A New Adventure - Mouse Season in New Zealand SI 2014/15

A shorter trip this time, just four weeks plain fishing, solo on my own, planed ahead just a couple of weeks. Thus air tickets and cars were harder to get and more costly.Thank you Ines for letting me go (she was not the hurdle)! The reason to come again after less than two years was not just the nice landscape of NZ, people, friends, stile of traveling, pristine fishing, but a very special one, a reason that in this magnitude might occur every 10 – 20 years….

After a very decent summer in New Zealand it takes two years till a mouse year is likely to happen. Mouse year is a magic word for the fly fishing enthusiasts familiar to New Zealand. (The detailed and highly interesting background can be read here) Mice population explodes due to lots of beech seeds, called beech mast, lots of mice means more mice accidentally or intentionally cross waters. There are exposed to trout. Some of these trout start to feast on mice. Resulting that a good sized fish of 6lbs might end up as 9lbs fish (50% of body mass added was confirmed from one guide catching the one and same fish with 6 weeks apart). Thus a normal nice fish of 7,5lbs might easily be a trophy, thus beyond 10lbs. Exactly these trophy fish allure fly fisher to pilgrim to NZ as frequently as possible, besides other reasons, such as wine, country, people and peace. Remember our travel to NZ early 2013 - it was a summer for the record books, we had pretty much no rain for 3 month. Put 1 to 1 and the equation makes perfect sense, that the season 2014/15 should be one of those sought mouse years.

Such a mouse year that, DOC which seems mainly focus on protecting native birds, poisoned a big part of the country side with dropping 1080-baits from helicopters in a very thoroughly way, this should help to keep mouse, thus stoat and rat population down which otherwise would eat native birds eggs. 1080 is highly discussed and debated. Just let me add: I am right now in a region which was air-bombed by 1080, has a special treatment area against possums and the landscape was sprayed partially against black berries with some herbicides. Is that 100% all natural New Zealand? For me that is just fucking sick. Multi-poisoning the landscape and nature to get rid of something which will not be solved on this way, but a lot of other species might suffer from it as well. E.g. trout and finally humans.

Back to the happy part in live. Just couple of month before the trip I decided to go. Checking flights and car were the only fixed points in that trip before. And a very rough route: first north, then south. Weather would dictate it.

The flight via MUC-FRA-SIN-SYD-CHC, part of it in the old LH C in the upper section of the A380 - too bad it was the last plane with the old outdated C, thus as usual close to no sleep during the flights. All flights went well, and early morning shower in the SYD lounge, last short leg to NZ. First sight of the Southern Alps! Excitement! Arrival in CHC with a large mural picture on the wall of tussock high country and mountains made me shivering - HERE I AM AGAIN YEA!!!

First stop as usual Vodafone: from year to year that gets more easy, it just took ten minutes and I was connected via phone and data (bring your old stick or modem you might have, they can just give you a fresh pre-paid card). Rental car service was called and 15 minutes later I was picked and half an hour later on the route in my Jeep Cherokee (with a small block V8 engine at 4,7 liter and something of around 12-15l/100km) to Tony Davis and his family close to Christchurch. Tony Davis used to run Overland 4WD a rental company specialized in real 4WD equipment. Unfortunately the demand for such vehicles from overseas tourists went down (might be related to the earthquakes some years ago, keeping tourists off the Christchurch area?), thus his business declined and became harder and harder. His only bail out was to close the business and to relocate to Aussie, where he will be the location manager of a 4WD training center and tour guiding company. Very sad for the fly fishing folks traveling to NZ in need of a decent 4WD.

Tony offered me to stay in their small guesthouse for the night after the long flight. Thank you for that! A well needed rest as I was kind of tired and done. This night his family and I went for an Indian restaurant - real kiwi Indian ; )

The next morning saw me fresh and well rested after a solid sleep. Quick adaptation to the local time is accelerated if you did not sleep during the flights. Usual packing and preparation procedure: The Warehouse, Christchurch Fly Shop and food market. What happened to all the prices? Everything up again, gas close to 2 NZ$ a liter with all over the place gas prices going down because of that fracking and oil-sand shit. Without that I would be happily willing to pay more for gas.

