FUNGI, WATERFALLS AND GLOWWORMS
05 JANUARY 2024
Dripping With Life
Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve (what a mouthful!) is in north Marlborough in the South Island of New Zealand and it's one on our favourite places to walk in Marlborough. The reason we love it so much is because all of the walks we do are dripping with life... there are all sorts of interesting mushrooms and fungi popping up all over the place, the trees and moss are so vibrant green and the Pelorus River is a beautiful emerald colour.
The first part of the Elvy Waterfalls Track follows the Tawa Track, (which is a great short walk in Pelorus and one we have done a few times), before becoming its own track. Our favourite time of year to do these tracks is in autumn and winter because the forest is so much greener and we always spot new fungi in the trees or alongside the path, which always makes a walk much more interesting... nothing worse than a boring walk! I'm fascinated with the number of mushrooms & fungi there are in the forests and how unique each one looks. We're always happy when we can find cool stuff for the kids to look at along the way - we have been taking more time on walks, allowing them to explore a lot more, to look at things and climb trees etc. We used to be in such a hurry just to get the walks and hikes done, but we realised we all enjoy them a lot more when we take our time to smell the roses (sometimes literally).
Although I enjoy using my 50mm lense with a low f stop to take photos in forests, one day I'll get a macro lense so I can really pick up all the details in nature! I carry 4 lenses with me, all with a different purpose and I find I use my 50mm the most, especially for portrait images of Lath and the girls.
The first part of the Elvy Waterfalls Track follows the Tawa Track, (which is a great short walk in Pelorus and one we have done a few times), before becoming its own track. Our favourite time of year to do these tracks is in autumn and winter because the forest is so much greener and we always spot new fungi in the trees or alongside the path, which always makes a walk much more interesting... nothing worse than a boring walk! I'm fascinated with the number of mushrooms & fungi there are in the forests and how unique each one looks. We're always happy when we can find cool stuff for the kids to look at along the way - we have been taking more time on walks, allowing them to explore a lot more, to look at things and climb trees etc. We used to be in such a hurry just to get the walks and hikes done, but we realised we all enjoy them a lot more when we take our time to smell the roses (sometimes literally).
Although I enjoy using my 50mm lense with a low f stop to take photos in forests, one day I'll get a macro lense so I can really pick up all the details in nature! I carry 4 lenses with me, all with a different purpose and I find I use my 50mm the most, especially for portrait images of Lath and the girls.
Glown' And Flowin'
There are two waterfalls on the Elvy Waterfall Track, both vastly different from each other. The first waterfall is easy to get to, it's only a few meters from the left of the track. There was a decent amount of water descending when we were there in one of the wetter months, but it could dry up a bit in summer or be even more impressive in winter.
We explored up the bank, to the right of the waterfall, where we found soooo many glow worm threads, all shining beautifully in the light. This would be one epic place to come back to at night to see them. New Zealand has an abundance of places to see glow worms, especially in the West Coast Region, and some of the places we have found them are at the Glowworm Dell in Hokitika, Waipu Caves in Northland and Abbey Caves also in Northland. We'd love to see more at night but it usually requires a nighttime mission (unless they're in the caves) and we are more daytime peeps than late night peeps!
We explored up the bank, to the right of the waterfall, where we found soooo many glow worm threads, all shining beautifully in the light. This would be one epic place to come back to at night to see them. New Zealand has an abundance of places to see glow worms, especially in the West Coast Region, and some of the places we have found them are at the Glowworm Dell in Hokitika, Waipu Caves in Northland and Abbey Caves also in Northland. We'd love to see more at night but it usually requires a nighttime mission (unless they're in the caves) and we are more daytime peeps than late night peeps!
Little, But Powerful
After the first waterfall, the track becomes narrower in some areas and we often found ourselves stepping over small streams which wasn't overly difficult, but on a rainy day it might be a bit more of a wide stride to get over! We found the track to be a bit dodgy in some parts where it was narrower and close to the edge of the cliff, so we were weary of this and held the girls hands along these parts, because it was quite a way down to the Te Hoiere river!
In some parts of the track, there were tree roots snaking their way across the path which added to the charm of the area. The 'roof' of the forest was so green and thick, which is one of main reasons we love exploring New Zealand so much... there is so much greenery and it's one of the charms that brings in thousands of visitors each year.
The 2nd waterfall is a bit trickier to get to as there is a stream in the way and unless you don't mind taking your shoes off and wading across to the other side, then you'll need to get a bit creative like we did! Lath managed to assemble some small boulders and a log in the stream that was stable and high enough for us to walk on, without getting our shoes soaking wet! If it was a warmer season, it wouldn't have been too bad getting in the river.
Once we made it over, we finally saw the 2nd waterfall and although it was not very high, it was incredibly powerful! This spot would be amazing in summer as it's nice and cool from the shade of the trees and there is a big swimming hole with beautiful clear water.
In some parts of the track, there were tree roots snaking their way across the path which added to the charm of the area. The 'roof' of the forest was so green and thick, which is one of main reasons we love exploring New Zealand so much... there is so much greenery and it's one of the charms that brings in thousands of visitors each year.
The 2nd waterfall is a bit trickier to get to as there is a stream in the way and unless you don't mind taking your shoes off and wading across to the other side, then you'll need to get a bit creative like we did! Lath managed to assemble some small boulders and a log in the stream that was stable and high enough for us to walk on, without getting our shoes soaking wet! If it was a warmer season, it wouldn't have been too bad getting in the river.
Once we made it over, we finally saw the 2nd waterfall and although it was not very high, it was incredibly powerful! This spot would be amazing in summer as it's nice and cool from the shade of the trees and there is a big swimming hole with beautiful clear water.
Know Before You Go
- The track is 1.5kms return and takes around 2 hours
- It can be muddy in places
- There are some narrow sections with big drops where kids will need to be watched
- The track branches off the Tawa Track and you can get to the Trig K track along the Elvy Waterfall Track
- There are toilets by the carpark
- There is plenty to see and find along the way, so bring your camera and your enthusiasm!
- There is a stream crossing to get to the first waterfall (although for us, this wasn't an issue and just stepped over a few small rocks)
How To Get To The Elvy Waterfalls Track In Marlborough
The Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve is along State Highway 6 in Marlborough, just under an hour from Blenheim and just over an hour from Picton.
There are two carparks, opposite each other, so take your pick! Coming from Blenheim, we chose the larger carpark on the left because this is where the trailhead for the Tawa Track starts, which leads onto the Elvy Waterfall Track. The tracks are all well sign posted.
Click here for the coordinates on Google Maps.
There are two carparks, opposite each other, so take your pick! Coming from Blenheim, we chose the larger carpark on the left because this is where the trailhead for the Tawa Track starts, which leads onto the Elvy Waterfall Track. The tracks are all well sign posted.
Click here for the coordinates on Google Maps.
Conclusion
This track is one for nature lovers, where you can find all sorts of goodies along the way (fungi, glowworm threads etc) as well as two different waterfalls. The track is moderate as there may be a couple of stream crossings and there are some muddy patches to get through, especially in the wetter months. It's ideal on a cloudy or drizzly day because the forest canopy will keep you dry (mostly!).
Gallery of the Elvy Waterfalls Track
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
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