Author Archives: markandness

Spoiler Alert for fans of crappy 70s American PopRock: Kilimanjaro does not ‘rise like a Memphis over the Serengeti’. It is nowhere near it.

Advisory / warning: this post contains descriptions and images of wild animals doing their thing and having things done to them by other animals. Think ‘Attenborough’ rather than Disney’s ‘Lion King’.

We left our accommodation on the Ngorongoro rim at around 0630 on Tuesday 20 June . Plan was to spend 2 and a bit days in the Central Serengeti and then the same amount of time in the Western Serengeti before fly back to Zanzibar.

After an hour or two, and driving past Olduvai Gorge where the Leakey’s had made their groundbreaking discoveries about the evolution of humanoids into humans, we ‘entered’ the park. From the entrance it was another forty minutes to the actual ‘gate’ … and 30 minutes of more entrance paperwork formalities, thankfully handled by Wilson.

Then we were into the ‘game drive business’ . Unlike the constrained Ngorongoro Crater the Serengeti is a vast area – over 30,000 square kilometres. it stretches from South from the Kenya border and the Masai Mara area, reaching in the west almost to Lake Victoria and bounded in the east by the Ngorongoro Conservation area.

The terrain within the park is diverse- not surprising given its size. The centre is a mixture of some small ranges and grasslands with the odd Kopje cropping up ( a lot of degraded granite landforms reflecting the ancient volcanic origins of part of the region). The south has grasslands that stretch forever, reminiscent of outback north west Queensland or the Kansas prairie. The Western sector ( or corridor) is bounded on the east by a long range and has some low hills around the central western zone. The Grumeti river , with associated bands of riparian vegetation, bisects the western corridor.

The whole park is crisscrossed by a network of tracks and dirt roads of varying degrees. The formula is pretty consistent- you dawdle along looking for ‘things’. Sometimes you find ‘things’ by the cluster of Landcruisers gathered around them. Sometimes you find things all by yourself ( nice!). And sometimes things find you when you are looking at something else you found!

We saw a whole bunch of herbivores who thrive on the grasslands. Along with the herbivores we saw a bunch of predators that thrive on them. Some of the herbivores:

We also saw lion, cheetah, hyena, and leopard.

Lions were everywhere. Lions up trees, lions ‘ahem’ having special ‘daddy and mommy’ time, lions posing, lions hanging with the kids and lions killing a variety of things …

We also came across a lioness on a baby Zebra kill. She was joined by a pair of black backed jackals scavenging. And over watching everything and looking ‘anxious’ was a lone Hyena. When we moved in closer we found out why – the lioness had also killed another Hyena that came too close. Definitely no love lost between Lion and Hyena.

It wasn’t all lions . Space and sanity preclude sharing everything we saw ( and the hundreds of photos). Here are few interesting examples . First up, youngish bull elephants play fighting.

On Wednesday the 22nd we left the Central Serengeti and began the few hours drive to the slight north (initially) and then west into the Serengeti’s Western Corridor. Next post: more Wildebeest than you could poke a stick at ( millions of sticks, in fact ).

After a good night at the ‘Best View Lodge’ on the Rift Valley rim it was time to head north and west to the Ngorongoro Crater. After about one and a bit hours, and a fuel stop later, we were at the gate.

It was organised chaos as all the guides had to complete entry paperwork (African bureaucracy loves paperwork, preferably with multiple stamps required from multiple separate offices …).

The guide’s now unescorted guests, left to their own devices, pretty much got in the way of everything, including the traffic. Amusingly, several were seen to get into, or attempt to get into, someone else’s Landcruiser – often to the surprise of the lawful occupants.

Apparently the Ngorongoro Crater is technically classified as a ‘caldera’. Perhaps ‘crater’ works better for marketing? Formed from a very large volcano that then blew out its top and was subject to some faulting action, it’s name comes from the Masai word for ‘cow bell’ … because it’s shaped like a Masai cow bell.

It is ‘other worldly’ down in the crater. There are a few ‘foothills’ around parts of the outer floor , a few permanent lakes and water courses, a large amount of undulating grasslands and some wooded areas tucked into the Western crater floor.

