We circled back to Christchurch via southern Canterbury, timing our travel to catch the early blooming of lupins in the Mackenzie Basin. You might even say we were “lupin north” on our way to reach the Top of the South. Before continuing with the northward journey there were several mop-up points of interest to visit (and revisit) in Christchurch City and on Banks Peninsula.
Coordinates
Mackenzie Basin
We had crossed the Lindis Pass (first photo) into Canterbury ahead of prime lupin time—so very few were blooming. We made for Ōhau B Canal, a popular NZMCA park-over (second photo); water from the power station here flows downstream thru Ōhau C into Lake Benmore. Despondent fisher-campers can buy from the salmon farm opposite (third photo). SH8 crosses the dammed Ōhau River bed; Lake Ruataniwha is the only artificial lake in Mackenzie Basin (final photo).
At Lake Tekapo we saw lupins in multicoloured splendour. They were more advanced (first three photos) than they were in Lindis Pass, but intel suggested that the back half of November (through early January) would provide the best feast for the eyes. Californian poppies, aggrieved by all the attention on lupins, were getting in on the act too (final photo)!
Lupin genetics must be interesting, as some plants could not decide which slice of the rainbow to pick. A number have evidently decided to boycott choice and go with two colours at once (first three photos). Even the endemic NZ magpie moth/ Nyctemera annulata (final photo) came to inspect them—dressed in a duotone outfit, no less!
If you missed our previous visits, Lake Tekapo is known for the turquoise colour of its waters—due to suspended glacial silt. The water level was lower than we’d seen it before (first and second photos). Tourists also flock to the rather dull lakeside church (third and final photos). But as they say: “Location, location, location!”
You can drive up to the observatory atop 1,031m Mt John (first photo), or climb up via the Tekapo–Mt John Walkway. Alternatively, follow the walkway alongside the lakeshore for a flat return stroll. You’ll still get good views of Two Thumb Range opposite, seen here after overnight snow (second photo) and to Motuariki Island (third photo). We had closer glimpses of Lake Tekapo’s northern end from Godley Peaks Road (final photo).
Lake Alexandrina is filled with rainbow trout; those in baches or caravans take to small rowboats to fish for them (first and second photos). The lake is a nesting site for Australasian crested grebes/ pūteketeke/ Podiceps cristatus (third and final photos). Good divers but poor walkers (their legs are too far back), they spend their lives on water, build floating nests, carry their chicks on their backs, and are known for elaborate mating displays.
From our pitch-up we cycled a mix of Te Araroa, Alps 2 Ocean and local trails around Lake Tekapo. Our first stop was Willow Bay (first photo). We found the pine cones on Takapō Regional Park trails were hard to ride over! We passed Tekapo River and Control Structure/ SH8 bridge (second photo), seen here from Cowans Hill Trail. Further up the hill are many tarns (third photo) and good views over the Mackenzie Basin and adjacent ranges (final photo).
Christchurch—distant past and present
We left Lake Tekapo and—via Fairly, Timaru, Geraldine, and Peel Forest—arrived back in Christchurch City. After revisiting the Riverside Market, we went to see the Six Extinctions exhibit at the pop-up Canterbury Museum.
Six mass extinctions—if you count the current one!
A mass extinction is deemed to have occurred when 75% or more of species are lost over short time (around 2 million years on geological time scales). This happened during the Ordovician (86%); Late Devonian (75%); Permian (96%); Triassic (80%) and Cretaceous (76%). It is happening presently in the Anthropocene, with clear correlations between humans and loss of biodiversity.
As we found this exhibition clear, concise, interesting (and a little terrifying), we’ve reproduced some of the detail below should you wish to know more about our planet’s past, the present and future of our/ other species. Expanded explanations (in italics; click the disclosure triangle to reveal) are taken verbatim from the museum’s display panels.
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1. The Ordovician extinction occurred 445M years ago when climate change dropped global temperatures by 4ºC. Life had consisted mostly of marine animals and plants. 86% of species were lost, including trilobites, brachiopods and bryozoans. Although major groups survived, they lost significant diversity.
