Today was a free day with
optional outdoor activities of kayaking or hiking through the unspoiled
rainforest. We signed up for the three
hour Walk the Lower Moeraki Rainforest
Track and Kayak the Moeraki River to the Tasman Seacost” activity.
Gerry McSweeney, owner of the lodge, took us on the guided nature trip
through the rainforest. He discussed
many of the unique flora in the rainforest
and pointed out the ferns, mosses, and trees (epiphyte-laden)filled with
up to 101 species of plants living in their branches. We stopped at the base of one of the tall
trees and had tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and cookies before continuing on the
trek to the Burglar huts Burglar Robinson lived and caught white bait on the
Moeraki River for selling on the open market.
Further on we saw the Shady Rest home and then on to the Moeraki Lagoon
for the kayaks to kayak down to the Tasman Sea.
The kayaking took us down the Moeraki River through the forest and past
flax plants filled with native birds.
Along the way we saw the white bait platforms that are lowered for
attaching nets to catch white bait. In a
short while, we reached the Moeraki Beach on the Tasman Sea with the surf
pounding the Moeraki inlet. We beached
the kayaks and walked along the beach to look up the Tasman Seacoast with its
towering cliffs and surf. Kayaking on
the river was very peaceful. Aas we returned
to the small lagoon the water was so still that the shoreline vegetation was
reflected perfectly in the water.
At 6:15 pm we met for a tour of
the hydropower generating station for the lodge. It consists of a turbine through which some
water diverted from the river is directed for a 6 ft fall through the
turbine. This generates 40 kw of power
at a cost of $10/week to provide sufficient power for the entire lodge
operation. At 7 pm we met for our group
meeting, which was followed by dinner in the dining room.
Epiphyte-laden Tree |
Moeraki River |
Moeraki River Riverbank |
Kayaking the Moeraki River |
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Kayaking the Moeraki River |
Kayaking at Tasman Sea Outlet |
Tasman Sea Beach |
On the Tasman Sea Beach |
Home-Sweet-Home at Burglars Cabin |
Moeraki River at Tasman Sea Outlet |
Reflections on Moeraki Lagoon |
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Group Photo at Wilderness Lodge |
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