| Conference | PREVIOUS | NEXT |
Our next stop was at Omaka Farm and tourist homestay, for morning tea.
Looking around, the valley walls seemed ever-present; and somewhere between them, one's eyes seemed to be periodically drawn downwards - to check just where that river was wandering.
From the buildings level at Omaka, a garden-and-orchard bank dropped to another flatter grazing strip, or flood terrace. Beyond that lurked the river; these days, often a playground for adventurous guests in canoes, kayaks, rafts and jet-boats.
"Omaka Farm is operated as a farming/tourist venture by two couples. The property comprises 1000 hectares of which only 120 are now farmed with sheep and cattle. To produce sufficient income to support both families an apiary and tourist facilities have been developed. Currently 70 hives are run with the emphasis being on the production of manuka honey in as natural a way as possible. The honey finds a ready market as a recognised health food. In a perverse way the manuka scrub which has invaded much of the farm is now contributing to its survival."
We had seen large tracts of the valley reverting or converting; to native (indigenous) bush (forest), or dark satanic hills of many farmers' favourite tree crop, Pinus radiata - or some brave mixed tree cropping. To discover a private and cared-for garden area among much uncertainty felt welcoming and re-assuring.
From the garden oasis, it was a climb up to the homestay and refreshments, with the near valley wall looming overhead.
Refreshments can be very soothing - a cuppa with an amazing selection of treecrop-oriented foods supplied made one feel very special. Here's a special thanks to the providers.
Electricity is a lifeline in this area, and wooden poles are a long-established tree crop. The wires here are well spaced because the next supporting pole-set was way up there atop that wall, central between the two foreground poles. Note the sheet-metal possum-guards around each pole, too slppery for those regrettable immigrants to ascend. The electricity infrastructure looks - and is - delicate, in this environment. Bad weather invites supply outages, and some of those poles must be rather challenging for line crews to access.
This shelter fence is another tree crop, from the tree fern; beyond are trees to calm the wind flow; trees to calm the river flow. In many places, trees planted for river-bank erosion control have grown top-heavy. By falling into the river and taking the banks with them, they are defeating the purpose for which they were planted. Regrettably, because of the cost of pruning them low, many are being removed. Things come and they go, in this Valley of Time.
Essential orchard furniture hereabouts. A Timms possum kill-trap helps control these vegetation-destroying introduced animals, which encounter no natural population control in New Zealand. Spot that river again, way beyond the fence rail.
"Tourists are catered for as homestay guests, as campers or as backpackers who sleep in the spacious woolshed on supplied mattresses. The woolshed has a kitchen and bathroom and extra bathroom facilities have been added this summer owing to increased patronage. Tourist activities include canoeing, walking on the Atene Skyline Walk, bush and farm walks, eeling or swimming. For trips further afield the proprietors have links to nearby marae, jet boat operators and a local macamadia nut grower and potter."
Lines of wind-shelter trees; trying to hide that valley wall?
During further travel we glimpsed the huge surviving fruit trees at the site of Coffey's Orchard. These days, still laden with fruit, they sheltered and fed the huge pigs penned beneath them. We couldn't get a closer look unfortunately, mainly because the road was too narrow to park the bus.
We stopped our bus to sample the Atene Track bush walk and a little exercise.
Tour buses are not particularly welcomed in these areas. A few times on this trip we encountered motorists going in the opposite direction where the road wasn't wide enough to pass. Some locals made a point by expecting the bus to reverse to a wider part of the road. Between cliff face and often sheer drop to the water, and no rear window in the bus for visibility, we experienced some muscle-clenching moments...
Our bus driver got a well-deserved break, on this easy part of the road.
Meanwhile, from the boardwalk we could inspect the regenerating young forest trees without trampling the delicate re-growth.
A feature of this track was the young nikau palm trees.
The weather was not improving as we departed through the Atene bush...
| Conference | Top | NEXT |
http://www.treecrops.org.nz/bydate/conf02/wanriver/to2.html
Updated: Wednesday, 27 August 2003