“The Ordovician extinction was the first and the second largest mass extinction event. During most of this period landmasses were joined together in the southern hemisphere, in a supercontinent known as Gondwana (which included Australia, Antarctica, Africa, South America, India and Southern Europe). A complex series of global temperature and sea level fluctuations through the late Ordovician seems to have massively reduced the extent of shallow marine habitats. This affected the home of many types of marine organisms such as trilobites, corals, crinoids, shelled brachiopods and ostracoderm fish, some of the first animals with bones. At this time life on land mainly comprised algae, fungi and early plants. By the end of the Ordovician, some 86% of marine species, mostly shallow water species, were extinct. One of the top predators of the time was the straight-shelled cephalopod, known as Endoceras giganteum. It did not survive the Ordovician extinction.“
2. The Late Devonian extinction occurred 372M years ago as a result of algal blooms and a drop in ocean oxygen levels. Life had been mainly aquatic, including large fish, but there were also terrestrial plants/ forests that were habitats for invertebrates. 75% of species were lost, including almost all large fish, and many trilobites, ammonites and brachiopods. Many plants and most terrestrial life survived.
“The Devonian is referred to as the “age of fish”. From the survivors of the Ordovician extinction, fish evolved into many diverse groups. Brachiopods, trilobites, crinoids, and corals also re-diversified. On land, the evolution of trees and seed plants led to multi-storied forests and the development of soil profiles. Over the last 20–25 million years of the Devonian, a series of extinctions collectively known as the Late Devonian Extinction occurred. Because of its extended duration, it is difficult to disentangle the causes and the impacts of this extinction. Sea level changes due to glaciations, massive volcanic activity, soil formation on land due to the expansion of land plants and their contribution to atmospheric moisture and carbon dioxide levels, and possible extra-terrestrial events, all may have led to depletion of oxygen in oceanic bottom waters and elevated rate of carbon burial in sediments—signs of large global scale environmental changes with major impacts on life. The Late Devonian Extinction decimated the tropical marine benthos, or life living on the sea floor. Calcareous sponge and tabulate coral reef communities were especially affected. Over 75% of marine species were lost. The major vertebrate groups (all marine) suffered acutely with long-term losses of over 50% of diversity and the restructuring of vertebrate ecosystems worldwide.“
3. The Permian extinction occurred 250M years ago due to global warming—temperature rose by 10ºC. Life consisted of marine creatures, giant insects, tetrapods, mammal-like reptiles and plants. 96% of species were lost, including most marine species such as trilobites and ancient corals, and many mammal-like reptiles. A few lineages of terrestrial vertebrates survived.
“During the Permian period all landmasses were joined together in a supercontinent known as Pangea. Panthalassa, the massive ocean that surrounded Pangea, teemed with an amazing diversity of life, with huge coral reefs, arthropods, fish and the first sharks. Giant insects, amphibians, reptiles and synapsids (the ancestors of mammals) dominated the land. The Permian ended with the most severe extinction in history, known as the “Great Dying”. This led to the extinction of 57% of biological families, 83% of genera, 81% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species and the largest mass extinction of insects. The main cause of extinction was the large amount of carbon dioxide emitted by volcanic activity in what is now Siberia, Russia. A massive volume of basaltic lava flooded out over 7 million square kilometres, forming the Siberia Traps. The released carbon dioxide elevated global temperatures, and in the oceans led to widespread depletion of oxygen and acidification.“
4. The Triassic extinction occurred 201M years ago, again as a consequence of global warming, where temperature was raised by volcanic activity. Life consisted of the first dinosaurs, ancestors of modern reptiles, the first true mammals, diverse marine life, marine reptiles and the first flying vertebrates. 80% of species were lost, including many land and marine species from all groups. Early dinosaurs were less affected than most other groups.
