We drove back into Te Anau to get a weather update for the area, which was looking better as the days passed. From Te Anau we took the Milford Road north and once again took in the amazing views, from meadows and lupin lined roads, glacier formed valley’s to the mirror lake and mountains forming around us.

 We did a half day hike to Lake Marian which was a tough 3 hour return hike signposted around 7 km from Gunns Camp. We passed over a swing-bridge which led us through forest and to a pretty immense series of waterfalls. The track was steep with a few scrambles up trees and rock fall but the effort was well worth it, and chatting to a few locals they had been informed by a guide that this was perhaps the best half day hike in South Island, New Zealand. A statement!!

Lake Marian is in a hanging valley formed by glacial action, reflecting the Darran Mountains surrounding it. We waited for the low cloud to lift and a few blue spots of sky joined us too. It was pretty amazing and we worked up a good sweat along the way. Heading back was much quicker and less of an effort but we still had to be careful as parts of the path was slippery and steep.

When we left the parking area we drove down to Gunns Camp which had been recommended to us by friends Vic and Dave. It’s a quirky place with a lot of history and a free museum for guests which is well worth a peek. We learned a little about the legend of Davey Gunn aswell as taking some time to photograph the campground with it’s cabins and funny oddities lying around the place. It cost £12 each to stay in our van and they have good cooking facilities and a spacious common room. We enjoyed cooking a pretty fabulous dahl which was taken from the Wholemeal Cookbook purchased in Takaka. We know it was good because our American friends tried it and were raving on about it too! ha ha!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

For the first time in New Zealand we decided to spend two nights in the same location/campsite. Not far from Napier is Eskdale Park a forest with lots of mountain biking paths to explore, all we needed was some bikes and we were ready to go. Avanti Bikes in Taradale was the best bet and at $30 per bike for half a day, good value. As it were quiet they said there was no rush to return the bikes so we loaded the van, which in itself took what felt like half a day, and drove for around 45 minutes to Eskdale.

There is not a lot of car parking space at the two entrances but it was pretty quiet so we  unloaded, donned our safety helmets and set off with map in hand. It costs $7 per person for a park permit which last for 3 weeks which is great value if you are sticking around the area. Starting with a beginner path it soon proved to be fairly challenging as the paths are very narrow with lots of pine cones, roots and tree trunks to avoid. Once more confident we tackled some intermediate class routes with the Klingon and Luge routes our combined favourites.

Felling pretty knackered and ready for lunch we returned to the van at 1pm for tuna sandwiches before returning the bikes. More food shopping followed by a return to the campsite for showers and some evening entertainment provided by Peep Show on the laptop. The sunset that ensued was pretty awe-inspiring, doomsday style.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

Happy Birthday to you….Happy birthday to you….Happy birthday dear Dave….Happy birthday to you!!! Today is my birthday! As you might have guessed. Who would have thought last year that I would be spending my 27th birthday in Japan! So, what to do to on my special day?

We decided to get out of Kanazawa and head to more remote parts of the country. Up early, porridge and toast for breakfast we head out to catch the train, using the Japan Rail Pass to the max. Our destination is north towards the coast, Nanao, Ishikawa to be precise. Tiredness was a slight issue on the train but we fought through and photographed other sleepy passengers. One women was even receiving some Reiki next to us from an elderly woman which also kept us entertained.

I felt the need to be “harbor bound” so we headed to the waters edge. It was a bit windy and there was handily no-one around, so we had a look out to sea and did a little jig of our own to celebrate my birthday. Helen was also in the mood for singing random songs and melodies which was a nice birthday present.

We wandered around at the sea front and then headed inland to the center of Nanao to see if there was some action taking place. There was plenty to photograph in the backstreets which was great fun and we captured some nice images. We were on the look out for some human ingenuity (a brief from a flickr group) and we found some plastic bottles that had been re-purposed into windmills. A few photos and we felt our submission is possibly complete.

Having to wait an hour for the next train up the coast, we headed for some food. Neither Helen or I eat donuts but we thought we would give Mister Donut a go as a special treat. It was an experience. Very light dough and subtle flavors, kind of baked rather than fried. Also it seemed that this was the local hangout for the OAP’s of the town. More exploration, some purchase of snacks for later and then off to the next town, Wakura Onsen.

This place felt a little strange to begin with. In the summer time / heyday this town must have been the equivalent to Skegness in the UK. It felt quite backwards and had an air of a horror film about it (the Wicker Man and a little of The Shining spring to mind). We carried on regardless, past the Karaoke drive through, and towards the sea front. We found a nice little park and also an amazing view out towards the sea from a foot onsen. This was bliss. Soak your feet and legs in some very warm water and look out to sea. Now this most definitely feels like a Birthday to remember.

After lots of photographs and some lunch at a picnic bench in the park we headed onwards to explore more of this tired town. We headed back on the fast train to Kanazawa and went out for some food at an Indonesian restaurant. Very nice. We cleared all the plates with ease. On for a few more drinks and some pudding, no less than grape (they love there grape flavors over in japan) ice-cream sundae. A lovely day was had by all. Thanks to the lovely Helen for singing to me with her dulcet tones and making my day special. Here’s to 28 next year!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)