It's All About Time

Today has been a big day although we haven't covered many kilometers.  We left the narrow strip of coastal farming land drove inland along a narrow forest road to get to the Oparara Basin where the limestone arches are.  The road was constructed for the removal of native timber which was stopped in 1986 and this cutover area was put under the Department of Conservation.  At the carpark there is a great display of the logging history and a photo from the 1960's shows a bush crew wearing woolen jerseys and every second man has a cigarette.  This road is now allowing visitors to tramp in the regenerating forest and see the limestone features.  
The first extra is a section of the Oparara arch.  It is difficult to photograph because of the strong contrast of light and shade and you need to be standing in the river looking up, I think.  Also there were big rocks put in place to stop you walking through and out the other side.  If you search blip #Karamea there are better efforts than mine.  Now back to time because I love geological time.  The limestone in the valley has an under lying layer of granite and an overlying layer of mudstone.  This sandwich was formed 30 million years ago beneath the sea.  The granite at 350 million years of age was once part of the continent Gondwana.  
To get to the arch you follow a trail beside the Oparara River.  It has beautiful granite boulders and sandy banks.  Extra 2 the reflections were stunning. 
That brings us to the main blip a Blue Duck or Whio which are found only in New Zealand and are a threatened species.  They like to live in fast flowing rivers.  There were a pair but they wouldn't pose together so you get one standing on one leg and I think it might be scratching with the other webbed foot.   Now the water really was that dark tea to red  colour.  It is caused by leaves and other plant matter on the forest floor releasing tannins as they decompose and this eventually leeches into and stains the water.  
Leaving here we drove out and back to the coast and onto the end of the road, really it ends at the Heaphy River.  There is a swing bridge crossing the river and an almost tropical forest with Nikau Palms growing.  Last extra that's me on bridge. 
Last note we had a huge roast dinner at the pub.  I couldn't finish mine.  

Once upon a time there was an ocean
But now it's a mountain range
Something unstoppable set into motion
Nothing is different, but everything is changed  . . .                 Paul Simon