“At the end of the Triassic, Earth experienced its fourth mass extinction and the third largest extinction event. During the Triassic, life on land began to diversify. The climate was warmer than today with no polar ice caps. Survivors of the Permian extinction evolved into many groups, including the ancestors of modern reptiles and the first dinosaurs. In the ocean, the corals formed once again, and marine life evolved into species, including the first marine reptiles. We also see the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, and the evolution of the first true mammals from the advanced mammal-like reptiles (therapsids). The cause of the Triassic extinction remains unclear, but during this time Earth experienced many volcanic eruptions in an area that is now the Atlantic Ocean. Pangea began to separate into two continents, Laurasia and Gondwana. Carbon dioxide released by the volcanic activity caused global temperatures to rise once more. By the end of the Triassic, 80% of all species became extinct. This mass extinction almost wiped-out early mammals and mammal-like reptiles, but had less impact on early dinosaurs and pterosaurs, paving the way for them to dominate the land in the ensuing Jurassic and Cretaceous.“
5. The Cretaceous extinction occurred 66 million years ago due to the impact of an asteroid hitting Earth. Life consisted of dinosaurs, reptiles, birds, mammals, fish, marine reptiles, diverse marine life and forests. 76% of species were lost, including non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and ammonites. Land and marine reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and birds experienced reduced diversity.
“In the Cretaceous, global temperatures were hotter than today, and sea levels were higher, creating many inland seas. Forests extended all the way to the poles.
The Cretaceous is most famous for its dinosaurs, which first evolved in the Triassic and diversified into many groups through the Jurassic and Cretaceous. On land, they lived beside the avian dinosaurs (birds), other reptiles including giant flying species and mammals. In the seas, marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, fish, sharks and ammonites dominated. About 66 million years ago Earth experienced its fifth and most famous mass extinction: the dinosaur extinction. The extinction event was caused by the impact of a 10 kilometre-wide asteroid. The impact scorched the land and filled the atmosphere with dust and debris, blocking sunlight and causing a collapse of the food chain. Subsequently, global temperatures plummeted causing an extended cold winter. It is likely that most of the extinctions happened within months of the impact. 76% of all species became extinct, including non-avian dinosaurs, flying pterosaurs, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, many marine invertebrates, including the ammonites.“
6. The Anthropocene extinction is in progress, beginning with the expansion of human populations and at an accelerated pace since the industrial revolution. There are clear correlations between human migration and population increase with loss of biodiversity. Mankind has precipitated the loss of many megafauna, mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates (although the latter are less well documented). Nearly 1,000 species have gone extinct during the last 500 years. What might survive? Species that can live in altered habitats, have tolerances for climate extremes, can disperse easily or co-exist with humans (e.g. pigeons, rats, mice, cockroaches).
“Anthropocene is unofficially the present-day epoch. It is denoted by significant biological and geochemical changes including global warming, rising sea-levels, changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere oceans and soil, habitat loss, a high rate of extinction and microplastics in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The ultimate effect on the biosphere of climate change combined with habitat fragmentation, invasive species, pollution and predation is a sharp increase in the rate of extinctions. Current estimates put the extinction rate at 100 to 1,000 times greater than the background level and the rate is projected to increase by an astonishing further tenfold this century! The Anthropocene looks set to become Earth’s sixth great extinction event. The Anthropocene is already leaving the evidence in the geological record, hence the motivation for proposing official recognition!“
The museum further notes that “The Quaternary Megafauna extinction killed off more than 178 of the world’s largest mammal species from 52,000 to 9,000 BC. These extinctions closely mapped human migrations across the world’s continents [see image]. Overhunting is thought to be the leading driver of these extinctions.”
The rate of Anthropocene extinctions is accelerating in correlation with human population growth (see image). The museum warns “If we continue at the current rate, and we were to loose all of our threatened species in the next 100 years, it would only take 250 to 500 years before 75% of the world’s birds, mammals and amphibians went extinct. This collapse of the ecosystems will result in millions of humans facing shortage in food supplies, diseases, lack of fresh water and clean air, and a higher proportion of their income just to maintain liveability.”
The exhibition included information panels on the effects of climate change, ocean acidification, plastic pollution, and habitat destruction—including possible mitigations. Notably absent was a similar panel on human population. Although making it clear that the aforementioned threats relate to unsustainable human pressure on the environment, there’s no mention of curbing overpopulation. Of course it’s not comfortable to tell people “Don’t have babies”—an inconvenient truth if you like—but just look at the chart above!