Herds of Cape Buffalo, Grant’s Gazelle, Thomson’s Gazelle, Zebra and Topi tend to favour the grasslands. There are also a few Black Rhino, but we didn’t get s ‘close up’ view of these, just seeing three in the distance.

The water courses and lakes teem with bird life, including Flamingos, Yellow billed Cranes and the odd Pelican or two. The grasslands also had a lot of Kori Bustards, Secretary Birds, Grey Crowned Cranes and various raptors and buzzards.

Saw a few (shy) elephants in the woodlands, but didn’t get any good shots because of their skill in largely remaining concealed- a remarkable ability in such large animals. We also observed a lone Hyena being fascinated with something in a creek bushline, but couldn’t make out or sense what it was.

After a good seven or so hours in the crater it was time to head for our lodge for the evening. The climb out was incredibly steep up a series of switchbacks. After the crater floor it was also cool and misty.

We stayed at a place called ‘Rhino Lodge’. While it looked promising, it pretty much a dud place , with Mark making the acquaintance of some extra African wildlife during the evening in the form of bed bugs. Do not stay at ‘Rhino Lodge’ if you visit the Ngorongoro Crater!

The next morning ( Tuesday 20th June) we headed along the ridge line and down into the Ngorongoro Conservation area and on the way to the Serengeti. This area is shared by wildlife and the Masai, who still practice their traditional cattle herding in the area. This was part of a ‘deal’ cut with the Masai when their two centuries or so of occupancy of the Serengeti was ceased with the creation of the Serengeti National Park.

Just after we started driving we had to pause for a few Wildebeest crossing the road (video to be uploaded when bandwidth allows) :

Video to be inserted here.

Next post : the Central Serengeti

Next post ….how to cure Mondayitis… a day in the Ngorongoro Crater

We left Stone Town on Saturday afternoon and transferred via air to Arusha – the ‘safari capital’ of Tanzania. Fun fact, apparently tourism accounts for around 27% of Tanzania’s GDP, so it’s kinda a big deal for the locals and the tourists. Saturday night we stayed at ‘Arusha Villa’ – a very nice place built on a former Coffee Plantation.

We were met on Sunday Morning by our guide for the next week or so, Wilson. We were also introduced to our safari vehicle, a modified 80 series Toyota Landcruiser. A good vehicle for the role and seemingly endemic in Tanzania ( see previous point about tourism…). After a drive through Arusha is was off to Lake Manyara National Park in the Rift Valley. It was around a 3 hour drive, saw many, many folks herding their goats and cattle. Then it was into the park and our first game drive.

Evening was spent on top of the Rift Valley escarpment. Monday morning and we are off to the Ngorongoro Crater .

Next post / update – some of the birds of Lake Manyara. For now we’ve got to dash.

The flight up from Johannesburg to Zanzibar via Nairobi with Kenya Airways on the 15th was smooth. We had great views of Kilimanjaro on the starboard side as we went into Nairobi, then with the sunset behind it on the port side as we headed south again to Zanzibar.

We stayed in the ‘Emerson Spice’ hotel in old Stone Town. The hotel was built in the 1800s as a home for a wealthy spice merchant. It is delightfully quirky with a unique style.

After a rousing wake up with the call to prayer at 05:15 from some of the many mosques in the area we had a leisurely breakfast on the roof top to consume several litres of awesome coffee and a great fruit platter.

The main activity on Friday was a private guided walk around Stone Town. Our guide, Sulieman, was good, explaining not only many of the historical features of the place but also the cultural elements. An interesting discussion occurred when he explained the local practice of polygamy. Sulieman currently has one wife and three kids, but is apparently open to the idea of more. He was curious as to whether we thought Australian woman might be interested… we offered the view that might prove a little challenging… but you should never say never!

A feature of the distinct architecture of Stone Town are the unique doors. The square doors are influenced by Arab / Omani culture and the ones with crescent shaped tops by that of the subcontinent. The doors are normally made from mahogany or other hard wood. The fancier the door, the greater the status of the home owner was signalled.

The various spikes and brass accoutrement on the door were originally a safety / security feature. Apparently in the ‘old days’ people would use elephants to breach your door to break in. The spikes deterred the elephants from leaning in. As pachyderm burglars declined the spikes and other features morphed into more decorative purposes.