I thought about going to downtown Christchurch and luckily I decided to go there. Two years ago we did not went there but more of time related reasons and as we have been there twice before. Thus this time I drove downtown and could immediately see the results of the February 2012 earthquakes: several of the big city houses just gone, construction all over the place and other houses still locked up. 

Arriving on the old central Christchurch Cathedrals square I was just moved to tears: the friendly church I had visited the last time just about three weeks of the devastating earthquake was only a ruin, the nature took already over with weeds growing over the former square and the brigs of the church. I was awe and could not quite understand it. It showed how fast human traces vanish and of how little relevance we are.

More sign of life I found in the so called "Re Start Mall", a kind of shopping mall build off several pop up stores and cafes in containers. Interesting kind of semi permanent city architecture. A lunch there and I was finally north bound.

Driving up north I thought and though weather to go to one of my favorite wineries or not… I drove by the sign some 30k north of Christchurch a couple of meters and slammed the brake and turned. I was on vacation, thus where is the joy and fun! Pegasus Bay, again not lunch there (due to restaurant closure days), tasted just two reds, a bottle of CapSauv (quick aging now in the car) and a quick walk through the rose-garden. 

What I love about driving in NZ SI if you do it on the right time in the right direction: absolutely no traffic. Christchurch was different with lots of boring red lights.

The weather was forecasted to be decent for several days with just light rains. My idea was to go right to the bush in Nelson Lakes for an overnighter to a river I visited years before with a guide from Nelson. 

So the dream I had weeks before, to be in the bush at the river by Wednesday latest might come true...

Back to the bush and the fish – Part II

No fire alarm this night. Just solid sleep. (See the post before on Reefton on the fire brigade building opposite the cottage)

For the next two days I had some alternatives to choose: either an overnighter again but in a hut or some smaller creeks not too far away day by day. I went for the first option. In love of the bush, the sandflies and the nice DOC huts. The access would be a mixture of rough 4WD track and some tramping. I started rather late, paid the fly shop lady a visit and headed off. Target was a river fished some weeks before but this time further up. Pretty much where I ended fishing back than I did start now. The drive and especially a couple of sections gave me some doubts but the car performed flawlessly. Especially one section trough the bush which was a detour around a no more existing section of the old track. The last January floods took it away. Parking, getting the pack ready and fishing the same way upriver as usual with a big pack: fish the pools without it and later on pick it. The river was low and clear, some fish spotted. Rather few, but I did not expect many fish up there, due to the experience some weeks ago and the low flow rates. At the moment of writing I can’t remember what I caught this afternoon, most likely if I dig in the memory I had two nice browns of something around +5lbs in the net. I jumped one k of river as it showed some unpleasant structure due to mining on a slope close by to fish just the last stretch up to the hut. Reaching the supposed location of the hut it was rather dark, wondering where the hut should be, but I was lucky as it just happened that I found the steep bank access to the hut above the river. I should have unpacked the head lamp right away.

Lightning the fire in the chimney, having a look on the bookshelf, I found some nice evening lecture and even some up to date newspaper. Now I was informed on NZ SI issues of importance. The hut was warm and in the dim lite of the fire and the candles it looked quiet cozy. Burning quiet a lot of fire wood that evening. I would have to take care of that and replenish it the next day. Butter chicken second round this week, a beer and after some meditation by starring in the flames the call of the mattress. In the hut book I read something about rats, so I tried to close all obvious entrance holes. But still later that night the ‘trip trap’ of the small mammals started and once I had the feeling as some was very close to my head. It took some while to find sleep.

In some of these DOC huts you find strange things. Some find old fly fishing diaries of Scandinavian authors, I found a watercolor paint box – a high contrast of color to the dirty grey of the hut interior. What these colors might have painted?

