Meeting the Cows - and Fellow Campers too!

Friday 10 April

A busy day and lots of cow action at Kidds Bush!

Woke to a gentle pastel dawn - and a loud chorus of mooing & beeping. I wandered up to the gate to see what was up and pretty much ALL the coos were lined up like a blockade - campers trying to leave were struggling to get out!

They were so funny - all standing there looking across the cattle grid and through the gate. As I moved up to take a photo, they all followed the 3m rule and shuffled gently backwards!

Walking back down to Banjo after visiting the coos, I wandered around the campground just taking in the views and the golden light as the sun crept higher and lit up the area.

Mid morning we inflated the Razor kayak and set out to explore a bit of Lake Hāwea. It was a perfect morning for it with glorious sunshine and mirror calm waters.

We paddled round the peninsula to get a glimpse of the northern arm of the lake up towards the Hunter River that feeds it. Unlike the speedboats that went out just before us, we didn’t get near the head of the lake but the views we got were fabulous & fascinating. Paused for elevenses/a wee snack then paddled in towards the shore and back around the peninsula in the glorious clear shallow waters.

Back at Kidds Bush, Louis struck up a conversation with a couple who’d just arrived in a big Urban van while I made a quick lunch.

After a wee siesta we set off to explore the woods around us on the Kidds Bush Loop Track - a gentle 1km track up into the bush and back. The beech woods were full of birdsong and bird life and we had some wonderful piwakawaka encounters. They were so quick flitting here and there that it was hard to catch them on camera.

Plus there were a bunch of fungi including a fabulous shaggy ink cap.

Back at the camp, the cows were off again - mooing their hearts out and crowding round the gate & cattlestop. We wandered up to say hello and got curious stares from so many of them; and this wee black calf I'm pointing at was playing Grandmother’s Footsteps - each time I turned to take pics of other coos, he snuck up a little closer!

Then as we returned to Banjo we realised what had upset them - one of the mumma coos was happily grazing on the long grass on OUR side of the cattlestop! This was the problem in the montage above - naughty lady had either shimmied over the cattlestop or vaulted the gate and was having a feast on the long lush grass of the campground… making all the others either fearful for her safety or jealous of her escape! One of the other campers herded her back up to the gate and squeezed her through it without letting through any more escapees.

Meanwhile, Louis got changed into his wetsuit and set off on a 2.25km swim across the lake and I got chatting with the Urban people - Leanne & Richard - and invited them over for drinkies later.

Louis wasn't the only one enjoying the lake waters - a gorgeous family of crested grebes floated past, diving for food and popping up randomly several metres away from where they had disappeared. A pair of Honk-Wahs landed on the beach, had a quick primp and a preen then got frightened off by a young cyclist. and best of all, a beautiful black cormorant flew down from his balancing act on the power cables strung across the bay and hung out on the beach not far from us - chilling, drying his feathers and generally being very photogenic. 🖤

Had a lovely evening with Leanne and Richard until the sandflies got too much and we were driven back to our vans. Fascinating couple - from Auckland, big on travel, loving South Island, son in the wine industry in France, auntie to Jonathan from “The Beths” - it was all very 2degrees of separation!

One of these things is not like the others... in our drinkies selfie, three are enjoying their son’s Viognier wine - Domaine Graeme & Julie Bott Condrieu - and it'll be a cup of tea for me! Dinner in Banjo - flat chook again with veggies cooked in tinfoil and sun-dried tomato oil (yum) - then more blogging & app work. Popping out of Banjo while dinner was being finalised, the "blue hour" was in full swing, creating amazing light over the lake. Later the sky turned creamy gold as the sun disappeared behind the Southern Alps creating an almost sepia effect.

The campsite had filled up quite a bit by bedtime, but it was so dark out there I have no idea of final numbers!