ROCK
Located 45degree South, immense mountains of ancient rock stand head on into the roaring 40's westerly flow.
The tallest peaks of the southern alps reach up over 300om, made of both young sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock, dating back to over 400 million years.
The southern alps are among the fastest growing mountains in the world. But due to the weather, they are eroding at the same rate.
- Piopiotahi, Milford Sound, centre of the universe.
WEATHER
Parts of the west coast see upwards of 14m of rain annually. Trickling turquois creeks rise within hours, filling valleys from wall to wall with brown flood water. They deposit unfathomable amounts of sediment, creating river bars which if scored on the right tide and swell can produce life changing waves.
Anti-cyclones send North swells rolling down the East Coast, lighting up beach breaks and right hand point breaks.
The predominant swell however comes from powerful low pressure systems, born above Antarctica. They send huge lines that wrap the entire 6000km of coast line.
The South Coast hosts locations where; The stronger the offshore blows, the bigger the waves get.
- A Wet Day In Fiordland.
LIFE
This archipelago of life is around 80% endemic. It naturally did not have any land mammals, other than two Bats. Instead, curious and flightless birds roamed the forest floor. Carnivorous tree-climbing snails stalked along branches.
The top predator pre-human was the largest eagle known, the Haast eagle, with a wing span of up to 3m.
The unique Fauna co-exists with a equally unique Flora.
Ancient podocarp and Beech tree forest sprawl over steep unforgiving, razorback mountain ranges.
New Zealand life and land is shaped by water and the fact that humans have not existed here until relatively recently.
Fiordland National park is 1.2million hectares in size. It has remained untouched due to its inhospitable nature which is shaped by the unrelenting force of water.
- The worlds only alpine parrot; the Kea.
A relative of the worlds only flightless and heaviest nocturnal parrot; the Kākāpō.
WAVES
New Zealand pumps.
The waves DO NOT work like clockwork. Scoring them pumping requires either good luck or great forecasting.
If you only have a short time to score waves in NZ, you either need the hook ups from a mate with local knowledge, or a whole heap of study prior to arrival.
Driving around the Island in a clockwise or anti-clockwise fashion may have you lucking into pumping waves, or being completely skunked the entire way around.
Let us do the hard work for you.
- A South Coast Treat