Getting ready for the next day. Fishing up a tributary that was said to have very few fish three weeks ago (somebody was walking (fishing?) it for eight hours and only saw three fish), thus I was curious and had rather limited expectations. But just after a dozen meters I spotted the first trout in a nice pool. It was patrolling its pool and got suspicious, so my chances where fading. After a while the fish gave me a clear sign as it swam very close to me, stood there for a minute and then swam back to feed but much more cautiously than before. I did not succeed and left for the next one. The order of appearance of the following trout might be mixed up but surprising things happened. Pretty much in every decent pool – not in all – was a nice brown of something between 4 and 7 lbs. In the meantime I discovered what they were feeding on: brown, gold flash enhanced, black beat head nymphs size 12 – pretty junky flies. These flies imitated the emerging may flies very well. I got a hook up on a fish that immediately went for a rock crack, I managed to pull it out just to have the trout in there again. Rood bent in half circle, I pulled the brown out again and it went downstream to a stick, I avoided  making a loop around the stick but it went under a shelf with a sharp edge and just seconds later that was it. Leader was snapped. Neither fluor nor anything else reasonable would have avoided that. It was fair the way it went and I was happy that it was a barbless fly, thus the fish might lose it pretty soon. 

The next fish was an interesting take of opportunism, as the trout was pretty much following an other fish to push it out of its territory and it still took my nymph placed ahead. Before that I was trying to catch one of the trout participating later in these territorial disputes. This fish fought again very vigorous and enduring, trying to reach an unclear base of a big rock wall where I did not want to have it at all price. The price was high as after making maximum pressure with a pretty much closed reel drag the fly came out. The river and the nature became witness of a very Bavarian swearing. I was really pissed to lose that fish. Seconds later I was again laughing about the situation and my outburst of discontent. Another – the third fish of the day – was lost in a less memorable situation. 

This river was fun, interesting structure, low clear water, nice trout now and then, I knew pretty much how to catch them and the fish were way strong. Only bad thing, up to now not a single fish came to the net. But things turned to the good and the next fish was landed: a nice brown of 7lbs. During the fight it dragged me up through the rapid well into the next pool upstream. I landed it around 50 meters upstream from where I hooked it. Tough fish!

This first fish needed a sister, it took again a while to find a feeding and open minded fish. I was not in the mood to change fly all the time as the fish were taking the described fly, but some got suspicious too quickly. There are two ways to fish in such situations: with a high amount of perseverance, frequent fly-changes and giving fish a rest in case they tend to get spooked or to give the fish some casts and in case it behaves spooky or starts to stop feeding just to head on, as the next fish is just a few steps away. The last approach is based on two preconditions: there are basically fish and you are able to spot them constantly. But walking upstream pool by pool is like constantly unpacking presents, as every pool is like a gift and a box of surprise. On the downside you might cover more ground and thus have to walk back longer in the evening. But as long as I have a fishing rod in my hand I don’t mind walking (translated: I don’t like walking without a rod or a bike on the back).

Back to the second fish. The sun was already low, I reached a pool that only gave a partial view under its surface due to heavy glare. But it was enough to see a cruising trout. I was pretty close, in such situations freezing is the best way to react and then slowly on the knees, observing the fish (as long as it is visible), considering the cast, adjusting the depth of the ‘custom fence picked merino wool’ strike indicator and finally a short cast in the direction I guessed the fish might be heading in the glary part of the pool. I only could see the indicator in the mirror like water and it moved! Strike, fish and battle on! Again a brown in best condition, strong and vigorous fighting. It had the same behavior of swimming upstream against a tight set reel drag. The fish swam out of its pool upstream trough the riffle, I had to follow and by this I did not realize a steep step on the pool inflow – I stumbled and took a short dip – (oh no! Wet again what it this case meant wet for at least two hours of walk to the car…) – fish was still on. The tug continued further upstream. I walked the fish upstream like a dog to finally land it successfully. A look on the scale surprised me it had ‘just’ 5 3/5 lbs. It was the last fish of the day as I had to turn around to rush back to the hut, pack the gear and continue to the car to drive back to Reefton. 

