Dog-Friendly Park in Blenheim

If you're staying in Blenheim and looking for somewhere to take your dog - Pollard Park is a beaut spot. There's loads of space, plus it suits all ages. 

Over the little red bridge is a rhododendron grove, although it wasn't the season for them to flower, there were hydrangeas planted amongst which added splashes of colour.

A stream winds through the park with weeping willows and many other trees providing plenty of shade. The water was crystal clear, perhaps it's spring-fed. 

 A generous size playground was a popular spot for kids of all ages.

Even the fitness folk have been catered for, with exercise stations dotted about with instruction boards explaining how to use the equipment.

I imagine the gazebo below has been used in lots of wedding photos over the years.

The rose gardens not only smelt divine, it was also interesting wandering around reading the names beneath each rose.

And like most parks, there were formal flower beds too.

A Day Off

What do Blenheim vineyard workers do when they have a day off? It seems they head down Wairau Bar Road and try their luck fishing.

The other day I took the dogs along the nearby beach. It was somewhere different for them to explore.  We've become a bit paranoid lately after Boo recently had her 4th grass seed removed at the vets (not all in the same year - thank goodness)!

But it's that time of the year again - grass seed season! And as much as we're careful where we take the dogs, it seems Boo is the one who attracts them. She's like a mini seed magnet!
We can't remember having dogs in the past affected by grass seed. Actually, we never knew grass seed was a threat until Boo joined the family! 
Grass seed aside we headed to the end of the road for some fresh air and a walk along the shore. 

Wairau Bar Road ends beside the sea. There's a small parking area but it was full of vineyard vans, so we found a place to park a few hundred metres away. The vineyard workers (mostly Fijians) were spending their day off, fishing.

Vineyard vans came and went. And sight-seers arrived checking out the view. Other vehicles turned up to see how the fishing was going, watching to see if people were having any luck that day? It was a hive of activity!

In the photo below, was a multi-tasking seagull ... it had one eye on the sea searching for fish and a rod nearby for backup.

We came across a flock of terns all facing out to sea, ready for take-off.

After walking quite a distance over loose stones the dogs were keen to cool down. We found a shallow pool where it was safe for them to take a dip - the sea was too boisterous and I was worried they could get dragged out. 

Just before we got back to the car I spotted a field of wildflowers. I can't resist wildflowers! And after a short detour, we were homeward bound.

We'd parked the cars around the bus to provide some shelter (Bernie's truck was behind me as I took the photo). It acted as a good windbreak as this area seems to be known to have its fair share of windy days! 
Recently we bought an awning mat from Burnsco and it's been so useful. Why hadn't we ever had one before?

At the back of the bus, our bed looks over the river. It's nice waking in the morning to the sound of rowers training and their coaches close behind in fizz boats shouting instructions.

Don't you just love summer ... especially the holidays!

Wildflowers of Rarangi

I love Rarangi beach and even more so in November when the foreshore is carpeted in a rainbow of colourful flowers.

Shades of pink, purple, yellow, white and red are randomly splashed about.

So many shades of vibrant colours.

Bees were busy multi tasking, collecting nectar and pollinating plants.

Also searching for nectar were Monarch butterflies. It was hard to get a photo of one as they flitted about from flower to flower and never settled longer than a few seconds before moving on.

Oakly and Boo were oblivious to the beauty surrounding them. Their only thoughts were of 'rabbits'. And with their noses working overtime, they set off hoping to find one.

This guy was busy, collecting driftwood and stacking it onto his quad bike. I'm guessing he knew the beach well as the shingle is really soft and deep in many areas. There are signs advising people not to drive vehicles on the beach because of the risk of getting stuck.

Bunches of rusty gold blooms looked striking poking out of the dry grass.

These yellow beach flowers were growing among dainty little lilac flowers making an eye-catching arrangement.

After an hour or more of walking the dogs were ready for a swim.

And once back at the car, a cool, fresh drink was waiting.

Beavertown

Many years ago there was a town in Marlborough known as Beavertown or The Beaver. Nowadays, its known as 'Blenheim'. Back when the settlement was establishing, there were frequent floods and the township was often surrounded by floodwater. The buildings resembled beaver lodges, which led to it being named Beavertown. And I guess that also explains why Blenheim's town mascot is the beaver.

As a result of repeat flooding the Taylor Dam was built. It's the largest flood protection dam in New Zealand. Stop banks near Blenheim township were also made, which has created a large area known as Taylor River Reserve. It's a popular spot for walking, exercising dogs, cycling and jogging - the reserve has a network of paths, which go as far as the Taylor Dam.

The other day, while Bernie was sleeping after a night shift, I got up early and took the dogs for a walk along the Taylor River. First, I stopped to get a sunrise photo of the Wairau River. I was standing on the little one way bridge (Ferry Bridge) in Spring Creek, close to where the bus is parked.

It was good to start the walk early. There were few people about and the temperature felt refreshing.

The Taylor River was named after a New Zealand surveyor, Joesph Taylor.

Beside the path, one of several information boards stated, Taylor Dam was a 10km walk. The dogs would be fine with that distance, providing we took our time and stopped often so they could cool off in the river and have a drink.

Blenheim Riverside heritage railway follows the river from Bradshaw Park into central Blenheim.

After about 3km we left the residential area and the first signs of rabbits appeared. As mentioned before, it was good to be out early as there weren't many people about, however  that meant we were first on the scene to surprise any rabbits. The dogs were delighted and thought they'd arrived in paradise. They darted about with their noses glued to the ground. The funny thing was, they were so busy sniffing and looking downward that they missed seeing four rabbits. I noticed them and was grateful that my buddies didn't.

We carried on, albeit the dogs needed a lot of coaxing as they were fixated on a particular pile of rocks ... certain a rabbit was hiding in there somewhere.
Further along, a sign warned of possible Chilean needle grass ahead. Knowing this invasive weed will begin seeding soon, we turned back. I didn't want to risk it. Boo had some trouble with grass seed a few summers ago (read here). Now, if we know it's in an area, we steer clear of it.

Local school children have written poems about the Taylor River, which have been made into plaques and embedded into boulders along the walkway. What a great idea.

Even though we didn't walk to Taylor Dam, I was still keen to see it (again). So we drove instead. Once you turn into Taylor Dam, on the left is a small area to freedom camp. There are only a couple of camping conditions; you must be self contained and the maximum stay is two nights. Dogs are allowed providing they're on leads.

I took this pic with my car parked in the freedom camping area to show perspective of space.

Behind the dam a small lake has formed. Although it's not suitable for people to swim in, it's the perfect place for bird life. It's become a sanctuary for teal, black swans, pukekos, mallard and paradise ducks and shags.

There were lots of swans with their young ones (cygnets) in tow. A couple of years ago when we visited Taylor Dam, I wrote a blog with information on the dam and a few things I found out about swans. If you'd like to read that, click 'here'.

The stop bank above the lake was draped in blue wildflowers and wild sweet peas that were about to flower. Just imagine the fragrance in a couple of weeks time when those sweet peas are in bloom!

By this stage the dogs looked as though they needed a cool drink and a rest (I know I did). It was time to head back to the bus.