Where can I learn more about mass extinction?
We recommend you view the BBC’s 2023 Earth series with Chris Packham. Packham notes that fear is a motivation for change. However, since “Danger is real; fear is in the mind” (After Earth), it seems many of us lack sufficient fear of the existential crisis that is presently upon humanity as but one species in mortal danger. The Permian’s “Great Dying” shows life can come back from the brink—the epitome of “Life will find a way” (Jurassic Park). Be mindful that life’s way may be without us.
Tips and tricks
Our regular service will now resume…
We spent our first-ever night parked in lay-by (albeit designated for self-contained vehicles) on a city street, in Christchurch’s New Brighton suburb (first photo). Yellow tree lupins and sea figs, with red-purple ragworts adorned the adjacent dunes (second photo). We enjoyed a sunny morning bath at He Puna Taimoana; these public hot pools use a ground-sourced heat pump to warm salt water (final photo).
Banks Peninsula
You’d be hard pressed to find a NZ campsite with on-site gardens and trails as extensive as those at Orton Bradley Park. The Rhododendron Dell comprises the collections of the Canterbury Rhododendron Society, beginning with 220 plantings that were enhanced from 1985–2016 (first three photos). There’s an attractive café too (final photo)—should your car lack a fitted kitchen!
We enjoyed a 9km/ 3.5h loop walk around perimeter of Orton Bradley Park (via the interlinked Tablelands, Waterfall Gully, Magnificent, and Hunters Gully trails). There are views from this working farm to Otamahua/ Quail Island (first photo); across the valley towards Mt Herbert at 919m (second photo); of waterfalls dropping from basalt cliffs (third photo); and of Mt Bradley at 855m (final photo).
Flowers seen during the above walk included digitalis in many colours, purple thistles, Scotch broom/ Cytisus scoparius with flecks of dark orange (first photo); endemic mikoikoi/ Libertia ixioides from the iris family (second photo); vetch/ Vicia sativa (thitd photo); and miner’s lettice/ Claytonia perfoliata, with the flower set inside the leaf (final photo).
Akaroa was much more popular than it had been during our autumn visit: the freedom camping area was full, so we had to look elsewhere for overnight parking. Noted during a wander were the Coronation Library c.1875, housing reference books as well as second-hand sales (first photo); one of many lovely heritage homesteads (second photo); one of many old cars seen on NZ roads (third photo); and evidence of a whaling past (final photo).
Le Bons Bay (first photo) was home to French settlers; the name may be that of a sailor who made landfall here to confirm it wasn’t in fact Akaroa Harbour! A fur seal was resting on the sand (second photo); yellow-eyed penguin apparently visit too. The surrounding rugged hills are volcanic (third photo). The estuary is a protected nesting site (final photo) for variable oystercatchers/ Haematopus unicolor.
From a delightful park-over property (POP) at a farm on Le Bons Bay Road (first photo), it was a short drive to Ōtepatotu Scenic Reserve off Summit Road. The 2km/ 40min Ōtepatotu Track loops via the Lavericks peak at 755m, affording views over Akaroa township (second photo), Okains Bay (third photo) and to the Ōnawe peninsula protruding deep into Akaroa Harbour, anchored by a wafer-thin isthmus (final photo).
Ōnawe Pā loop track is a 6km/ 1.5h return stroll if you park at Duvauchelle Hotel—a wise choice in a large camper. The pā was besieged in 1832 during the NZ Musket Wars, when Ngāti Toa and Ngāti Awa massacred the defending Ngāi Tahu iwi/ tribe. Surrounded by sea at high tide, land access was via an isthmus (first photo) formed from volcanic basalt and a nicely-patterned weathered trachyte dyke (second photo). French Farm Bay can be seen from the summit (third photo) and the view back to the isthmus confirms its near-island situation (final photo).
After a quick stop in Little River to see the art gallery, we paused for lunch at Birdlings Flat. This small township lies at the base of the 25km-long Kaitorete Spit; people fossick for gemstones on the long beach here.
Farewell to Christchurch and Banks Peninsula; you’ve made an impression! The Top of the South beckons.
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