PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE

From Tiny Creatures, Overnight Hikes and Forest Beauty

Week 179 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

This week between two overnight hikes and excursions in two different directions was a mix of work, pleasure and riding out something viral. With it being the second week in the new year, I’ve come to realize our days in New Zealand are counted but keep away from doing that and live in the moment instead.

Paying attention to tiny creatures in the open and embracing the cooling air of forest shade, I try to live every day up to the fullest. Except for those I lost my hearing…

After a long and exhausting hike into the valley on Wednesday, we had a peaceful night in the hut and woke to an overcast sky allowing us to take a leisurely walk out of the mountains again.

Fighting our way through a partly overgrown trail, we entertained ourselves by talking about other hikers we encountered and the mistakes they made.

Bright shining foxgloves were standing out in the otherwise colorless grass and pulled my attention from afar.

Further down in the valley, butterflies the size of my thumbnail were fluttering above the ground showing off a soft green and brown on their wings.

Friday was a difficult day as it was the day of my grandma’s funeral, which happened on the other side of the world. While I’m still not able to write about it, I want to share what brought me strength today.

Watching the quail chicks.

The lone father passed by our bedroom window several times this day with all his offspring in tow. I was delighted to notice that all seven chicks were still with him. Alive and healthy.

Saturday must have been a good day at work as I didn’t take any pictures until this past sunset shot. It was close to 10 pm when I took the photograph according to my camera.

Yes, it stays light that long.

On Sunday, I had a difficult day at work as my ears blocked after the first jump, and I couldn’t equalize or get them open again. I had no runny nose, cough or any other symptoms, but the fact my ears remained blocked showed a blocked sinus.

I’m not surprised after all the tourists flocking to town over the holidays. We get close contact with them, and while I manage to stay healthy most of the time looking after my immune system, it seems as if I caught it this time.

Since I had no pain in the ears or balancing issues, there was (according to me) no danger in continuing to jump, and we were short-staffed due to others being on sick leave.

Coming home after a long and tiring day, I smiled, seeing my family of quails together with some other birds in the grass and even rabbits joining the party.

Yes, this amount of wildlife is right outside our doorstep.

David saw me standing outside our doorstep, just staring into the distance when he asked what I was doing. ‘Checking if my favorite family was okay’, I responded while referring to the quail chicks.

He came back with ‘what are you going to do if they are not?’ and received a death stare from my side. Of course, there is nothing I can do. But seeing them and counting the chicks every day makes me feel better. Period.

Since my ears didn’t open up overnight, I called in sick the next day and tried to get a doctor’s appointment, but the only ear specialist I could reach had space for me three days from now.

I stayed at home, tried treating the symptoms myself und used flu medicine with the hope it would clear the sinuses and the ears.

It was quite frustrating for me to stay home as I didn’t feel sick. Again, no runny nose, no cough, no headache, or any other pain. Just blocked ears.

Either way, I was back on the bedroom window, watching the quails climb up on the pile of wood and having a rest in the shade. I was impressed at how they had grown and smiled at them being hunched down.

On Tuesday, there was still no change to my condition, the ears didn’t even try to pop. Still completely closed, David began to get annoyed as I wouldn’t hear anything he said and spoke very softly as my own voice sounded incredibly loud to me.

As he went back to work, I decided to try a clinic instead and got an appointment with a nurse that afternoon.

Sitting in the living room, I watched tiny drops of water sparkling in the sun. No, it wasn’t raining; the sprinklers were active.

While David only got to do one jump due to the weather, they kept everyone on standby at work. Time was closing in for my appointment, and I needed a plan B as I wouldn’t have a car to get to town.

Google Maps said I’d have to walk 8 kilometers to get into town, so I decided I could do that. Noticing my handbag and hat were in the car, I grabbed my passport with a spare credit card and wrapped the sarong around my head. It’s what they do in the desert, so I guess this should keep me cool as well.

After about half an hour of walking, I reached the orchards down below and admired apricots hanging on the trees. David and I had spoken many times about the fenceless farms around here. It’s a great sign. Theft is not something one has to be scared of down here. This is why I didn’t dare to even pick a fallen fruit from the floor.

By now, David had been told work was canceled and was heading back from Wanaka to Cromwell, where I asked him to meet me, so I wouldn’t have to walk back from the clinic as well.

The overcast skies had cleared, and it was getting hot. Walking on a trail through a park in town, I was surprised to stumble upon a ‘storywalk’.

Have you never heard of it?

The town’s library created this one. It’s a short story told in pictures and words and every few hundred meters, you’ll find another page. I found that so creative and interesting, I think I’ll write about it another day.

The doctor then assured me I wasn’t having any infections, neither in my ear nor in the sinuses. There was liquid behind the ear drums, which prevented me from equalizing the ears, and the sinuses were blocked. It could be viral or allergic; the difference doesn’t matter in treatment.

Nasal spray and patience is what I need. With that knowledge in tow, I felt relieved and told David I was ready to drive into the weekend.

And so we did.

We arrived on Lake Te Anau in the evening, pitched our tent on a formal campsite and went for dinner in town. We had plans for the next day.

I had booked a glow-worm cave tour. Sounds weird? It is. Weird and incredibly unique. As far as I understood, these worms that glow in the dark to attract prey are only to be found in Australia or New Zealand.

While I would have loved to take pictures of such a rare phenomenon, unfortunately, photography wasn’t allowed inside the caves as many tourists don’t know how to take pictures without a flash and those would threaten the species.

This wasn’t bad either, as this way, I could fully immerse in the experience without always thinking about this or that picture I could take.

I will write about the caves in a different post, but walking in the narrow crack in the dark with the constant and loud sound of flowing water was an unforgettable experience.

And then, of course, looking up and seeing those tiny blue lights was just unreal. Like the night sky or a thousand fairy lights were the glow worms decorating the cave.

Since we booked the morning tour, we had most of our day left once we returned from the trip. After a light lunch in town, we jumped back into the car to drive to the starting point of the Kepler Track, one of many Great Walks, as they are called here. Multiple-day trips with huts at spectacular locations.

With only one night left, we simply walked into the forest and embraced the beauty of nature surrounding us.

Reaching the beach at Shallow Bay, we knew we had found our spot for the night. The clouds were hanging low and full of rain above the mountains but didn’t seem to make it across the water.

We pitched our tent just meters from the lake, protected by some bushes and underneath young but strong trees. This was going to be one for the memories, but wait until next week’s photo essay to find out what we woke up to.

This has been my weekly photo essay. Anyone can join. Once. Or weekly. It doesn’t matter. We welcome everyone! Dennett started this photography challenge in 2020 and many have participated ever since.

Dennett / Erika / Eileen / K. Barrett / Juan / David / Mia / Susan / LensAfield / Kim / Barbara / Diana / Barb / Sandra / Shruthi / Ellie / Pene / Olive / Gustavo / Jane / Penny / Jillian / Shell / Ivy / Lisa / Lynne / Julia and new to the team came Krasi Shapkarova with “Family Time, Daily Walks, and La Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos”

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