A feature of the tour was a visit to the market. It was … fragrant…. Particularly the bit where the live chickens were sold, dispatched and processed.

After the market we went to the old slave market. This was a place to make you think. Zanzibar was built on, among other things, the East African slave trade. The area is now a memorial / museum, recording the both the history and cultural practices of the time.

From the Slave Market it was off through the ‘Shangani’ sub-district towards the waterfront. Along the way we went through an old Omani Fort, built on the former site of a Portuguese Church after the Omanis defeated the Portuguese for control of the island.

On Saturday morning we again acknowledged the greatness of Allah at 5 am. We spent the morning people watching down at the waterfront and playing the old ‘fishermen or pirates’ game . We decided that some could be both ….

Saturday afternoon and it’s back to the Airport for the shortish hop to Arusha.

The old proverb ‘a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step’ has a qualification if you live in Canberra: ‘any overseas journey begins with a trip through Sydney or Melbourne’. And so it was for Ness and Mark on Tuesday. We decided to forsake a 0400 start on Wednesday and the risk of fog for a civilised drive on Tuesday afternoon to Sydney. An added bonus was the opportunity to catch up with Jackie, Luke, Ava and Leo for dinner on the way through.

After an ok stay at an Airport hotel it was a smooth run dropping off the hire car, through check in and into the lounge . Departure was 30 minutes late, but the flight was good, albeit longish, arriving exactly 30 minutes late, matching the departure. The route took us way south, crossing Bass Strait and the north west corner of Tasmania. I think we flew directly over my colleague Hugh’s farm south-ish of Burnie! The flight went as far as 57 degrees south, we saw an iceberg out the port side of the aircraft about halfway through the flight.

We flew straight over Kergulen Island, but could not see a thing because of 8 octas of cloud coverage. Mark was disappointed as he had read a lot about the place in various accounts of 18th and 19th Century ‘derring do’ in and on the Southern Seas.

The flight tracked over the South African coast between Durban and Richard’s Bay, then straight into Johannesburg.

After a record breaking smooth and quick transit through O.R Tambo it was into the shuttle bus and off to another Airport hotel for an overnight stay. Up early ( went to bed at 7:30 pm due to 8 hour time shift) we were into breakfast, a brief watch of the sun by the (cool) pool garden and back to the I airport. Today we head to Zanzibar for a couple of nights in Stone Town prior Arusha via a bug smasher on Saturday. Flight via Nairobi on Kenya Airways.

Good news is jet lag appears (kinda) under control …and predicted max temp in Stone Town today is 29 Celsius! The cunning plan to avoid Canberra winter is starting to be realised!

Apologies- I was told today ( twice) that folks were worried that we were stuck in EnZed because the blog went silent after Lochmara. Oops – got busy, had limited bandwidth.. and forgot 😟 So, in the interests of closure …

Our final day on the Queen Charlotte Track was relatively inactive and very chill. Rather than more ridge walking we opted to enjoy the amenity of the resort. We opted for the 3pm boat back to Picton, thinking it was a simple 30 minute float . Turned out the 3pm boat was a slow boat deeper into the southern parts of the sounds, picking up punters from various bays , wharves and private jetties. In short , a lovely cruise.

We arrived back at Picton around 6pm … just as the weather finally broke after a dry and beautiful walk. ( The clouds in the last few photos presaged this). The rain began as we walked up from the boat terminal to our hotel.

The next day we had a leisurely start as our shuttle to the airport wasn’t until noon. We walked around Picton and the foreshore, checking out ball the touristy trat in way too many gift shops for a town that size. And bought the now traditional fridge magnet.

The flight from Marlborough to Wellington was short , not too bumpy and socked in with cloud the whole way. A quick transit through the airport and Airport transit shuttle into Town saw us exploring Wellington by late afternoon.

On Friday we kept up the exploration on foot , including a lovely afternoon walk down through the Botanic Gardens and back into the CBD

Saturday saw us take another lap of the Wellington waterfront on foot before heading to the airport. The rain increased incrementally throughout the day. The flight back to Melbourne was delayed an hour , but was quick – we arrived at the planned time .

On Sunday we went down to the Mornington Peninsula with the kids ( actually, now young adults) and had a great lunch at Port Phillip estate … great food , service and views.

