Keeping up with the Campbells

Keeping up with the Campbells

3 months have passed since the road was offically closed. We have continued to walk to the car, now parked about 600 m away.

The road has detoriated… cracks, holes and slumping indicate the area most affected now with the surveyors leaving blue marks where new cracks have appeared since there last visit, weekly I believe. there is not much to say but wait…. but 2 days of rain is coming so that is a bit of a concern if that means the end of our getting supplies in over the area. We have been using a bike trolley… amazing difference in transporting things as it’s light and balanced unlike the wheelbarrow that has to be lifted up to move it. We have been over the area with the quad today collecting firewood from the paddock beside road, branches that had fallen in strong winds recently.

Busy days… it has been good to have 2 quiet ones over the last 2 days. We are glad to have our own personal river beach so I spent the day there yesterday… lying, resting, reading and some walking but mostly just enjoying the sound of water. There’s lots we need to keep up with here with pest control, bees, birds and ground maintanence. I haven’t spent as much time in the garden as I would have liked but I picked my first courgette, emptied bags I planted pototoes in, to find very small ones and we are having a meal with spinach.

3 moscovy ducks are sitting in various places …we will wait to see the what appears from their patience of 5 weeks.

The emergency track is now open accessing Otaki Forks through Cyrus Hills property and out place adding an extra couple of hours probably. A few hunters are still visiting by quad and motor scooters along the road… one headed into the Forks tonight. Theh shorter route is definitely a choice considering that the slip site is still walkable.

I have had my pushbike electified so that will assist me getting to the Forks to clean toilets etc as something i offered to do to reduce costs and the necessity of DOC staff making the challening walk to and fro.

Pest control activities means lots of walking, I notice the extra track that is usually covered by volunteers. It is planned that we do a bird count tomorrow and put out some pitfall traps is the weather is favourable as it takes about 4 hours, all this is helped by friendly keep helpers willing to walk the siip area as far as I know… yes I give them a warning that it is at their own risk. 2 fit young helpers put out the traps and tunnels on the emergency track on morning so I followed their work up to paint numbers on each box (David had taken them to the position at the Cyrus Hills side of the track when the road was closing as he wanted to take the trailer out of the gorge.

I will keep you posted on changes as they happen… wouldn’t it be interesting to watch the slip happening, we can see the area from the house.