Archive for June, 2009
The Coldest Town In New Zealand
Saturday, June 20th, 2009Curiosity is a great motivator, and when applied to travel it can provide the reason for some interesting journeys. My desire to find out why it gets so cold in Ophir took me on one such journey to a starkly beautiful and somewhat chilly place.
Ophir, in the south of New Zealand, is a tiny town which holds the record for the country’s lowest temperature. On July 3rd, 1995, a low of -21.6°C broke the previous record, which was also held by Ophir. I was travelling in New Zealand during that memorable winter, and my curiosity was aroused - of all the cold places in New Zealand, why did Ophir break the records? I had to find out.
At first it seemed straightforward. Ophir’s inland location in Central Otago gives it a drier climate with clearer skies than elsewhere in New Zealand. Add a valley location and sparse vegetation to a modest bit of altitude (298m) and you have the ingredients for extreme cooling on calm winter nights. But while great cold could be accounted for, it didn’t explain why Ophir gets colder than other towns in the area which share a similar climate.
I had a perfect excuse to indulge in a style of travel that could be described as “investigative exploring”. On my most recent return to New Zealand, I headed to Ophir, and on a morning when a brass monkey might have lost a ball or two, I scraped the ice off the car and set out to satisfy my curiosity.
A good look at the topography revealed what I think sets Ophir apart - not only is it situated in the mother of all frost hollows, but a little down from the town stands a group of hills which cross the valley and must surely obstruct descending cold air. The river has cut a channel through, but for cold air the hills could act as a crude dam, with Ophir at the very bottom of a what becomes a huge cold air reservoir.
I also learned that morning fog or low cloud in the area sometimes blocks the sun and minimises warming after a frosty night. If repeated over several mornings, the cooling is intensified.
Having satisfied my curiosity about Ophir’s microclimate, I drove around and enjoyed the beauty of sunrise on a crisp frosty morning. I then satisfied my appetite with a magnificent cooked breakfast at the pub in nearby Omakau, and reflected a little. Investigating climatic extremes is obviously not to everyone’s taste, but I’d found that the quest to satisfy my personal curiosity had led to a journey more rewarding than merely going where the guidebooks suggest.
Looking towards Dunstan Mountains from Raggedy Range, with Ophir down on the valley floor
Topics: New Zealand (south), Towns | Add Your Comment »
Free Glow-Worms In Tasmania
Sunday, June 7th, 2009Glow-worms can be viewed on a number of paid tours, such as Waitomo Caves and Te Anau in New Zealand, and Marakoopa Cave in northern Tasmania. Less well known is the fact that anyone can see these luminous insects - without having to pay or enter a cave - near one of Tasmania’s most popular attractions.
The location is Russell Falls, 75km west of Hobart - possibly the most beautiful waterfall in the state, and one which nearly everyone who visits Tasmania sees at some point.
The catch: the falls are normally visited in daylight, whereas the glow-worms are only visible when it’s dark. This generally limits the glow worms’ visitors to those with their own transport who linger after dusk, or those staying in the area’s limited accommodation. If you have a van or are otherwise equipped for camping, the Land of the Giants Campground is a very pleasant spot by the river within walking distance of the falls.
Seeing the glow worms is easy. Once it is dark, simply grab a torch and follow the flat and easy walking path towards Russell Falls, about ten minutes from the car park. A small glow worm grotto - some damp rock overhangs and fallen trees - is in the rainforest on the left side of the track shortly before the falls. A sign indicates the area, and tells you where to look.
After your eyes have adjusted to the dark, the luminous larvae of the mosquito-like insects become more visible, and can resemble a field of stars in the night sky.
The glow worms at Russell Falls are not as impressive, nor nearly as extensive, as the displays you pay to see in caves elsewhere. But if you’re in that part of Tasmania it is a free and easy glimpse into their world, and the local wildlife makes a dusk walk in the Russell Falls area a pleasant thing anyway.
Links:
Parks & Wildlife Service - Mt Field National Park
Wikipedia article on Arachnocampa (the genus of glow-worms found down under)
Topics: Alternatives, Tasmania | Add Your Comment »