Glow Worms and Lichens

As mentioned in an earlier journal entry, the Wilderness Lodge at Lake Moeraki was one of my splurges for this trip, but when I was planning the journey it sounded so unique that I figured it was worth the price of admission. It turned out to be better than I’d hoped, with the owners Anne Saunders & Dr Gerry McSweeney having led a campaign in the 1980s to protect the rainforest and helping to establish the 2.7 million hectare Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. They opened the lodge in 1989, and their enthusiasm for the rainforest and conservation is unmatched. Gerry led an hour-long trek through the forest on my first night, and every detail he pointed out gave me a new appreciation for the ferns, trees and mosses around us. I could literally listen to him talk about lichens for hours, and I’m not really a plant enthusiast.

Last night’s outing with Gerry was a trek after dinner to see glow worms, which have set up shop in the embankment along the road – apparently all glow worms need is an overhang and moisture, and they’ll then happily light up the night with their sticky silk lines. As per usual Gerry made the scene come alive, and at one point five of us were huddled up against the embankment in the darkness getting a close-up look at the tiny fly larvae fishing for their dinners.

This morning, after two last quick hikes through the rainforest, I went to bid the McSweeney’s goodbye, and Gerry surprised me with an inscribed copy of a book detailing some of his conservation work, and we ended up chatting for another hour. I’ve been lucky in my life to have met some people that have made unique and valuable contributions during their time on this blue marble, and Gerry and Anne definitely fall into that category.

After saying farewell to the Wilderness Lodge, the west coast’s only road took me north to Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, both of which have receded extensively in the past decades and are now only barely visible from lower elevations. I did a few hikes to visit overlooks of the icy giants, and it was rather surreal to be hiking in rainforest with glaciers on the horizon. The bell birds, fantails, tuis and tomtits were particularly active on the trails, which made for a fun and melodious hiking and photography session.

Tomorrow’s plan is going to be very weather-dependent, but there’s a hike here in Franz Josef that has my interest piqued. If the forecast continues to be rain-free then this will be my first “advanced” trek in New Zealand, but the route looks unlike anything I’ve ever done before so I’m thinking it’s worth putting my knees at risk for the sake of a new adventure.