From the Psychotic to the Sublime

The Lake Waikaremoana Track

Day 2, Page 5

By this time too there has been a noticeable shift in temperature, even though the day is wearing on.

These beech trunks have an unquestionable presence as we walk past. It's a small habit of mine from time to time in the forest to stop for a moment or two, to "give and receive a blessing", and these giants seem to propmpt this response quite often.

Onwards

and it's truly beautiful walking along here, the light shifting from moment to moment.

The green seems somehow more vital than the desolate lichenous forest along the ridge top. I'm certainly feeling more refreshed by it even with five hours or so of walking behind me.

The undergrowth is varied in height, colour, density and species.

Another beauty. The tree's nice too.

Miranda is picking up speed along here. A thought arrives. Will be beat the boat to the hut?

Probably one of the easiest ferns to identify, the hen and chickens fern. It's pakeha name says it all, I reckon, but if you want a Maori name, there are four to choose from: manamana, mauku, mouku, or mouki

Kiokio is a truly beautiful fern. It lends its grace to roadsides and banks in a way that little else does. For such a pervasive and spectacular fern, it is unusual in that it was without a commonly acknowledged scientific name until about nine years ago. It's now, and I think appropriately, called Blechnum novae-zelandiae, the New Zealand Blechnum.

This, as far as my knowledge is correct, is kamahi. Its flower here is dead, but in season they are quite a spectacular presence in the bush, and kamahi honey features in many of our supermarkets and delicatessens.

More obvious signs of human intervention begin to appear

Here's one that still has me puzzled. I've not seen it - or at least not been aware of it - elsewhere, with its triplet leaf formation. Once again, if you know it, email me, please.