The Magical Three Pools Of Waipatiki

 After getting a bit lost in life through March- both getting covid for the first time in four years and having kids to stay and needing to rest in our recovery and still having to contend with Watties unreasonable sleep interrupting behaviour, we were so relieved to emerge in to April with the realisation that we were going to be ok.

And what a glorious April of autumn sunshine and adventures we've had. Getting your timing right is a good plan- we looked ahead and saw that Wednesday the 10th April would likely be wonderfully fine and summery, so we juggled things to fit and after making rustic foraged apple pies, headed out to Waipatiki on a 28 degree autumnal day. A year or so ago we stopped to admire a crucifix orchid in a garden down the road and ended up chatting with the lady about this amazing place we love so much- Waipatiki. She told us about the "Three Pools" up river and so we slipped through the gate and wandered up stream, not having a clue what we would find, or if there would be anything to find at all, after the cyclone. As it turns out, we found pure magic- primeval rocks, pools of wonder and river gardens. Then we walked in the sea & drank elderflower fizzy water & headed home feeling utterly surfeit & so grateful.

Serendipity plays a huge part in our foraging life. I'm sure you could plan strategically to arrive at just the right time to harvest say rosehips, or wild apples and find that you missed your timing because the season was a bit different, or someone else had got there first, but if you just head out there trusting that you'll find what you didn't know you were looking for, then that's when the magic happens and out of that space there arises joy, peace and gratitude.

There are plenty of times where we spot trees of opportunity but we have to keep going as there is simply nowhere safe to pull over, however, on this occasion when I spied a healthy looking walnut tree, there was space to pull over just around the corner.

Most wild English walnuts don't seem to produce particularly large nuts, but they're still tasty.

"Help Mum, I'm falling...down!"

"It's alright little one, I'll catch you."

It's funny how we have come out here so many times through the years yet we have never asked ourselves- "what's that little river called?" Ah, Waipatiki river- well that makes sense.

Apple hand pies made with foraged apples from Ugly Hill road Porangahau.

Perfect picnic food. You can find the recipe just here.

Most of the year this is just the loveliest, quiet little stream.

It's gentle and clean and so beautiful. 

There's loss here but not crazy destruction like in the Esk valley or out at Sacred Hill where everything has been destroyed.

Wild apple mint- riverside.

And watercress.

Through the gate we're wandering in to Pan Pac (forestry) land but no one's been through here in ages. We always imagined a forestry road that went for miles, but it peters out after a short distance and becomes a rough path that is used by walkers & their dogs from time to time.

I hear so many people complain about the lack of bees these days, but out here in the wild they flock to the yarrow and other wild flowers.

Nikau palms, cabbage trees and kahikatea trees across the other side.

Looking back we are suddenly in another land. The terrain here is entirely unfamiliar.

Where did all the rocks come from?

It's all so beautiful and pristine and un-messed with.

Rivers are so mysterious, holding secrets and untold stories.

Amazingly, there are even native beech trees up here.

And Tawa.

We so badly wanted to cross over to visit with this majestical old being, but we didn't have other shoes.

Water coming out of the hills.

The wairua (spirit) of this river is so joyful and free.

Happy watercress.

We couldn't help but want to join in.

A moss garden mid river.

It was liking being in the most beautiful garden.

I wonder what stories this tree holds?

An astonishingly huge quartz rock.

The perfect place for a picnic really. The river just babbling, not rushing or shouting or fierce.

It was hard to tell which might have been which with the pools- it's not like going to the "baths" where everything's laid out and contained and managed.

But this was certainly an intriguing pool that appeared to have created it it's own residents.

I wonder what they are and whether this pool has always been this way? 

The rocks envelope and present a huge number of fossils so I guess they all arrived hurtling through the air at some point in the evolutionary journey of our province. I have so many questions- like why are they all clustered down here in the middle of a river bed and now water runs through and around them?

There must be nettle out here somewhere as we often encounter these endemic yellow admiral butterflies (there were red ones "kahukura" on this visit too). I imagine there's Ongonga in the margins of the forest somewhere. So clever how they make use of their prickly host to protect their pupae.

This sign no longer seems intimidating, as it once did and is probably why we'd never gone through the gate before.

It's alright we were just wandering and being amazed. No shooting happening.

Waipatiki is such a rich and wonderful destination with it's offerings of a dozen different experiences depending on what you fancy doing on any given visit. We love that there is a magical river, a unique sandy bay seascape, groves of cathedralesque nikau palms, large swathes of native forest with walking trails, and even a majestical redwood grove. 

Even just a paddle here is refreshing and fun.

Well this happy dog certainly thought so- he had become bored waiting for dad to stop fishing so he snuck off in to the lagoon by himself (all the while keeping an ear cocked in case he was called) and cavorting and barking in utter delight in the water. 

And that's how we felt about this wonderful adventure- utterly delighted.