Karamea has to one of NZ’s hippest small towns. It’s definitely got it’s own thing going on up there in the northern part of West Coast.
Close to the Heaphy track, the Old Ghost Road and the Oparara Basin to mention just a few, some of NZ’s best outdoor experiences are right on your doorstep.
Here’s a short video made from impromptu snippets taken in the pouring rain while we walked a popular local attraction – The Big Rimu Track. And the Rimu is big, around 2m in diameter and 36m high.
I think this was the first day of our stay in Karamea – we had sunny weather for the rest of the time – not that I mind a bit of rain when walking in bush. The rainfall in Karamea is actually significantly less than lower down the West Coast. It has a climate closer to Golden Bay & Nelson, but enough rain to sustain the luscious and rich variety of flora you’ll encounter when walking in this area.
Came across a Weka fossicking in the undergrowth close to the Big Rimu and a rather spiffing poem by Eileen Duggan which seemed to fit the occasion.
The Weka
Weka, O Weka, O little brown Weka,
Why do they hate you, and cry on your name?
They tell me you’re sly and you swoop without warning,
Your wings have no flight, and your beak, has no shame.
You’re gay as a gossip and vain as a man-child,
You snatch at a bright thing and bear it away.
You sing with your mate when all good birds are silent,
You’re gallant by night and you’re sidelong by day.
But its my pity your footprints grow rarer;
Little brown mischief, don’t slip from our sight.
Wicked and sweet are your eyes in the twilight,
Wistful and wild is your cry in the night.
— Eileen Duggan (1894–1972)
Big Rimu Tree Walk
On Wekas
https://blog.forestandbird.org.nz/10-incredible-facts-about-weka-to-impress-your-mates-with/
http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/weka
https://www.nzbirds.com/birds/weka.html
https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/weka/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weka
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