Makarora Tourist Centre
Camp Site (powered)
Leaving the desolate-feeling greyness of Franz Josef. we journeyed down the West Coast. This was immensely depressing. There was a void of living things.
We stopped a few times along the road - apart from anything else we needed a safe place for Dizzy to have a wee! But at every turn-in from the main road, there were red warning 1080 poison signs with their depressing skull and cross-bones. Even more revolting (I can't think of another suitable adjective for it) was the evidence of where other travellers had been forced to relieve themselves at the side of the road. Used toilet paper and dirty nappies were often blowing around in the wind or piled up where there should be a rubbish bin. And even more revolting than this - bee-hives, stacked up in colourful wooden boxes. Otherwise a welcome natural site, but with poison and faeces as neighbours? I wouldn't be buying in West Coast honey anytime soon.
After about 250 kms of no phone reception, no data signal and constant reminders through the poison signs of death and desolation, we eventually arrived at the oasis that is Makarora. This is a small friendly community in the middle of nowhere – and the tourist centre does every job imaginable – it’s a café, bar, restaurant, off-licence, petrol station, tour operator, helicopter booking office, campsite, souvenir shop and wi-fi provider (Phew).
You can have a ‘day pass’ to the swimming pool and showers, or stay overnight and enjoy the surrounding nature reserve and even walk the track up the nearby mountains. We walked nearby farmland and found some vintage tractors and enjoyed seeing the ‘Yellow Peril’ plane take-off every morning from the airfield opposite the camp. Such a welcome break from the Haast Pass and the constant repetitive poison signs and lack of bird life.
We stopped a few times along the road - apart from anything else we needed a safe place for Dizzy to have a wee! But at every turn-in from the main road, there were red warning 1080 poison signs with their depressing skull and cross-bones. Even more revolting (I can't think of another suitable adjective for it) was the evidence of where other travellers had been forced to relieve themselves at the side of the road. Used toilet paper and dirty nappies were often blowing around in the wind or piled up where there should be a rubbish bin. And even more revolting than this - bee-hives, stacked up in colourful wooden boxes. Otherwise a welcome natural site, but with poison and faeces as neighbours? I wouldn't be buying in West Coast honey anytime soon.
 |
| Bee hives around Compound 1080 poison is sadly a common occurrence in NZ. Even though 1080 was originally patented as an insecticide. This photo taken at Puponga near Collingwood. |
After about 250 kms of no phone reception, no data signal and constant reminders through the poison signs of death and desolation, we eventually arrived at the oasis that is Makarora. This is a small friendly community in the middle of nowhere – and the tourist centre does every job imaginable – it’s a café, bar, restaurant, off-licence, petrol station, tour operator, helicopter booking office, campsite, souvenir shop and wi-fi provider (Phew).
You can have a ‘day pass’ to the swimming pool and showers, or stay overnight and enjoy the surrounding nature reserve and even walk the track up the nearby mountains. We walked nearby farmland and found some vintage tractors and enjoyed seeing the ‘Yellow Peril’ plane take-off every morning from the airfield opposite the camp. Such a welcome break from the Haast Pass and the constant repetitive poison signs and lack of bird life.
 |
| The warming stove in the campsite kitchen (it was unseasonably a bit chilly when we arrived) |
 |
| View from the nearby track across farmland. |
 |
| The road to the community school which also served as a town hall. |
 |
| The view of the mountains and riverbed from the campsite |
 |
| The outside area of the bar had an interesting collection of upcycled artefacts and furniture. |
There were traps throughout the tracks and we discovered a
dead hedgehog and a rat in two of them – the others were empty. Chook eggs were
not the best bait to use – even I know that from my friend Shane's expertise!
But the bird life was amazing and we had never seen so many wood pigeon (Kereru) in one place – literally dozens of them - flocks everywhere we looked -
with some taking a low flyover your head when you peeped out of the caravan. Beautiful birds.
But the bird life was amazing and we had never seen so many wood pigeon (Kereru) in one place – literally dozens of them - flocks everywhere we looked -
with some taking a low flyover your head when you peeped out of the caravan. Beautiful birds.
Later in our trip we discovered DoC planned to aerially drop the
dreaded Compound 1080 poison over this beautiful place. It would be first time
it’s been poisoned in its history. There was absolutely no rationale for this
proposal. My heart breaks to think of those birds and wildlife suffering an inhumane
death – and of the all the water courses nearby that the local community are
drawing their water from. Where is the justice here? Where is the science? It's just utterly illogical and wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment