Supporting our Kiwi – Paparoa Wildlife Trust

As part of our give back to the community one of the organisations we like to support is The Paparoa Wildlife Trust.

The Paparoa Wildlife Trust was founded in 2006 by a passionate group of locals from the community dedicated to running effective wildlife conservation projects in the Paparoa Range near Māwhera/Greymouth. Their goal has been to halt the decline of this region’s iconic but highly threatened native Kiwi – the Great Spotted Kiwi (Roroa)

Since its inception in 2006, more than 40 Roroa have been returned back into the wild. Taken as eggs they initially go to Willowbank in Christchurch for hatching and once around one month old they then come back to the West Coast to a “Kiwi Creche” which is around 12 hectares in size and completely predator proof. The Kiwi chicks are tagged and released into the creche, with a health check completed monthly before being released back into the Paparoa Ranges where the egg was taken from, at about 1 year of age. Through contractors and volunteers there is a massive trapping program with nearly 17,500 ha under predator management and over 2400 predator traps set. This trapping program helps ensure the longevity of the Roroa in the Paparoa Ranges.

For part of our support to the Paparoa Wildlife Trust we give an annual donation on behalf of our guests that stay with us. We also contribute by helping out at volunteer planting days at the creche when time allows.

Recently, as a thank you from the Trust, we were invited to a morning tea, along with numerous other volunteers, contractors and the Paparoa Wildlife Trust trustees. We were also given a couple of sunhats as a small thank you for our continued support. This small gesture really made our day and Stephen was out that same afternoon mowing the lawns happily wearing his new sunhat while I was out in the gardens with the fur kids and later out on the rocks, wearing mine to help protect me from the sunshine.

Jo the Chairperson for the Trust gave an update in regard to the past year. Due to the territorial nature of Kiwi, the Trust has now moved into a more oversee role as there are enough Kiwi pairs for the amount of land and introducing more would put pressure on the existing pairs and they would end up becoming predators of themselves. As such PWT have moved into the maintenance phase – concentrating on predator control, checking traplines and working with community groups and schools with education and research together with protecting existing forest habitats so that birds and other native species may benefit without hands-on manipulative management.

We mentioned to Jo and Sally and the PWT team that we are keen to help out when we can with planting days and they said that is great as they have a lot of plants to plant. At Breakers we love being able to support this project – getting out and helping with planting days is not just a good community give back but great exercise out in the fresh air and good comradery with the other volunteers, making for a fun outing.

If you would like to know more about the Paparoa Wildlife Trust, check out their website and if you are able to make a donation, they would be extremely grateful as every bit helps, especially with the expense of the ongoing trapping program for predator control.

Jan and Stephen run Breakers Boutique Accommodation on the West Coast of the South Island. They enjoy getting out and exploring the region and sharing their explorations with visitors to the West Coast.

Breakers Gets A Makeover

May to September is our quiet season at Breakers Boutique Accommodation, a chance to recharge our batteries after a busy summer season but also time to do maintenance on the property and any renovations and redecorating.

The last couple of years we have had some major upgrades done to our home. The exterior recladding is now all complete as well as replacement double glazed doors and windows throughout. The exterior has been completely repainted. A big job done by Stephen with a friend helping with the beams on both buildings and the balcony on the main house.

After getting a new kitchen last year and new carpet, this year it was time for the guest/lounge area with a total repaint. We've moved away from our traditional neutral tones and thrown in some colour. Still in keeping with our surroundings with a feature back wall and same colour in the dining area. The colour is called Paradise which we thought apt given our slogan of "come share our wee slice of paradise". It is a lovely bluey/green, a good reflection of environment surrounding us. The rest of the walls are White Pointer - a mellow white but aptly named again given that Emma one of our dogs is an English Black and White Pointer. There are a lot of wooden beams throughout the lounge kitchen area given that the house was originally built in the 1970s and that is the style. They had previously been stained but they have now been painted out black. The contrasts with the black beams, white walls and splash of colour with "paradise" we think is quite striking and very welcoming.

Earlier in the year we replaced all the interior doors so Stephen spent his time getting them painted and he has done a fantastic job. All the door hardware has also been replaced. We also have a new lounge suite in the guest lounge and new buffet and lounge unit and Stephen has also painted the wine cabinet and coffee table, helping bring the decor all together and give the place a much more modern feel.

We haven’t forgotten our guest rooms as these are where our guests spend the majority of their time so want to ensure they stay looking inviting and fresh. New duvet covers were purchased for all the guest rooms together with new artwork for the walls. Utilising Stephen’s photography skills our local signwriter reproduced the images onto aluminum backing. They look fantastic – really bringing the images to life.

It was time for an repaint update for our Kowhai room (previously Breakwater room), upstairs in the main house. Again, we have moved away from the full neutral tone and thrown some colour in with green feature wall behind the bed and the rest of the walls in double white pointer, keeping the continuity from downstairs.

The biggest change for the Kowhai room is the ensuite bathroom, with the entire room being painted in green with white trim on the skirtings and architrave. It was a bit daunting at first not really knowing what it was going to look like, but we are thrilled with the result. The entire shower unit and hardware have also been replaced together with light fittings and all towel rails and we’ve gone for black with these, giving the ensuite a more modern look and a nice wow factor.

A big job that doesn’t really show but is a huge relief for us is the roof and gutterings were all replaced. With the house being built in the 1970s this was well overdue. Now we can relax and enjoy the rainfall without worrying about the chances of anything leaking.

Last but not least, as there have been other small updates but we completed the entrance. Much more welcoming right from the outset now or even passing by. Lovely timber railings and gate that draw you in and if driving by, make you look and hopefully think I’d love to stay there……. 

For us Breakers is a never ending labour of love. We feel it is a privilege to live here in this wee slice of paradise and love sharing it with our guests from all over the world. Seeing the looks of amazement and joy when they see the sea views really makes our hearts sing. Breakers Boutique Accommodation -  a Sense of Place where forever memories are made. Hope you’ll come make some for yourself real soon.

Kayaking Kotorepi – Nine Mile Creek Waterfall, West Coast

Our address is Nine Mile Creek, also known as Kotorepi. The creek meanders down and around the side of our property in the form of a waterfall. It is not your standard waterfall but looks like is manmade – made from concrete. It isn’t though, is just a natural rock slide.

After some big rains the waterfall goes from often a gentle trickle to a raging torrent of water pouring down the slide.

Now this is a fabulous sight in its own right but for the young kayakers completing the Tai Poutini Outdoor Education Course in Greymouth it is like putting cream on your dessert – sheer joy.

Talk about a nice bunch of young people. While most people are hunkering down inside in the dry, these guys rock up here with the biggest smiles on their faces, filled with excitement.

They knock on the door to check with us that it is ok to use our private track to access the beach and check out the conditions of the waterfall – making sure there aren’t any big logs in the way at the bottom creating a safety issue. They are so polite and so respectful, they are a joy to deal with.

When they come back up from the beach, they are pumped with enthusiasm and give us the thumbs up as they head back out the driveway to get themselves organised for the kayak trip down.

Their enthusiasm for the rain is infectious and their thumbs up is the cue for us to get ourselves ready, throw on our rain jackets and head down to the beach to watch the “show”.

It is a pleasure to meet such lovely, polite and fun loving young people – well done team. See you next rains.

Cream with your Coffee – What Causes Beach Foam

Now that is a strange title I hear you say. Cream with your Coffee is a wee joke we have for whenever we see the beach foam – seriously looks like you could scoop some up and add it to your cuppa. All jokes aside though it is really interesting to know what actually causes that “cream”. In this blog I’m going to explain to you the science behind the beach foam you see washed up on the beach during a stormy sea.

When we see the beach foam many of us automatically think of it as pollution – the rough seas grabbing all the scum in the ocean and then dumping it on the beach. Previously that is what I’d always thought, and walking through it, well that was a definite “oohh yuk! moment” . If you thought that too well we were wrong (*) – it is far from pollution and in fact generally only occurs on clean beaches. I know, clean beaches and New Zealand is renowned as having some of the cleanest beaches in the world – hence why we see all this “sea scum”.

Turns out beach foam in NZ generally has nothing to do with pollution. It is actually a natural phenomenon, a natural product of one of the world’s purest and most natural landscapes, drawn from both land and sea and associated with many of the NZ surf beaches and the tiny organisms that live there.

David Bellamy’s “Moa’s Ark the Voyage of New Zealand” sums it up best.

“From the land comes a solution of history, natural chemicals dissolved from the forest soil and made of the remains of mosses, tree ferns, podocarps and flowering plants.  This gold-tinted tincture of natural history then mixes and mingles with the abundant slippums that protect the kelp and other seaweeds from abrasion, to produce this natural detergent-like complex which is then beaten into foam and what we see on our beaches.”

