• Explore Vox
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Life
  • Music
  • News & Politics
  • Technology
  • Join Vox
  • Take a Tour
  • Already a Member? Sign in
Tintenfisch
the inkspot
  • Tintenfisch’s Blog
  • Profile
  • Neighbors
  • Photos
  • More 
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Links
    • Collections

57 posts from 2008

  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October
  • November
  • December

asbestos cottage

  • Dec 30, 2008
  • Post a comment

there really is a place called asbestos cottage.  it’s in the cobb valley, in the kahurangi national park, near golden bay, and its interesting history includes a pair of rather unusual hermits.  there’s even a book about them.

this quirky little hut, nestled up in the hills, is about ninety minutes’ walk from the nearest road, and we made it our goal for a sunday hike.  upon arriving and parking the car, however, we weren’t sure whether we’d actually make it, or whether we would have to abort and carry out a rescue mission instead – an elderly woman arrived alone as we were getting ready to go, changed into hiking boots but kept her flowered muumuu, and wandered off into the bush.  after some quiet consternation, we agreed to note her license plate number and the time we’d seen her, and check again when we returned.

the walk up took us along a surprisingly broad shady avenue, thick with leaf-litter but well maintained; over small babbling streams and on a steep, rooty detour; and ultimately across several narrow paths and ridges, with lovely views back down the valley, but baking in the direct sun.  

the valley
the valley

foxglove
foxglove

quiet pool
quiet pool

ridge with a view
ridge with a view

after about an hour we reached the frontier of asbestos country.

junk
junk

the mine itself was a curiosity, a kind of giant open weal of greenish-grey crumbly, surprisingly soft rock (that we were careful not to disturb much, for obvious reasons).  rusted and decaying tubs and hunks of machinery lay sparsely scattered around the area, and we didn’t linger.  

mm, asbestos
mm, asbestos

not lingering
not lingering

back down the valley
back down the valley

the cottage itself perches in a little grassy clearing about a half hour further on.  its main room has been maintained in its nearly original configuration, while the back room has been converted to a four-bunk cubby where trampers can sleep.  (we'd like to return overnight sometime.)  the surrounding tall grass hides the remains of some garden plants gone to seed, a small brook trickles merrily within earshot, there are views back down the valley, and the air hums with lazy afternoon insect songs.  it is a beautiful spot, and while forty years of complete seclusion seems a little extreme, we all agreed there would be worse spots for a hermitage. 

the cottage
the cottage
asbestos cottage
asbestos cottage
front room 1
front room 1
front room 2
front room 2
lunch
lunch
tall grass
tall grass
view from cottage
view from cottage
waterfall
waterfall


Post a comment Tags: new zealand, hiking, tramping, asbestos cottage, kahurangi

this morning, a mountain

  • Dec 29, 2008
  • 2 comments
mt taranaki
mt taranaki

2 comments Tags: new zealand, airplane, mountain, potd, aerial photography, tarakani

more dive pretties

  • Dec 1, 2008
  • 1 comment

on saturday we dived the mokohinau islands.  it was a gorgeous day in spite of the choppy ride out and chilly 16 degree water, and we saw many good things!

yellow-black triplefin
yellow-black triplefin
sea lettuce
sea lettuce
sparkly jelly
sparkly jelly
sunlit jelly
sunlit jelly
trippy
trippy
anemones
anemones
encrusting stuff
encrusting stuff
demos
demos
more anemones
more anemones
friendly sandager's
friendly sandager's
hi
hi


Undersea pebblesNice colorsKina

1 comment Tags: diving, fauna, marine, sealife, dive

it's dive season again

  • Nov 28, 2008
  • 5 comments

i went for the first dive of the summer yesterday - finishing a rescue diving course, we did some open-water rescue scenarios at tawharanui.  and afterward there was time for a little underwater sightseeing.  :)

Sunlight
Sunlight


Kelp
Kelp

Nudibranch eggs
Nudibranch eggs
Blue-eyed triplefin
Blue-eyed triplefin
Goatfish
Goatfish
General ambience
General ambience
Kina
Kina
Clown nudi 1
Clown nudi 1
Clown nudi 3
Clown nudi 3

Squid eggsEncrusting stuffCrevice
Blenny
Blenny
Chiton
Chiton
Clown nudi 4
Clown nudi 4
Clown nudi 2
Clown nudi 2

5 comments Tags: diving, marine, dive

KITTY

  • Nov 25, 2008
  • Post a comment

these rascals (and one more) were born at the local zoo earlier this year.  in the absence of time for proper written postings, they shall be my ambassadors for today.

tigerlings
tigerlings

Post a comment Tags: zoo, tiger, fauna

squid suck. and so do i.

  • Nov 24, 2008
  • Post a comment

i don't seem to be very good at this lately.  perhaps i should offer a spider drawing in lieu of the long-absent posts.  it may have something to do with the wedding, honeymoon, new job and now deciding to move house - paradoxically all these things are exciting and bear many interesting anecdotes in their wake, yet leave so very little time for actually documenting.  woe, woe is me.

to be continued.  soon, i hope.  in the meantime, here's some south island romance... awwww yeah.

36 enjoying the sunset
36 enjoying the sunset

Post a comment Tags: honeymoon, update, sheepish

why the… big paws?

  • Nov 4, 2008
  • Post a comment

(a polar bear walks into a bar… )

hi.

things have been a little quiet here recently.  for the past six weeks, to be precise.  i apologize.  rarely do momentous life events transpire so densely as they have in the time since i last posted.  first there was this...

gradgitation
gradgitation

and then, nine days later, this...

mawwiage
mawwiage

to say nothing of the out-of-town (and overseas) visitors who attended both events, the additional wedding in nelson two weeks earlier, and the fifth annual hallowe’en party.  i confess that i’ve been a little distracted.  but now (or perhaps soon, post-honeymoon) life is returning to normal, and we can pick up where we left off.  there’s still the rest of the US-canada trip to post, plus the pebbles gave me a fabulous new camera, particularly adept at the creepy-crawly shots i like so much.  so please bear with me for just a few more days. :)    

Post a comment Tags: update, thesis, sheepish

lynx alert

  • Sep 22, 2008
  • Post a comment

so far, in the inkspot's 19-month existence, i have mostly managed not to do the list-of-external-links thing.  today i can't help it.  there are more vacation stories to tell, plus the defense, but now i'm scrambling to get my final thesis version to the publishers and i must accept that others are far more entertaining right now.  and send you in their direction.

the facebook version of hamlet. 

oktapodi.  [link updated - works again now!)]

(is two a list?  yes, technically, yes.  the smallest list possible.)

Post a comment Tags: links, update, sheepish

in my own defense

  • Sep 18, 2008
  • Post a comment

i'll get on with the travel recap shortly, i promise.  just been distracted for the last couple weeks - my oral defense takes place in four hours and after that i anticipate something of a return to normalcy.  at least the buck lake pictures are calming.  if you'll excuse me, i'm off to stare at them for a while... 

Post a comment Tags: update, thesis

buck lake

  • Sep 4, 2008
  • Post a comment

on the concordia language villages’ main site, about an hour north of the cabin, is a small lake called buck lake.  it’s an odd shape, but just right for hiking around in about 45 minutes.  

aerial view
aerial view

when i first started going to skogfjorden, 19 years ago, we would have vespers at the fire circle there on sunday nights.  later in my clv career, the knights-in-training of the märchenwald program would go on a morning’s ‘journey’ to and around buck lake as part of their ordeal.  during the year that i lived at clv i also went for frequent walks there, and i have seen mist rising from its flat surface by the first light of morning, and the black silhouettes of trees lit only from the snowshine on the ground.  if you have been around this site for a while, you may even have heard loons crying there yourself.  it is a magical spot.

the pebbles and i went for a sunset walk around buck lake one evening before attending the märchenwald play.  the light was golden, the lake was calm and a crescent moon rose while we walked.  the woods were nearly silent, and the only other animal we encountered was one of the large beavers who live in the lake, whom we startled from a distance of about 20 feet.  he rocketed into the lake and propelled himself out of our sight using his massive tail.  then it was just us and a few sleepy songbirds.

sunset pines
sunset pines
woodsy path
woodsy path
sunset birches
sunset birches

sunset snag
sunset snag
moonrise over buck lake
moonrise over buck lake
evening peace
evening peace



Post a comment Tags: minnesota, sunset, lake, lake cabin, buck lake
  • Older »
Tintenfisch

About Me

Tintenfisch
New Zealand
View my profile

Tags

  • beach
  • bugs
  • dive
  • diving
  • england
  • fauna
  • japan
  • landscape
  • marine
  • minnesota
  • new zealand
  • scotland
  • sealife
  • south africa
  • spain
  • spider
  • tokyo
  • travel
  • vigo
  • webnesday

View my tags

Archives

  • November 2009 (4)
  • October 2009 (15)
  • September 2009 (32)
  • August 2009 (12)
  • July 2009 (7)
  • 2009 (124)
  • 2008 (57)
  • 2007 (112)

Subscribe

  • Subscribe to this feed
  • Powered by Vox
  • Theme designed by Tiffany Chow
  • Use this theme
  • Home
  • Explore
  • Tour Vox
  • Start a Vox Blog
Already a member? Sign in

Back to top

View Vox in your language: English | Español | Français | 日本語

Brought to you by Six Apart, creators of Movable Type, Vox and TypePad.
Six Apart Services: Blogs | Free Blogs | Content Management | Advertising

Vox © 2003-2008 Six Apart, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Help | Learn More | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright | Advertise | Get a Free Vox Blog

Loading…

Adding this item will make it viewable to everyone who has access to the group.

Adding this post, and any items in it, will make it viewable to everyone who has access to the group.

Create a link to a person
Search all of Vox
Your Neighborhood
People on Vox

(Select up to five users maximum)

Vox Login

You've been logged out, please sign in to Vox with your email and password to complete this action.

Email:
Password:
 
Embed a Widget
Widget Title: This is optional
Widget Code: Insert outside code here to share media, slideshows, etc. Get more info
OK Cancel

We allow most HTML/CSS, <object> and <embed> code

Processing...
Processing
Message
Confirm
Error
Remove this member