That evening we caught the last flight back to Canberra, ending yet another a great break in NZ .

Coming up in February 2023 – we will be wandering down the Overland Track in Tasmania. ….🥾🥾⛰️🗻😀

After a relaxing stay at Mahana it was time to hit the track again. Except due to ‘booking difficulties’ the next accommodation we had was at Lochmara Lodge – over 30km plus, up and down (several times). We decided that sounded more like work than holiday and didn’t fancy a long day. Our solution was to hop the boat to Torea Bay and walk to Lochmara from there- a far more civilised option , albeit still involving a biggish climb and descent from and to sea level.

We were picked up by the Cougar Line boat at the Mahana pier at 10:30am. The long boat ride to Torea reinforced in our minds the validity of our plan. We went past many kilometres of undulating forest covered high ridge line before pulling into Torea Bay.

From Torea Bay it was a steep-ish one kilometre walk up a public road to Torea Saddle. The road crosses the saddle and the Queen Charlotte Track at right angles, and this is where rejoined the track. The road continues down off the saddle to the Portage Resort on Kenepuru Sound. The track from the saddle starts a steep-ish 3km climb with stunning views either side of the sounds.

It was a clear and hot day – so progress upwards was steady rather than scintillating. The frequent stops in the shade were to admire the views….

After a steady climb, featuring a couple of Japanese Quail and a half -dozen of really tiny new quail chicks running up the track ahead of us ( very cute), we reached the spot height. the views across 360 degrees (6400 mils 😉) were great.

The first 3 km down were quite toasty warm in the full sun. Once in another saddle the track to Lochmara left the QCT and skirted around West Bay before dropping off a ridge into Lochmara. This bit of private track was delightfully shady and largely downhill.

Upon arrival we were greeted… by a Llama. Apparently the Llama’s name is Nigel.

Nigel was supported by his mate , the goat, in defilade across the track . The goat apparently has a protected identity, as no name was forthcoming.

A quick check in followed by a cool swim ( goat and llama free).

Our last full day in the Sounds will be spent relaxing and swimming 🏊🏻‍♂️

Disclaimer: no ungulates were harmed in either the production of this post or the events narrated herein. 🐐🦙

After a quiet New Year’s Eve and a good night’s sleep we were off to a lazy and leisurely start to the New Year. Leaving Furneaux around 1130 we quickly made it to the head of the Inlet. The walk to Mahana was a smidge over 12km according to our Garmin app, so no race. The track effectively traces around the Western side of Endeavour Inlet, around a peninsula, then around another inlet called ‘Big Bay’ ( best as we could make out). We the.n skirt Punga Cove and over a small headland to Mahana Lodge.

The track on the western side of Endeavour Inlet passes through some private land – farms, bachs and the odd camp ground. The second half of the tramp is through forest. The whole route is undulating.

The weather was overcast but pleasant. We continued the pattern of our tardy start, dawdling along and stopping frequently to check out a view.

A highlight was ‘Laughing Cow’ cheese and crackers for lunch in the forest.

A few pleasant hours later and Punga Cove came into view.

Mahana Lodge sits in its own private little bay. It’s reached via a bit of a goat track ( or via boat) as a large slip in July 2021 wiped out the original approach track. The lodge is small ( maximum 10 guests) and has a stunning outlook. As a bonus, the resident manager / chef, David, hosts a ‘Table d’Hote’ menu each evening he prepares from local produce. David, it turns out, is an excellent cook and the meals were great- supported by a range of OK local Marlborough Region wines.

The plan, executed exceedingly well, was to spend two nights at Mahana with the day off as a ‘rest’ day. Because, you know, holidays.

The night in Picton was characterised by nice accommodation and gale force winds outside. Thankfully the wind eased off at dawn and our stroll down to the pier to check in was accompanied by a gentle ‘fresh’ breeze rather than anything to be particularly concerned about.

Check in for the boat transfer to Ship Cove was at the civilised hour of 9am for a 9:30 departure. Which didn’t stop people forming a queue to get on from 9…. We didn’t bother and went for coffee across the road. Somehow we still got on the boat 🤷.

