A few pics from New Zealand

[admin]

This was not a botanising trip, the trout fishing there is FAR too good………….. Did get a few plan pics when fishing  though


Are Raoulias really that hard to grow?


Close up


Celmisia and Aciphylla  – there were millions of them


Below Mount Cook,  a braided river where the Raoulias flourish

[Maggi Young]

It is a very beautiful country, is it not? The scenery is the stuff of quality calendars and no mistake!
We're awfully pleased to have you home, though, Fred! 

[Carol Shaw]

It is a very beautiful country, is it not? The scenery is the stuff of quality calendars and no mistake!
We're awfully pleased to have you home, though, Fred! 

Indeed we are Fred

[Lvandelft]

Fred thank you for showing these pics of Raoulia.
I think they were never showed on the Forum, growing like this.
Very interesting!

[Lesley Cox]

I hope you caught a fish or two Fred. Your pictures are lovely and it's always good to "see oorsels as ithers see us." You were lucky to see Mt Cook so nicely. I've spent days in the area with never a sight of it.

The flat raoulias are at their best in pure grit/gravel. If one can supply a high altitude river bed, so much the better.

[admin]

Yes Lesely,  I caught some very nice trout!

Some pretty bad weather on the  west coast scuppered our plans to go further south, however the last week was spent in northern Otaga (Omarama) and we saw Mt. Cook every day. NZ is a lovely place (Scotland on steroids), very few people and that is good!  I see you get Coronation Street on TV - ah well, nowhere's perfect......

I'll be back at the first opportunity.



Evening light - Mt Cook over lake Pukaki



Fishing not far from Tolkein's  "Plains of Rohan" (Tekapo river)

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I suppose I can think of worse places to go trout fishing Fred ! 
Excellent shots - I hope you have some more for us ? 

[Lesley Cox]

Pleased you enjoyed it Fred. It's an OK place mostly. As to Coro St, that's brilliant, compared with a huge amount of what can only be called crap, from both UK and USA. Local TV content is extremely anal. (Well I guess that means crap too but I really mean that it is so self focused, assuring us all what a wonderful bunch of yobs we are, but not sufficiently wonderful to be able to cope with something requiring intelligence. I spend a lot of TV time reading instead. )

[maggiepie]

Fantastic photos, Fred, one of my biggest regrets is never visiting NZ when it was possible.

[admin]

I really liked the temperate rain forest areas on the west coast. Here is a picture of my pal Alex fishing a pristine spring creek near Harihari, south of Greymouth, and me with a nice trout from the same creek. Look at the clarity of the water!  This is fly fishing paradise for me, very difficult, technical fishing and  the fish are enormous by European standards as well as being completely wild. I have travelled to a lot of countries over the years, but nowhere has left as much of an impression on me since I was in my 20s. It is a  great place and the natives are very friendly

[ranunculus]

It's a great pleasure to view your tremendous images of paradise, Fred ... many thanks for posting.

[Maggi Young]

I can believe that fish is wild, Fred, actually, he looks absolutely furious 
Ah, yes, those old jokes are the best 

[David Nicholson]

Chips any good Fred?

[admin]

Chips any good Fred?

They were good with the t bone steaks!  We didn’t kill any fish, they should  still be swimming around  there somewhere. I think big trout  are worth more to the NZ economy alive than on my plate! 


Incidentally, how hardy is that NZ flax? The stuff growing on the far side of the spring creek.

[ian mcenery]

I really liked the temperate rain forest areas on the west coast. Here is a picture of my pal Alex fishing a pristine spring creek near Harihari, south of Greymouth, and me with a nice trout from the same creek. Look at the clarity of the water!  This is fly fishing paradise for me, very difficult, technical fishing and  the fish are enormous by European standards as well as being completely wild. I have travelled to a lot of countries over the years, but nowhere has left as much of an impression on me since I was in my 20s. It is a  great place and the natives are very friendly

Fred as I also river fish for trout almost as much as I garden BOY oh BOY am I envious> . This has been on my to do list for too long . Looks like paradise for a fisherman