Part of the way to the hut was via a marked track. There were some obvious mountain bike tracks – an unpleasant experience for this brave biker, as he must have carried his bike 50% and pushed it another 30% of the stretch. Arriving on the hut I had to pay my firewood-bill. Thus collecting a whole bunch of good sized drift wood, wrapping it with one of my cords and carrying it up to the hut. More than I burned the night before. Packing, giving the hut a good sweep and leaving the rat-Hilton. Pack on the back and out. The track was rough and only suitable of hardcore ATV-freaks. After a while I reached sections where the track did not exist at all or was now a branch of the river itself. The detour was via the big granite boulders of the riverbed. Briefly after that section that made me wonder how to navigate it with an ATV I saw a tent at the track and right in that moment the owner. It was a hunter waiting for the big stag to show. We had a nice conversation for a while. It turned out he was Danish and had taken three month off for hunting in NZ. The roar was just about to start as the nights were not yet frosty. 

After another kilometer I reached the car. Finally I could get rid of the drowned waders from the last fish and put on dry clothes. Now just the 4WD track separated me from Reefton. I managed that well and even the tight detour section through the trees without damage. In an open section of the track I got out to have a fascinated look on the thousands of stars and the milky way in that clear night. No light pollution at all. Unfortunately the Canon only took the noise reduction picture while a considerable falling star made its way over the firmament just below Orion.

Reaching Reefton – it was pitch dark and around 8 pm I headed straight to a restaurant to get something to eat. I took a little bit of friendly persuasion to make the lady to still serve me. But I go my dinner and a couple of beers.

Back in the cottage, shower and relax. 

A great excursion!

Next morning I packed and went back to Ines and Tobias in Nelson. It was good to drive that way not tired at night time but well rested in the morning.

I was already looking forward to come back to the Reefton area to fish.

PS: If you like what you read here, if you like the subtle hints and jokes share this blog with others. This blog just had its 7.000 visitor since its birthday just four month ago.

Karamea to Hanmer Springs - Easter on the Rainbow Road

After that cracker of four days in the bush in a convenient hut, with challenging but rewarding fishing and lots of walking, my feet were two sizes bigger and there was no need to move too much. 

I asked Ines to show me the Oparara Basin with the Moria Gate that Karamea is famous for. It was pretty much the excursion she ‘rehearsed’ on the day before with Tobias. So she went there again and I for the first time. The loop walk combines the arch / kind of cave and the tarn. It was a little longer than her estimation of ‘around 10 minutes’ – more to an hour. The Moria Gate provided some nice motives for pictures, especially a rock structure inside with its wave shaped erosion patterns glowed like gold in the low light of this semi-cave. 

(Might be anybody did recognize the frequently usage of the term 'semi' - it is more or less about making fun on a NZ butter brand that describes its product as "semi spreadable" but in fact it is the worst butter to spread I ever encountered. Other terms to make fun about would be 'retreat' or 'boutique'.) (... oh and the text in the brackets before was only inserted due to typograhpic reasons making the text more appropriate to the pictures) 

 

 

This night we had a reservation at the Riverstone Restaurant in Karamea. The best location for a dinner in the north west corner of SI. The food was very delicious and for the first time we had some whitebait (very small fish). It was served in an omelet as appetizer and tasted surprisingly good. This place can be recommended absolutely! Riverstone even offers two chalets as an accommodation option for the time after the beloved Karamea Lodge.