It was a smooth run to Ship Cove. A change of seating happened early as our position at the stern was subject to inundation as the boat hit cruising speed. 🌊 The transfer was a bit under an hour in duration including a stop at an Island which was a bird sanctuary- we picked up a few Twitchers who had been dropped off earlier that morning. The island is cleared of the predators (stoats, rats etc) which otherwise wreak havoc on NZ’s native bird life. The Twitchers were very happy with the sightings and bird song they encountered.

Ship Cove was used over the years by various Māori iwi as they went about their business in the sounds area. A beautiful, sheltered bay with fresh water available and an abundance of fish etc. From European times it became famous for its use by James Cook RN during his several and varied voyages to NZ. In all he spent around 100 days there across several voyages. He also lost a few crew when one of the local tribes ‘invited’ them to be the central element of a hangi at one point…

The first day’s walk involved crossing two ranges from Ship’s Cove via two Saddles and skirting around several bays. The distance to travel was a smidge over 17km and our destination was the Furneaux Lodge at the head of Endeavour Inlet.

The first hour and a half -ish was a steady climb up rather gentle switchbacks to Ship Cove Saddle. Great views of the sound materialised as we rounded the various corners.

Once down off the first range you skirt around Schoolhouse and Resolution Bays , which face south-ish). We paused for lunch at the former and encountered the first of many friendly and relatively fearless Weka who were on the bot for food ( they were unsuccessful).

After skirting the rest of the bay the track heads up the next range to Tawa Saddle. The saddle is named after the Tawa forest below, on the western slopes of the range.

After Tawa the track descends and sidles around a few coves before it takes a turn northward along the Eastern shore of Endeavour Inlet. It was getting warmer and these last few km started to seem unduly long – we were clearly anticipating a cool drink at the lodge. About 4 km on a series of Bachs and private jetties were passed, and a kilometre or two later we were at Furneaux Lodge.

New Year’s Eve was pleasantly quiet . We had a hot tub in front of the bay to relax aching muscles ( we will spare the reader the photo). We then had an early dinner and turned in to the sound of the waves on the Inlet shore.

A refresher: We had a slight delay because Qantas disembarked us into an evacuated Auckland airport terminal ( some sort of fire emergency which was never explained 🤷) we cleared Immigration, Customs and quarantine and got a speedy Uber to the Ferry Terminal downtown.

Waiheke Island was a great spot to ‘unwind’ into the holiday. Whilst the Island itself was crowded with holiday makers the beaches weren’t. A highlight was the number of Pohutukawa (NZ Christmas trees) in bloom – simply stunning. Fun fact: even though they are no longer native to Australia, it’s believed the Pohutukawa originated in Australia. This is based on fossil evidence found in Tasmania that predates the geological formation of NZ. The Māori accord special significance to the tree, it forms part of the story about departed soul’s journey to the next life.

We wound up our stay on Waiheke with awesome pizza on the beach on the last evening from a little container trading as ‘Dragonfire’ . Highly recommended for both the pizza and the serenity- but get in early because they do sell out!

On the 29th we left Waiheke and overnighted in Auckland. Highlights were a great lunch at Al Brown’s ‘Depot’ restaurant ( for Aussie readers, he’s a Kiwi ‘celebrity chef’ something like a cross between Neil Perry and Maggie Beer…) and a great walk. After ‘resting’ after lunch we went on an evening stroll , dodging the construction that is going on all over Auckland and heading up through the Domain ( Lover’s Lane !) and back through Parnell.

On Friday the 30th it was off to the South Island . Eventually. A quick Uber ride to the Airport was followed by a delay at the Airport. The place was heaving with holiday traffic, and not really coping . Probably not helped by the fact the regional airport hub in Auckland Airport would have made Canberra Airport circa 1987 look modern and well-organised. What was novel as the complete absence of any form of security screening- that was a real blast from the past.

Eventually underway and it was a pleasant Air NZ flight through to Marlborough Airport (Blenheim) . Great views of Mt Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe out the port side and Mt Taranaki for those on the starboard side.

Once in Blenheim it was a quick pickup and transfer by Marlborough Shuttles to our overnight digs in Picton. Quick walk around Town (nice) and then prep for the start of the Queen Charlotte Track on New Year’s Eve.