The Star: April 05, 2018

302 Thursday [Edition datE] April 5 2018 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
The Star
Travel
WEST COAST
Shantytown Heritage Park
FRISKY: A bottlenose dolphin escorts a cruise boat in the Marlborough Sounds.
Right – The hand carved pou whenua at Ship Cove.
Plenty to do in Picton
• By Mike Yardley
CHARMING: Furneaux Lodge offers a laid-back
hospitality experience.
THEY WERE frisky,
playful and shameless
attention-seekers. Your
typical teenagers.
A large pod of juvenile
bottlenose dolphins
turned on quite the show,
as we purred through the
Marlborough Sounds on a
Beachcomber cruise boat.
The frolicking dolphins
basked in the boat’s wake,
before unleashing their
acrobatic impulses, leaping
out of the water and flying
through the air like trained
circus-performers.
Picton had dawned bright
and brilliant. The glossy
deep blue water surrounding
Picton Marina, gleamed
photo-shoot perfect. In a
town that I have previously
accused of resting on its
laurels, Picton seems to
have really hits its straps as
a premium destination.
The place was buzzing. I
was joining a day trip into
Queen Charlotte Sound
with one of the region’s
oldest tourist operators,
Beachcomber Cruises, who
offer myriad tours including
their iconic rural post
delivery service, The Magic
Mail Run.
Keen to combine cruising
with a spot of walking,
my magical day out would
whisk me to Ship Cove,
before re-boarding the vessel
for the home-run from
Furneaux Lodge. Departing
from Picton, my ebullient
skipper, Steve, peppered the
cruise commentary with a
feast of fascinating insights.
Brimming with predatorfree
islands and marine
reserves, ogling precious
wildlife is an undisputed
magnet, luring the world to
their crystal-clear waters.
Steve remarked that alongside
the hector’s, dusky and
bottlenose dolphins, whales
are a constant sight in the
Sounds. As are seals, stingrays
and orcas.
We rendezvoused with
some salmon farms, heavily
fortified in perimeter
fencing to stop the fur seals
doing a drive-by feed. The
sheer size of the Sounds is
astonishing, comprising
20 per cent of New Zealand’s
coastline, brimming
with countless coves and
secluded sandy bays. Thick
native bush surrounds these
ancient sunken valleys,
where the calm, translucent
water spans azure blue,
vivid turquoise and shimmering
emerald hues.
Disembarking from our
boat, I dabbled in the creek
where Cook made home
brew for his crew before
surveying the magnificent
Captain Cook monument
commemorating his repeat
visits to the area.
Remarkably, one of the
original cannons from
Endeavour, adorns the
monument. The cannon
was salvaged from North
Queensland, after the
Endeavour ran aground
on a reef and the crew
had to throw numerous
equipment overboard, to
free the ship. A gorgeous
carved pou whenua (pole)
was installed at Ship Cove
12 years ago, illustrating
the legend of Kupe and the
giant octopus he chased in
these waters. Lacing up my
walking boots, I struck out
for a taster of the Queen
Charlotte Track.
The full traverse from
Ship Cove to Anakiwa is a
three or four-day affair, but
itching for a sample of this
celebrated trek, I embarked
on the first day’s section to
Furneaux Lodge.
The lookout point at
Tawa Saddle serves up seraphic
views across Queen
Charlotte Sound, while pixel-burning
vantage points
loom large as your descend
into Resolution Bay. In the
higher reaches of the track,
the elevated views serve up
mouth-watering glimpses
of some of New Zealand’s
most remote holiday
homes, glorious little escape
pads of supreme seclusion.
From Resolution Bay,
the final stretch followed
a well-graded old bridle
path over a ridge and into
Endeavour Inlet. An unexpected
surprise was the
short detour to ogle one of
New Zealand’s largest and
oldest trees.
A 1000-year-old rimu, in
Howden Forest. A viewing
boardwalk was recently
built around the tree to
safeguard its ancient roots.
What a stunning specimen
it is. I toddled across the
finish line with a flourish,
sweetly surrendering to the
laid-back hospitality embrace
of Furneaux Lodge.
Built by the Howden family
110 years ago, the original
homestead was thronging
with thirsty patrons,
chilling out and swapping
tales, before boarding the
boat at 5pm for the return
run to Picton, as another
pod of frisky dolphins
shepherded us home.
FAST FACTS:
•Where to stay? Slap
bang in the heart of
Blenheim, just around
the corner from that
glorious urban oasis
of Seymour Square,
Blenheim Palms Motel
delivers a delightfully
relaxed. Ann and Ian
are charming hosts,
who will go out of
their way to ensure
your Marlborough
getaway is a
memorable one. www.
blenheimpalmsmotel.
co.nz
•Planning a trip to the
Top of the South?
Check out the region’s
official website for
the latest visitor tips
and insights. www.
MarlboroughNZ.com
No visit is complete without experiencing Shantytown Heritage
Park, an interactive museum in the guise of a replica gold rush
village set in the late 1800s.
Shantytown offers insight, information
and fantastic experiences to thousands
of visitors every year. Step back in time,
discover legendary stories of pioneer West
Coasters through a fascinating mix of
experience and display.
Shantytown is set on 500 acres of
native rainforest. Experience the beautiful
short bush walks at your leisure. Or
take a steam train ride along an original
tramway through a native rainforest, get
a photo with one of two working steam
trains or talk to the friendly drivers.
Experience the sights, sounds and
smells of a working sawmill, watch the
mighty sluice gun blast gold-bearing rock
and soil from the earth, then follow the
water races to the gold claim, learn a little
gold panning and pan for your own gold.
The village, with 30 shops and builds
to explore, displays some of the 10,000
objects and 1000 photos in the Shantytown
Museum Collection. The on-site café
sells postcards that will be stamped with
the Shantytown Post Mark. For the perfect
memento, grab a costume and get an oldtime
photo.
Experience the sights, sounds and smells of a working sawmill,
watch the mighty sluice gun blast gold bearing rock and soil
from the earth, then follow the water races to the gold claim,
learn a little gold panning and pan for your own gold.
Visit www.shantytown.co.nz to purchase
discounted online entry tickets
Rutherglen Road, Paroa (10km south of Greymouth)
Open 7 days 8:30am - 5:00pm
Phone 03 762 6634