Like all detergents, it picks up and holds all manner of things including not only plants and animal plankton – all of which are far too small to see with the naked eye, but also tiny bits of debris and fine silt.  National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research marine ecologist and plankton specialist Janet Bradford describes the foam being made up of smashed up cells of phytoplankton, single-celled algae and the nutrients they release when pounded by waves on these surf beaches.  Janet says high energy surf beaches have their own special ecosystem dominated by diatoms, some of which live only in this environment.  Diatoms can look brown or even like black oil – hence the colour of the foam, making it look like a form of pollution.

The major driving force behind the whole process is wave action.  Waves pump water through the sand thus releasing nitrates and other nutrients.  Waves also set up certain circulation patterns in the water that trap these nutrients in the surf zone.  Wave action not only smashes up the diatoms and other phytoplankton that make up the bloom, but also pulls in air bubbles to produce foam.  This foam is typical of exposed sandy beaches, particularly West Coast beaches of New Zealand.

The wonderment of nature – rather than being inhospitable places to live, NZ beaches that are constantly pounded by waves are actually full of life and beach foam is not a sign of pollution but in fact the outward sign of their enormous productivity.

Another reason the West Coast has to be one of the best places in the world to visit – it is just a bonus that we live here!

Jan  and Stephen run Breakers Boutique Accommodation on the Punakaiki Coastline – north of Greymouth and is based overlooking the Nine Mile Beach – one of the great surf beaches on the West Coast and a great location for beach foam.

*Disclaimer Not all beach foam is harmless, unfortunately in some parts of the world due to human activities there is an element of toxic pollution included.

International Dog Day

So apparently 26 August is International Dog Day so seemed a fitting time to introduce our Breakers “boys”. We actually have a male and a female but having always had boys in the past our Emma is constantly getting called one of the “boys”. She doesn’t mind – any love is good love.

First up Ansel our German Short-haired Pointer. Ansel is now 7 years old going on 7 months. We think he will retain his puppy-like characteristics forever. Most of the time this is a good thing but sometimes….. He is a bit of an introvert when it comes to other dogs, he isn’t a dominate dog but what we call his own man. Not interested in being the alpha male but does like things his own way. He pretends to be aloof but loves a good cuddle and plenty of attention. Running fast would have to be his all time favourite pass-time.

Emma is an English Pointer. Have to admit didn’t really think was any difference between an English Pointer and a German Short-haired Pointer until we got one for ourselves. More of a boxy face but still oh so cute. Emma is a sweet heart. Bit of a hard start to life but once she came to live with us at 11 months old, well let’s just say she landed on her feet. She loves her little brother. She is what we’d call, or definitely Ansel would call, a typical little sister – ANNOYING!!! Anything Ansel has she has to have too, any cuddles, she buts in as if to say don’t forget about me, any toy, stick on the beach, you name it if Ansel has it she has to try and take it off him. Despite her little sister tendencies, Emmy has a very gentle nature. She is super submissive with other dogs but loves nothing more than to be everyone’s friend. She is great with younger or insecure dogs, playing Mother Hen and taking them under her wing so to speak and putting them at ease.

Our kids – the fur kids as we like to call them aka Spud and Pumpkin, love getting out for runs on the beach or bush walks. Lucky to have a beachfront abode they generally get a run down to “our” beach most days even just for a quick meander and sniff around.

One of their favourite things to do is to visit a sandy beach – be it seaside or banks of a river, if it is sandy then it is all go as it must feel so lovely for their paws.

Going bush is also a favourite (really any outing is but for the sake of this blog….). We love to getting out and exploring and nothing better than the kids being able to come too. The freedom, the smells – it really is a dog’s delight.

We like to call Ansel and Emma Breaker’s Ambassadors as they feature in all of our marketing, most often on our social media posts. They are often a highlight with our guests – many guests arriving asking for the dogs before they even say hello to us sometimes.

They take their roles very seriously as far as head of entertainment and general health & mental well-being and ensure all visitors are made welcome.

If you’d like to visit with Ansel and Emma then check out our website and make a booking – we would all love to welcome you.

Happy International Dog Day to all dogs worldwide but especially to these two.

Jan and Stephen run Breakers Boutique Accommodation on the Coast Road north of Greymouth. They, along with their faithful friends Ansel and Emma, enjoy getting out and about exploring the many wonders of the West Coast and sharing their discoveries.

Changing it Up - Room Names Get a Revamp

We’re changing things up a bit at Breakers Boutique Accommodation. We’ve been doing heaps of maintenance and renovations/redecorating over the last couple of years and thought it was also time to give our guest room names a makeover too. We’ve decided to make them more in theme with our beautiful nature that we are lucky enough to be surrounded by.

