Recent Travels in Our Forests

Forest and Bird, Issue 125, 1 August 1957, Page 7

Recent Travels in Our Forests

By

M. G. FOWLDS

ALATE November day saw S.S. Hauraki bound for its island calls. Aboard were three of us for Hautura, or Little Barrier Island, a bird sanctuary. An artist, a shearer, and myself. There was sufficient chop on the sea to make us glad that after Tiritiri ours was the next port of call.

On nearing the landing at Barrier, the hooter was sounded and the caretakers, Charlie and Mae Parkin, made their appearance on the bouldery shore. We had been in touch by wireless from the ship.

After an easy landing, and loading the stores and personal effects into the trailer drawn by a small tractor, we moved towards the house that was built for the Shakespeares last century when they were the caretakers. It was .soon apparent that we were ,in surroundings unknown to most New Zealanders of this generation. One could appreciate a little how Captain Cook felt when he anchored in the southern sounds with the wealth of bird songs. During our fortnight’s stay I was fortunate in seeing many of the -island’s treasures. Too, the weather remained excellent throughout. Different redfronted parakeets came into the house for food.? Pigeons, tuis, and whiteheads are possibly the densest population, but the bellbirds and kakas are not far behind. I saw a few robins, and kiwi and owls in the daytime. Pied shags found me a constant observer as they were about the only birds suitable for filling my . photographic frame. I eventually found a pigeon to pose and obtained colour flash shots at a nesting penguin. During a traverse of the summit via the Thumb eminense I was visited by a female stitchbird at a small pond. It was near the end of my stay before I made the acquaintance her most handsome mate. Then while boat building . I heard another and was able to observe it. Bats, short tailed, long eared, Cooks Petrels, going from the sea to their burrows high up on the top and kiwis calling to their mates dominated the night air. The sea was calm during most of our stay but we had an exciting get off with rising seas.

I was due to fly from Paraparaumu to Fox Glacier in a few days so was a little anxious. We are very fortunate to have such cordial custodians at the island sanctuary. On arrival at Fox we were greeted by a wet scene which contrasted unpleasantly with our northern clime (forgetting our past terribly wet year). The bellbirds were certainly not inferior in song to their Little Barrier cousins. After a night at the Cook River Road Bridge we swung our swags aboard. It was soon evident we hadn’t received a legacy from our predecessors, as we were soon on the beach (river) like Douglas and Harper —our late President. Later in the day we were to profit by the use of a hut for the afternoon and night. The rain had set in. Next day was beautiful and we were away down to cross the river by a new cage. More beach work for a mile and we were on a good track which had never heard of horizontal. Some birds were seen at close quarters. A pigeon at an estimated 3000 ft. Camp was made on a regenerating slip. Middle next day saw us at a cullers camp. The weather looked bad so we prospected the route a distance ahead and dug in for the afternoon and night as we didn’t know the next shelter ahead. Overhanging rocks, alias erratics, misnamed dry rock. In the evening we had a glimpse of our first alpine scene. Mt. Cook, Panyer,. David’s Peak, and .La Parouse— objective. The next day was the longest and hardest with rough beach travel, varied by Ruawensori North African travel, which wet us to the skin. During lunch on the river bank at the foot of the morraine we were able to dry out with some sun and wind. The billy was boiled under an overhanging rock. This country beyond is the safe home of the chamois which grazed peacefully on the far side of the turbulent Cook River. Afternoon travel ' was over reasonable morraine and then a steep climb of wall followed. A steep bouldery creek led to access to the bare tussock where the chamois were fairly thick. It was necessary to force a steep section of alpine scrub to gain the upper tussock where the keas dominated the scene. We were the first humans to take up residence under a rock in . this vicinity.

Gulch Creek. Lower down is the usual bivouac spot. The weather prevented us from getting a foot on snow though only a hundred feet above us. Two and a half days saw us back at Fox. New stores and we were at Copland Track by bus with a party of Christchurch Tramping Club bound for Haast Pass. We pitched the tent for the first time. A bell bird sang a few feet overhead. The Copland track makers had heard a lot about horizontal though I am in no hurry to see Kiokio fern again after miles of pushing through it. A check up was given to Welcome Flats hut and a bath taken by the . two males in the hot pool. No wekas, though only one weka had been seen here on my last trip. Next day was to Porgas Rock Hut where we eventually saw a weka feeding at the door. The last occupants saw both parent birds and two young birds. They swear they didn’t fill the camp oven, but I think as they were short of food it was more by good luck than good management. Keas, up to thirteen, perched on a tree outside. Bad weather held us up. Two of us made the first West East crossing of the Copland Pass for the season. It was good to be in country where wood burns easily. Primus is used for cooking at Hooker Hutt where we spent the night. Chamois were seen during this day. Thar were shot behind Hooker the dav before. No climbing was achieved during a few days’ stav near the Hermitage. Ovstercatchers are probably the most common birds seen about here. With fresh stores and a borrowed alpine tent we were given a lift to Wanaka, favourite haunt. Earlv next afternoon we took a taxi with three mrls to Hells Gate, to East Matukituki. This is probably the most beautiful of N.Z. Alpine valleys, and on this, my fifth visit, I appreciated its ease and comfort. After a night in the spacious Aspiring Hut, we ascended the valley, climbed the French Ridge, to spend the next three nights in the bivie of the same name. Snow drove horizontally earlv in the evening leaving a white scene. Four friendly keas lost, fallen to the vandal’s gun, and the beaks taken to collect the £4. Many deer in the vicinity were left untouched. Traverses were made at Mts. French and Aspiring. Keas came within a few feet as I washed the dishes at a small stream. These keas probably never see a sheep but bring the full runholders price. I feel sure that in the

main the kea is much more valuable to the runholder alive than dead. They must kill endless enemies of the bush and tussock and spread the seeds of same. The excretia of these birds is the same in appearance as at the Cook River where there are no sheep. We returned to Aspiring Hut, meeting the rest of our party. Next day a new route was taken to. the Dart Valley. Owing to faulty information we only camped above the bush line. Great damage is done in this big basin by feeding deer, and by sharp hooves. It is killed over regularly. The following day saw us over to the Dart Hut. We saw a small mob of deer on this tussock upland at 6500 feet. Cascade SaddleDredge Hut was reached the following night. A robin sat in a broken window of the hut. This beautiful vallev is a deer nark We counted mobs up to 50 deer (red). Killers were supposed to go in for the first time last year—Crown leasehold. They will be in this winter for an estimated 4000 deer. Killers figure. Paradise was reached next day. A yellowfronted parrakeet was seen, but not its associate the bush canary. There is no shortage of bird life in this valley. Two of us went up the Rees Valley getting to Esquilant Bivvie, at 2 a.m. the second dav, at 7000 feet. Strong winds prevented climbing. At 2 p.m. next day we descended with visibility 6ft. and wind at gale force. Sheared snowgrass was picked up at 5500 feet above Kea Basin. It is thought probably kakapo. With the trip down valley and back to Lake Wanaka our wanderings were at an end. Since this I have tramped a new route across the Coromandel Range north at the Camel. A visit has been made to the Wanganui down to Pipiriki by boat, where bellbirds were heard; no kiwis, though behind Whangarei (a recent trip) a call was heard in the early morning. Easter at Mayor Island made me really familiar with bellbirds, which with fantails are some of the many birds. This is by far the densest bellbird population I have come across The Crater Lakes were visited. The bellbird has a repetition call that I have never heard a tui make.