Daily Photo – Low Tide at Taieri Mouth
I’ve always liked wandering around fishing boats. There’s something noble about them, as if they carried a calling from an age when everyone travelled by sea and the world felt much larger. In truth, I like all of this far more in theory than in reality. I’ve no sea legs and my enthusiasm for fresh fish sit somewhere between mild suspicion and polite refusal. The idea of spending time on a fishing boat feels more like a challenge than a pleasure, although I understand why others enjoyed it.
I was in Taieri Mouth, wandering through the village, when I found myself drawn to the look of the boats themselves. They aged in a way that suggested they had lived proper lives. The faded paint, the battered timbers and the sense that they had weathered more sunrises than I could ever hope to see all added to the atmosphere. If they had been able to talk, I imagined they would have needed a long sit down and a pot of tea to get through their stories.
Not far from there I found my way to a line of cribs surrounded by surfboards, flagpoles, boats, flower pots in cheerful disarray, ornamental fish and a few lifebuoys hung with equal parts practicality and pride. It all felt like a perfect slice of backyard Aotearoa. Slightly weathered, gently chaotic and full of stories for anyone willing to notice them.
Rural delivery on Akatore Road
While exploring beyond the small fishing village of Taieri Mouth on Akatore Road.
Akatore Creek and Swamp at Taieri Beach
Leaving the small fishing village of Taieri Mouth, I felt an urge to continue past the small township, simply because I had the time and I figured, well why not! Coming to Akatore Road which changed from the traditional tarseal to gravel, I travelled for some distance. I passed paddocks filled with sheep, farm yards, tractors and all other sorts of rural machinery that you don’t see in central Dunedin. On a whim, I called in on Taieri Beach Cemetery before rejoining Akatore Road until Akatore Creek came into view. An area that at first glance appears to be just another sleepy valley in rural Aotearoa covered in part with wetlands and swamps. Yet, it’s an area of great significance.
Located within the Tokomairiro Ecological District in the Otago Coast Ecological Region, The Akatore Creek Swamp is home to all kinds of living organisms. It’s a habitat that covers a diverse area of wetland and is an area considered nationally significant. Looking at the surrounding countryside you’d never guess, however what makes it so important is among other things, the presence of rare and threatened species such as the Fernbirds which are a declining species and the Mimulus Repens, an at-risk native plant. All of which I was quite delighted to see.
Akatore Creek Road
I thought I should warn you that over the next few days I’m going to be skipping around the place a fair bit as I share photos with you from towns, points of interest and random curiosities I’ve discovered. So, having said that, I’ve headed just over the hill from Taieri Mouth to Akatore Creek Road which provides access to nearby farms. I actually thought this was one long driveway as it didn’t initially look like a public road. Also, a fun fact is that the nearby Akatore Creek is home to the Fernbird which is listed as an ‘at risk and declining’ species.
The Taieri River at Taieri Mouth
Once the Taieri River reaches Henley, it heads to Taieri Mouth via the Taieri River Gorge. Along the way through the gorge, there are a number of walking tracks that take you through forests that also provide wonderful views of the river. At Taieri Mouth, which is a small fishing village, the river reaches the South Pacific Ocean and its 288 kilometre journey ends insight of Moturata Island.
Weeping Willow by the Taieri River
One of the places I visited recently was Taieri Mouth, a small fishing village at the mouth of the Taieri River. There are a number of walking tracks there, one of which is the Taieri River track. The track passes through forest that arrives at the John Bull Gully picnic area. From there, if you’re feeling energetic you can continue further to Taieri Ferry Road, near Henley.
Taieri Mouth Cribs
I stand in front of two signs. One is a formal council sign with white lettering on a blue background that reads ‘Boat Harbour’. The second is less formal. It’s made out of a surfboard that’s stuck in the ground that has red and black lettering. It reads ‘Slow Down. Free range kids! Slow!’ As I look at the surfboard my eyes drift across the road to a crib close by. For a moment my mind skips between the words crib and batch. My thoughts linger on how the use of the word crib or batch depends on where in Aotearoa you’re from. My attention moves back to the crib, then the surfboard, then finally once more to the crib.
The longer I look the more I notice various objects like; flagpoles, boats, flower pots, ornamental fish and a lifebuoy. My eye drifts over the whole scene and arrives back at the surfboard and a boat not far off. It all seems so very typical backyard Aotearoa.
… from a Small City. My daily musings from Ōtepoti to get you inspired. Read the blog, view the photos, embrace the creativity.
