmed gardens. I enjoyed the beautifully flowering hedges.

 We also crossed a few small bridge and found some bikers on the road.

After about 10 min walk we saw this Gallery, but we didn't enter. Instead we played with the dog that hastily welcomed us at the gate. The owner could be inside and his dog assistant is well-trained to entertain visitors. What a beautiful landscape!

 my dream natural landscape to live

We continued walking through the hot sideroad till we saw this wonderful rocky landscape. We both agreed that this is our dream house setting, a medium height rocky mountain at the background, with lush colorful flowers. The entrance walk was long so again we didn't enter, but appreciated the well maintained garden just at the gate. I had a lot of photos here, as this seems to be paradise. The low house fits very well as part of the big landscape. We both feel envious to the owner of this property, he surely knows where to stay as inspiration to create fine arts.

At last i was able to see and touch a hedge of lavender, which i always just see in pictures. 

Another gallery on this road is named David John Gallery, i assumed he sells paintings and prints. 

We like to enter but that will lessen our time for tramping, so we decided to continue walking and find the start of the walk we intend the first time.

There was someone on a horse, wow, and her male companion was on a bike! We were thinking that maybe only one horse was available for rent when they needed it. Those profusely flowering yellow bushes are very prominent vegetation in these areas. I know it is invasive, but it definitely beautifies the total landscape in these areas.

 Eventually, we went back in less than an hour. We looked for the trail forking near us, to go to the real tramping track we intended to take. We  encountered this very tall Bombax tree shedding the white flower parts on the vicinity. My sister covered her face because these are allergens.

The ground is already covered with the shedding flower parts, just like dry snow. That's how we call it in the tropics, because we definitely don't experience snow. Our tree in the tropics is however called kapok, also a cousin of this species. Kapok is our old traditional bedding material.

 We also crossed this small very clear and clean brook. We didn't see the river but definitely this is flowing there. We wondered if it is also a part where gold panning was done in the 19th century. This area developed because of the gold rush.

Above is the beginning of our real trail track, which needs at least 30 min one way. I assure you we didn't finish it in one hour. A lot of things happened on the way, you will be surprised! And this escapade continues for the next part of my post. Stay tuned.


22 comments:

  1. New Zealand looks like such a lovely place.

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  2. What a lovely walk! I would like to live at the end of that drive too, a pretty property. The yellow blooming bushes are beautiful. Wonderful photos, enjoy your week!

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  3. Oh what a lovely spot for leisurely walk. The landscape is awesome. The air must smell super fresh.

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  4. How fun....beautiful scenery. I especially would love to have been with you when you found all that lavender!!!

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  5. Hi Andrea! I don't think I'll ever go to NZ (too far!), that is why I appreciate you sharing your trip with us!

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  6. What a lovely walk! Thanks for this virtual tour.

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  7. New Zealand is a lovely place to walk....we once hiked through the amazing geological area of Rotorua....in January...middle of summer...but the weather was lovely.....also there are no snakes in New Zealand to worry about disturbing....thank you for sharing your walk, I especially liked the long row of lavender!

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    1. Hello Cath, thanks for dropping by. Actually, we were there in December, and i will be posting Rotorua in the next posts. We also enjoyed Waitomo from Rotorua.

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  8. That was a very pretty walk. New Zealand is a very beautiful countery to visit. An interesting post, thank you.

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    1. Oh thank you so much for the comment Liz, NZ certainly is my favorite country and landscape now. I already changed my favorite for decades.

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  9. I really enjoyed the cyber tour of your hike. Can hardly wait for the next post.
    JM, IL-U.S.A.

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    1. Thank you so much JM, i already have the next draft for next week. Stay tuned please.

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  10. I also will never get there Andrea, but I sure enjoyed my walk with you.

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    1. Thanks Alistair for dropping by, i am just lucky to have an official trip to Sydney which favored less fare to Auckland, NZ. My sister being there also enhanced my luck.

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  11. Lovely landscapes.
    Wouldn't it be lovely to live in the midst of all this beauty.
    A trail dotted with galleries, sounds like a great place to go tramping. :)

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    1. I wish i had chances to live here while i was younger, however at this stage cold already seems to penetrate the bones, haha. Older bodies are difficult to acclimatize. Thanks for dropping by.

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  12. Wow, a beautiful place to live! Looks like you had a wonderful day out.

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  13. Really lovely scenery and a great place to live.. Thank you for sharing your walk Andrea...Michelle

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  14. I haven't seen much of this part of New Zealand, but we are working on that! Thanks for the peek.

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  15. I have to agree, a dream landscape. I love the lavender and the golden hills. I know I would like visiting New Zealand. Photos I have scene make me think this is the most beautiful place on earth.

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    1. Yes Donna, i know you will love NZ, and photographing will be non-stop! I hope we remain healthy for a long time so we can still travel lovely and far away places.

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  16. What a lovely tramping tour and I love that dream home.

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Your comments inspire me to post more, and our conversations make life and gardening more meaningful.

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