Breakthrough room – this is our smaller room upstairs in the main house and it has been changed to Koromiko.

Koromiko is a native shrub found in the South Island with pretty little white or lilac flowers. It is an important plant in Māori medicine and a favourite for the bees and bumblebees in our garden.

Breakwater room – this is our larger room upstairs in the main house and it’s new name is Kowhai. The Kowhai tree is arguably one of the most well known native trees in NZ and with its brilliant bright yellow flower it is our unofficial national flower.

The Kowhai tree is a delightful tree to have in the garden and popular with the native birdlife, in particular the Kereru (native wood pigeon), Bellbird and Tui who love to feast on the flowers. Māori hold the Kowahi Tree in high esteem, as they value the durability of its hard wood and many medicinal properties.

Sunset suite – one of two rooms in our garden annex building and Sunset is now known as Nikau. The Nikau is NZ’s only native palm tree and the most southern member of the palm family. They are generally only found in tropical or sub-tropical climates, and we are lucky enough to have them growing in our garden and they are prolific all along the Coast Road.

The Nikau sprouts large clusters of mauve flowers with bright red “fruit” which take about one year to ripen. They are a favourite with the native birds, particularly the Kereru (wood pigeon). Through the ages they have always been important to Maori life where the leaves were used to thatch houses, to wrap food before cooking, to weave into hats, mats, baskets and leggings for traveling through rough undergrowth. The hard berries were made into necklaces or eaten when green. The immature flower can also be cooked and eaten – tasting a bit like cauliflower.

Driftwood suite – the second of our two rooms in our garden annex building. This is also our disabled friendly room with sliding shower in the bathroom and railings by the toilet and in the shower (wet walk-in shower). Driftwood is now renamed Koru.

The Koru is known as the symbol of life. It features in many Māori artworks based on the shape of the unfurling of the fern frond. The Koru symbolizes the way in which life both changes and stays the same – symbolizing new beginnings, new life, growth, strength and peace.

It took us a while to choose new names. We wanted them to be fitting with our surroundings and relevant to where we live. Set on 2 acres of native bush and landscaped gardens we have Koromiko, Kowhai and Nikau plants in our gardens and heaps of ferns so have the joy of often seeing the Koru. Native plants are important to the eco-system of Breakers as we love to encourage bird live and bees so we figure if they like visiting us hopefully you will all like visiting us too and enjoy staying in our rooms named after some of our favourite native plants.

Jan and Stephen run Breakers Boutique Accommodation on the Coast Road, West Coast, New Zealand. They are a beachfront b&b, overlooking the Tasman Sea. They enjoy getting out and about and exploring the West Coast and sharing their discoveries and their backyard with their guests. Don’t delay, book to stay today. You will be made most welcome.

Sluice Box Lake Daniels Walk Lewis Pass

Whenever we drive across the Lewis Pass a favourite stop is at Marble Hill Picnic Area where the hike for Lake Daniels starts.

With a backdrop of the towering Southern Alps and a sea of windswept tussock, it is a gorgeous stop in its own right just to soak up the atmosphere and beauty of the surrounding nature.

After an easy 5-10 minute walk in the beech forest you eventually come to a small bridge crossing aptly named The Sluice Box.

Shaped like a sluicing box from the gold mining days, it is like a little mini gorge and the waters here are often the amazing turquoise blue/green.

For our guests coming from or heading to Kaikoura, this stop is included on our suggested sightseeing stops we give them. Helps break up the drive, giving an opportunity for a wee leg stretch and some fresh air and to just be immersed in some stunning nature and scenery.

Blue Pools on Haast Pass and Hokitika Gorge are more famous for their colouring but the drive to the Hokitika Gorge is quite the detour and the walk into the Blue Pools is around 40 minutes, so for us we think this is a great compromise. Getting the added bonus of the beautiful beech forest too.

Coming from the East Coast over Lewis Pass, at the bottom of the Pass you have Maruia Springs Thermal Resort, and then at the end of the straight after about 5 minutes of driving on your left is the sign for Marble Hill Picnic Area/Lake Daniels Walk.

Coming from the West Coast after Springs Junction you have a short valley drive, straight road and then an S bend and the signage for the Picnic Area and walk is on your left as you come out of the S bend.

Follow the gravel road right to the end for the carparking for Lake Daniels Walk. There is a covered Kiosk Information Centre and you’ll see the track head off into the bush to the right of the Kiosk with the Sluice Box signposted.

