Today is going to be a bit of slower day since we are moving to Murchison. Wes had considered a hike on the way that is listed as a 3 to 4 hour hike, but because we were slow in getting started today we realized that with a 3 hour drive and a desire to stop at The Te Waikoropupu Springs ('Pupu Springs').
It is good actually that we are taking an easier day today since last night was a terrible night for sleep. For some reason the mosquitoes were out in full force and since the ‘tent’ awning on the camper is not bug proof, we had swarming mossies around us all night. We got up at one point to put on bug repellant to try to help and I did not get any bites but I also did not get a good nights sleep. We are going to buy a mosquito net to go over our bed for tonight. Also we are aware we are heading into the sandfly areas and they are really bad this season so this will be necessary there as well.
These springs are located in Golden Bay, on New Zealand's South Island. The springs are known for the clarity of the water, and the volume of water discharged. The springs are spiritually significant to the Māori People. The springs are notable for the volume of water discharged from the eight main vents. It is estimated that 14,000 litres of water are produced per second, approximately enough to fill 40 bathtubs. The floor of the lake is covered with white sand. Waters expelled from some of the smaller vents carry the sand upward. These vents are known as the 'dancing sands', which for the few scuba divers who have secured permission to dive in the springs, is one of the highlights of underwater sightseeing. I could not believe how clear the water looked and tried to take some pictures of the bottom from the side. Although the water looked to be only a few inches deep, we were assured they were a meter or more deep.
We walked around the paths and boardwalks and were surprised at home many people stop to see these springs. This is the most visited site in the Tasman region of New Zealand so we have now visited both the first and second.
We continued back up and over the highway that climbed up the mountain range and dropped back down the other side to try to find a place to buy groceries before moving on to Murchison. We have learned that not all places are very large or have all the amendities we would expect. We also picked up the net.
The drive through this region of New Zealand is getting to be more mountains and valleys but most of our drive today was in the valley (after we came up and over the mountain range). Several times I looked around and thought the area reminded me of Keremos which steep mountains on either side and a narrow valley in between. (When I say steep mountains I do not mean like the Rockies, more like what we have around Kamloops but the valley is narrower).
We have settled in and now it is time for me to get caught up on the blog posting since we did not have any cell service in the north but here I do. I caught up on the emails, and received lots of happy birthdays from people so all is good in the world. Tomorrow we will see what is planned since Wes does have plans.
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