Lochmara Lodge

Sunday we leave Foley’s Creek and our little mouse behind. Between last night’s dinner and this morning’s breakfast, we have consumed the remainder of that huge batch of barley soup. We head east and drive through one pretty river valley after another connected by mountain saddles and serpentine switchbacks. We stop for lunch in the Rai valley, where Phil has yet another delicious hot pie at a rustic roadside eatery. We come to the Marlborough Sound at Havelock, a resort town and harbor. We climb a ridge and get a wonderful panoramic view of this region, dominated by a long, narrow peninsula, with hundreds of small bays and inlets. Ed drives on more windy road where we feel we are hanging on the hillside. Soon we arrive in Picton where we will meet our water taxi for the short ride across the channel to Lochmara Lodge. Piction is a water connection center with a harbor filled with splendid yachts and sailboats. This is also the site of the main ferry crossing to Wellington on the north island, altho that trip is not on our itinerary today. Because our rooms at Lochmara do not have in room cooking facilities or refrigerators, we have planned to consume all of our perishables, starting with a big lunch while we wait for the taxi.

We leave our car behind, paying $2/day for long term parking and take two days worth of pared down luggage on the taxi with us. We are whisked across the sailboat dotted Queen Charlotte Channel. Emerald green, pristine forests rise from the steep banks of the shore all around us. Before we know it we enter Lochmara Bay. We are welcomed at the jetty by friendly staff who take our stuff to our very comfortable rooms overlooking the beach with views across the bay of deep green forest. Lochmara Lodge was a backpacker accommodation when the current owners purchased it 15 years ago. They had a vision to create a habitat for local animal rescues and a sustainable ecosystem for their resort development. They also planned having visiting artist come and stay over the years and develop an art center. Gradually the grounds have filled with public art creations. Trails criss-cross through the area with farm and garden areas, a glowworm wood, an aviary populated with dozens of New Zealand green parakeets (kariki), and animal habitats for chickens, pigs and alpacas. There literally is something interesting around every corner. Creature comforts include a cafe/restaurant with great local food, a hot tub spa, free kayaks to use on the sound, the sculpture garden and wonderful hammocks placed in relaxing settings all around the place.

Dianne and Phil have the vodka punch on arrival and head off to the spa. Ed and Colleen head for the kayak shed and boat out on the Sound. The four friends will later gather at the restaurant for a fine late meal of delicious food (but small portions, grumble Ed and Phil). After dinner, we all head for the glowworm grotto where the little larvae put on their light show for us. Standing on the walkway in complete darkness, we have the pinpoint lights of the glowworms all around us, and then looking up to the sky through the tree ferns we see another spectacular star show. Before retiring, we walk out to the jetty for an even better look at the night sky and say goodnight to Rocky, a tame shag (cormorant) who has been raised since he was four weeks old by the staff here.

Monday morning, Ed and Colleen were up early and back to the kayak shed for a sunrise paddle. One of the staff had told us of a New Zealand Fur Seal colony within an easy paddle of the lodge, and we were anxious to have a look. As we arrived close to our destination, Ed pointed out activity just off the rocky point. A fur seal splashing in the water appears to be grooming itself on the rocks just under the surface. We paddled in closer, still giving the seal a respectful distance. The seal clearly looked at each of us, then continued it’s splashing in the shallow water. When it was finished with it’s underwater grooming, it swam out around our kayaks, surfacing a couple of times to take a closer look at us, then climbed out on the rocks to continue the morning ritual. Sitting in the sun, the fur seal began working it’s drying fur with it’s flippers. We watched for quite awhile before heading back to the lodge for a (thankfully!) generous breakfast of french toast and grilled bananas.

After breakfast, Ed and Colleen headed out for a walk to Hilltop Lookout, the highest point on the Queen Charlotte Track. We admired the artwork along the trail as we left the grounds of Lochmara Lodge, then continued our walk through tall tree ferns and pine forests with many water views. The view at the lookout was spectacular.

Back at the lodge, we headed down to the dock for a visit with Rocky. This very sweet four month old shag who was hand raised by the staff has his adult feathers now, but is still in the process of picking out the last of his baby fuzz. It is time for him to learn to hunt for a living so the staff is cutting down on his fish ration. He still sees people as a more reliable food source than the bay below him, so he is very interested in any visitor, investigating us thoroughly to see if we might have any fish concealed on our persons. He seemed to think my fingers might be fish and made futile attempts to try to swallow them. He also appreciates being petted and we have never seen a staff member pass him by without offering a little affection.

While Colleen and Ed are having a physically demanding day, Phil and Dianne have a more relaxing day planned. Phil had sustained a mild muscle strain at the spa the previous day (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it), so we thought this a good day to take it easy. Our goal is to lay in as many of the hammocks as possible (and there are many). Phil has his transcendent moment swinging in a hammock up on a hillside overlooking the bay. The warm sun filters through tree ferns. He listens to Mozart on his ipod and birdsong fills the air. It is a great moment until he tries to get out of the hammock. Happily, no one is around to witness him awkwardly exiting the hammock, sustaining yet another mild injury. He limps off to catch up with Dianne who is at the aviary hand feeding the exotic birds

In the afternoon, we go out on kayaks for a little paddle about the inlet, and enjoy just floating on the still water in the warm sun. We return to our room to play cribbage, have a snack and just enjoy this beautiful day. Before dinner the four of us meet for some spa time, then to the dining room for dinner (again good food, small portions). Our dinner last night emphasized presentation. The plates were quite large with colorful drizzles connecting artfully stacked, but small, mounds of food. Tonight, Dianne is feeling protein deficient and brings a can of beans. She asks the chef if he will add the beams to the vegetable stack she orders. The chef says no, but gives her a larger portion of stacked kumara, delicious. Then back to the glowworm grotto for a last look at the sparking critters.