Remember take only photos and leave only footprints – enjoy 

Jan and Stephen run Breakers Boutique Accommodation, beachfront bed and breakfast accommodation on the Coast Road north of Greymouth. They love getting out and exploring and love to share their explorations, especially with their guests, ensuring they make the most of the holiday to NZ and their time on the West Coast.

Planting Day for Paparoa Wildlife Trust at Atarau Kiwi Sanctuary

At Breakers we have a few community groups we support – usually through a monetary donation but also through Stephen’s photography and our time when we can. One of those groups is The Paparoa Wildlife Trust and the work they do with the Great Spotted Kiwi found here in the mountains behind us.

Recently they called for volunteers to help with their native tree planting day at the Atarau Kiwi Sanctuary – Kiwi creche inland from Greymouth. It is a completely predator proof sanctuary where juvenile Kiwi spend the first year of their life in a safe environment where their growth and health is monitored until they are around 1kg in weight and fit enough to be released back into the wild of the Paparoa mountains where the original egg was taken from.

Armed with our trusty shovels we rocked up to join an enthusiastic group of volunteers. After a short introduction at the entrance of the sanctuary we were led through the native bush to the base for a safety briefing. We then split into two groups – easier ground for digging or the hardcore rocky terrain. The family groups mainly chose the easier terrain while a smaller group of us chose the rocky terrain and we all headed off to our allocated planting site.

It was an overcast day so perfect conditions for digging holes. Jackets were soon thrown to the side as the hard labour took its toll. No need to go to the gym when you can do this for your workout.

Soon enough it was lunchtime and both groups reassembled at the main base for some good chats over our sausage sizzle and home brought lunch treats. Great way to meet new people and make new friends.

Enough sitting around though – there was work to be done with the job not yet finished and more trees still to plant. The initial aim was 500 trees – or so we thought but that number had managed to morph into 700…. mmmm crafty organisers lol.

The sun made an appearance and our small group were soon back hard at work on our shovels. Good team effort and it didn’t take long before the final tree for the day was planted. We managed to get the planting done in good timing, finishing two hours ahead of schedule.

Fabulous day out with a wonderful group of enthusiastic volunteers and great organisers in Kirsty and George. Look forward to coming back out for another working bee soon and checking the progress on the growth of our new “babies”.

So blessed to have the West Coast Wilderness Trail at our doorstep. At around 135kms, it can easily be broken into bite size (or is that bike size….) chunks. This means we can do same, same or mix it up a bit and do a different section depending on time, mood and yes even sometimes the weather.

Recently we had both time on our side and gorgeous weather so headed to Lake Kaniere to bike up the Arahura Valley to Cowboys Paradise, plus a little bit further to the swing-bridge and then back again.

The scenery at this end of the trail is nothing short of breathtaking with a Kodak moment around every corner. While I’m sure it is gorgeous and moody on a misty, cloudy day too, having the blue skies and sunshine, the scenery was just popping, as were our eyes at all the beautiful views surrounding us.

The first section is on gravel road – called Milltown Road heading down into the valley plains and then following the beautiful blue waters of the Arahura River. Click to continue reading about our adventure on the West Coast Wilderness Trail Lake Kaniere to Cowboys Paradise

Well it has been some time since we walked the Point Elizabeth walkway – why? – well even we can’t answer for sure why we haven’t done this track more often considering it is practically at our back door.

We could probably argue – justify or whatever excuse terminology we’d like to use – the fur kids. They’re not allowed on this trail so it just normally doesn’t feature in our “what shall we do today” conversation. For whatever reason Stephen suggested it and I wasn’t going to say no. Got the kids down to the beach first thing for a nice beach walk and then we filled our water bottles and grabbed a snack and we were off.

Easy 2 minute drive down the road (I know…. told you was practically at our back door!) and we’re parked up ready to go. The track starts at Rapahoe with views overlooking the Rapahoe beach before it winds its up the hillside and into the native bush of the Rapahoe Scenic Reserve.

I’d forgotten just how beautiful this walk is – the native bush is just stunning, it is a subtropical forest with oodles of nikau palms and Mamaku (black tree fern) intertwined with supple jack vines and Kiekie. There are also large podocarps like Rimu, Kahikatea and Miro along with epiphytic northern rata adding a splash of crimson during summer a nature lovers wet dream. For us today we had the native Clementis high up in the tree line adding a gorgeous tinge of white amongst the green.

The trail meanders around pretty near the cliff tops but you’d never know as you’re in standard dense NZ native forest

Click to continue reading Point Elizabeth Walk - Nature's Eye Candy