Cabbage Tree Flowering There is a long held belief in New Zealand that when the Cabbage Tree flowers heavily then we should expect a long hot dry summer. If so then the extra water tank we installed may have been a very good idea. see post Cabbage Tree Cordyline australis Certainly this year the…
DetailsHookers & Dolphins Pregnant Hookers Sealion Yesterday on Ulva Island with guests we discovered a female Hookers Sealion sunning herself on Boulder Beach. There have been quite a few males around lately, but this is the first female we have seen in some considerable time. Females are much lighter coloured than males, although very young…
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The Year Flies By I cannot believe it is November already, where has the year gone ??. Te Anau in the News As you may know Te Anau has been in the news lately for a number of reasons, first we fought off a private venture company who wanted to put a tunnel through the…
DetailsVisiting Ulva Island with Guests (At Sails Ashore we package a 4 hour Guided Ulva Island Tour for our guests. Ulva Island Open Sanctuary is a “Must Do” for visitors to Stewart Island. Many years ago I was Ranger in Charge for all of Stewart Island. For a brief introduction to this very special Island…
DetailsSpring is Busy Busy for Kaikoura and Surrounds…….. So much activity….. The Hop Our region starts off with the Kaikoura Hop usually around the 24th September. This is great for car enthusiasts and the event attract approximately 700 car entries. The town just buzzes. Entries are from all over New Zealand and already I understand…
DetailsHaast Highway An update on the Haast Pass Highway 6 slip for the South Island properties sending guests up the West coast. The road has been open 93% of the last 15 days October 2 to October 17. This is having devastating consequences for tourism operators both on the coast and in Wanaka. There have…
DetailsDunedins Rhododendrons Every year in October the City of Dunedin celebrates one of New Zealand’s loveliest sights – the exotic beauty of the City’s Rhododendrons. Here a fortuitous partnership of soil and climate combine to give one of the finest Rhododendron growing areas in the world, thus earning Dunedin the description of Rhododendron City. Originating…
DetailsDry Spring Since we put the new water tank in place….. and pumped it full from our existing storage we’ve had very little rain. So much so that Iris has been watering her new vegetable plantings for several days after sowing. Most unusual, especially this time of year. A wry comment on our normal rain fall…
DetailsGreat Winter…. Better Spring After a fantastic winter, we are now experiencing a glorious Dunedin Spring. The Azaleas look particularly beautiful this year, the Daffodils have come out and the Tulips are also now emerging. There is so much work to do in the house and garden at this time of year and I have been spending…
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