Exploration - 5km loop in 3 hours

Looking back down the valley in a north east direction. The sea is almost visible where the Conway flows out in the centre of the photo.

After passing through the section of grazed pasture land and crossing the boundary into the section of bush the landscape changes dramatically. The bush is mostly kanuka and kowhai with cabbage trees, braken and some other assorted natives.

The sides of the valley become steeper and the boulders in the stream bed larger. There are more birds and things seem less dry. I found a section of the riverbed where masses of small kanuka seedlings had come up in a profusion of competitive, chaotic life. I lifted a few from the shingle to pot up for future planting out around our property.

Deer

Crashing along beneath the trees, hopping from rocks and generally making noisy progress up the gully, the last thing I expected to see were deer, that close. It had crossed my mind that this would be the type of place they might like but assumed that any that had been in the vicinity would be well aware of my presence and be long gone.

I pause to look about and determine the best way forward when I noticed a patch of brown which at first looked like the side of a brown cow. It was breathing, that's how close I was. Lying on the ground and partially obscured by a tree trunk. 2 others were there and I saw them flicking their ears and then one turned to look at me and I saw its face. When I went to grab my camera they lunged away and we soon lost to view, crashing through the bushes and away.