We went for a comfortable short hike up the Top Valley stream, Northbank, Marlborough, New Zealand the day before Christmas eve. Here are some examples of the photos we took on the way. It is currently early summer in New Zealand and some of the wild flower and native flora is very distracting for a couple of keen photographers. For example the beautiful native broom we found growing precariously on the river bank.

The streams of the Richmond ranges are reknown for their crystal clear waters.

Mosses such as (Ptychomnium aciculare?) thrive on this Southern facing mountain range. Note the spore capsules on their long thin stalks.

The leathery leaves of the juvenile lancewood(Pseudopanax crassifolius) reach for the sky

As we stood at the bottom of this series of waterfalls the most beautiful contstant draught of fresh cool oxygenated air greeted us.

Blechnum procerum  (above)

Click on this link if you would like to know more about ecotours in Marlborough. http://www.driftwoodecotours.com/inquiries.php

We found a Putaputaweta (Carpodetus serratus) in full bloom. See a close up of the same flower spray below.

Finally a lovely creeper flowering at our feet rising up between the beech leaves. We think it is Panakenake (Pratia angulata) but we stand to be corrected as it has a pointed petal. Any advice greatfully accepted. See a close up shot below.

This picture shows the Lauren Falls named after a well known residents wife. The unique feature of these falls is that the source is approximately 400 metres from the summit which is out of view in this picture. At the top of the falls there is often a strong smell of sulphur.

Much of the walk involves crossing the Ure river many times but is a constant delight as the water is usually crystal clear dancing over rocks and driftwood from the surrounding native flora.

Nearly all the farmed country faces the north and is very good sheep and cattle country. It is all limestone, sweet and fertile with many small springs and has many unusual and endemic native plants.

Much of it is steep and quite loose so not good for rock climbing but very spectacular. These pictures don’t do it justice at all but there’s so much reflected light around it’s very difficult for an amateur like me to illustrate. Never the less its my favourite short walk in Marlborough and had over 1000 recorded walkers  last season.

The rock here is stark white limestone, interspersed with grey wedges of argillite, sandstone and mudstone.Several pools along Isolated Creek smell distinctly of sulphur and this influences colours in the water.

Spring was in the air with new growth unfurling before our eyes.

This shot is of matagouri flowers which is prolific in this valley. You will notice that it has very sharp thorns on it but these are no deterrent to animals like the hare which my brother-law has recently found out. He planted some of these shrubs on his property only to have them devoured by a local hare.

This is Sophora prostata and just breaking in to flower. It is a member of the Kowhai family and sometimes descibed as our national flower.

Ther is some fine examples of Totara up this valley and in the Isolation reserve.

This picture is taken looking through the tops of the Totara towards the peak of Mt Isolation. To see better shots of these photos check out www.flickr.com once I have loadedd them!!

This is what most people do this walk for to view and walk through Sawcut chasm a narrow gorge of approximately 3 metres and about 40 metres long. The cliffs rise dramatically above you showing intersting patterns in the limestone.

On our return I noticed this formation and my first thoughts were the giant stones on Easter Island.

The other amazing thing you notice on this walk is the vertical and horizontal layers of limestone due to massive eartquakes which occurred anwhere between 70 to 25 millon years ago or from the end of the Cretaceous to the Oligocene era.

So next time you are in Marlborough give Will a ring and let him take you on an ecotour of this area or visit his website. www.driftwoodecotours.co.nz

Last weekend I took a small party up the Woodside gorge which is a new addition to Driftwood ecotours guided walks. This area is a botanists delight and features many unique flora. It is also where the K/T boundary was first discovered by Dr. Alex Malahoff.

This rock outcrop is at the entrance to the  limestone gorge of the Woodside. It was from here that a pink rock was excavated to build the Wharanui church and later other buildings around Marlborough.

This outcrop is on the northern side, very steep with plants clinging to it precariously.

This is the buttress of a matai tree distinguished by the hammer marks on the trunk. It also has an epiphyte lodged in a crevice of the trunk.

Looking downstream you are amazed by the variety of  over hanging trees and shrubs. This gorge is reknown for it’s pink brooms (notospartium glabrescens}  with its pendulous branches covered in blossom from early December.

Leafless lawyer (Rubus squarrosus)

Totara are plentiful in this valley and this is a very nice example approx. 25 metres tall. Great war canoes (waka taua) were carved out of single tree. It also produced masses of fruit and the inner bark was boiled and used to control fevers.

Here’s a beautiful example of polished river driftwood reclinning on this large river stone.

Out of the gorge and looking east back down the gorge.

This is a veiw looking south towards the Clarence river. This country is some of the best for sheep and cattle farming. Another great walk lasting approx. 2 hours with relatively easy grades.

To book this tour please click    http://www.driftwoodecotours.com/inquiries.php and go to our enquiries page.

A fine example of an Australasian harrier to bid you farewell from Driftwood ecotours.