The next day meant to leave Karamea. We drove over the winding road – luckily Tobias was sleeping – towards Westport, up the Buller Valley. There I saw a group of three, one girl and two boys coming out of the bush with rods in their hands, right as we passed on a place where it was clear that they fished a river that we were fishing two years ago. I slammed the brakes, jumped out of the car and had the trout-bum interview: where, what, how far, how many, what size….? They did not do well (no fish) as they did not walk up far enough. We back then made pretty much the same mistake, nevertheless we had some fish contact. Our fishing there some years ago was kind of adventure. We walked in partly on the riverbed with very little local knowledge, camped around two hours in on a  good camping spot there. As we did not walk in far enough we had hard times fishing and only hooked/landed some fish on the first day. That night the rain started hard and it rained and rained and in the morning the only option was to break camp and rush out as the river was close to not fishable and the water rising fast. Around late morning we arrived at a little side creek that was on the way in just a creek of might be 0,5cums. Now it was a small river of boisterous 15-25cums with a very unclear main current. We had to set camp and pitch the tent again, found a good spot just 100 meters bush bashing up that creek. The plan was to wait for the creek to drop again. The rain eased but still it was raining. I defined the deadline with 7pm and a drop of the creek of 30 centimeters - in that case we would rush and head out the same evening. We spent a boring wet day in a tent, not much to read (Ines had something), not much food left for an additional night. Luckily it worked out, the rain stooped, the creek drooped exactly by the defined amount, we managed to cross the creek without losing control, headed out found the kind of track most of the time, luckily we had one good headlamp and finally arrived at the car at 21:45 close to pitch black - we were happy! The late meal in Greymouth we got in a bar tasted delicious! And we found dry accommodation! I pretty much realized my miss-planning: food, weather and did not go far enough : ) Still it was a good adventure to be told in future years. For this trip this kind of adventure was no option.

The other drivers on the road were not so happy about my parking in the middle of the road, so I ended the brief interview and we headed off. Reefton (hello cottage!), Springs Junction, Lewis Pass, and finally Hanmer Springs. Tobias was screaming around one and a half hour – so I could not fall as leap while driving. On the way towards Hanmer we booked the very last accommodation. A funny 60es style motel/cabin. Good for one night and reasonably cheap. We arrived close to dark.

It was Easter weekend. The worst place is to be on Easter is Hanmer. It was no intention it just happened and could not be avoided. Ines wanted to go to the Hot Pools. Not for me. As she saw the 100m queue she revised here intention. We did the groceries to drive the Rainbow Road north of Hanmer (take care to be informed about the access restrictions and rules on this 4WD metaled road, do not try it with a motor-home or a 2WD!) for a couple of days and to fish some rivers and lakes there. Due to the expected traffic and possible fishing pressure we drove right to basic Coldwater Creek camp and omitted some 4WD-river access. We passed the highest pass in New Zealand - pretty much without stopping as the landscape was of rather low attraction. At the camp there were two other groups at the campsite. A couple from NI that was just about to discover SI after traveling the whole world and a family celebrating their anniversary with both we had some friendly conversation.

This night rain started and the next morning looked everything else but friendly. The lakes where no option due to lack of visibility, wind and some gusts so we drove to a stream / tributary of the main river to check it out. But with an overcast sky spotting is very hard. It still rained and I was far less than motivated. We decided to head out immediately as the weather was not clear for the next days and I did not want to lose a day sitting in a wet tent. We continued further north towards the middle part of the Wairau valley, passed the Rainbow valley road and arrived in St. Arnaud without any plan where to drive afterwards and no accommodation for the night. Thus the next step was to find a cup of cappuccino as at least its handle would provide some hold. We found that and I had an awful time to figure out what to do and where to go. This really gave me and headache as the options where Blenheim, Nelson or St. Arnaud. After a while of checking out availability of accommodation and prices we ended up to book a night at our usual place in Nelson. The Rutherford Hotel in the big ugly building. But it offered again reasonable prices and high standard (btw the owner of the Hotel is famous for his nature destroying river dam projects – please do not support this and book somewhere else in case you are more sensitive than we were). That night the dinner was special: room cooked tortellini with a decent fresh ready-made sauce. The sprinkler did not start.