'Bye January and hello Feb!

2011 has started off warmly in deep south NZ, with great summer days and a
major family reunion. Wonderful visitors in The Garden House, and to cap off
the month a beautiful wedding in Queenstown. In between we have had a bumper
grass harvest, concreted two more silage bunkers, made progress towards
further farming ventures, have Carolyn, Thomas, Dee and James within our
daily horizon.. feeling pretty happy with all that. Best wishes to all
friends on Facebook and elsewhere!

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I got into the sinky sand

All my NZ life I've avoided the quicksand on the beach below our farm - it's where a small river runs to sea.. well today I tried to cross the river at full tide and found myself up to the knees in deep sand - could pull myself out but proceeded on all fours very gingerly - no problem but I'm damn glad the earth didn't quake right then.

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Colin's Farewell from Greenbush

Farewell from Greenbush

Greenbush reunion is over
They came from far and wide
All the people young and old have gone

In the garden of Greenbush
You could hear the sound of laughing
Stories of Greenbush were told
Cathy cut the Cake
Ann and Donald stood strong
All weekend long
Lachlan was our MC
He made the night
The only thing
He did not sing

That night the history
Of Greenbush was told
And of the two people
Who made Greenbush begin

Now from the garden
All the people
And the sound of laughing has gone
Now Greenbush waits
For the day when they all come again

You are all part of Greenbush
So please come back again

Greenbush

Colin McKenzie
McKenzie Reunion
January 2011

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My stone story for the McKenzie Cairn

Everybody is invited to contribute a stone for a family cairn, and to write
up a story around what the stone means to them.

Here is mine:

This small piece of quartz is from the gravel road leading out of Samburu
National Park towards the community of Archer's Post, in the northern part
of Kenya. I picked it up on November 25, 2010.

It is special to me because it commemorates a holiday which was magical in
so many ways. First, I was with our daughter Carolyn, who was the best companion one could
wish for. She was fun, lively, always charming to - and interested in -
everyone around her; she was enthusiastic about her first time in Africa and
all the animals - and like me, very taken with the people we met.

Second, I was returning to a place where I had been extremely happy in my
younger days, from 1973-5. So for those three weeks I did my best to be a
25-year-old again. Even on the plane from Dubai, I suddenly gave in to the
need to dance down the aisle 'I'm going to Kenya'. I sang aloud (ouch), I danced to the music in my head, I laughed a lot and
asked a lot of questions of people, oh and I told Carolyn some stories.

My former housemate from the early days, Margaret Butt, and her husband
Manny were our hosts in Nairobi. Manny was the city mortician when I first
knew him. He embalmed Jomo Kenyatta. He started an exhaust-manufacturing
business 'Silentflow', and is now slowing down towards retirement, but still
exactly the same Manny. They live in a palatial home on a lake to the north
side of Nairobi, with very noisy peacocks, dogs and geese.

Margaret and I had shared an adventure overland through Sudan, Egypt,
Greece, Lebanon, Turkey and Europe, in 1975. Our four Sundays in Nairobi
gave us much enjoyment as we reminisced about the trip.

Our safaris included Samburu - still my favourite - partly because of the
views as one drives north round the shoulder of Mt Kenya.. green stretches
of wheatlands towards the mountain, as vast desert starts to unfold ahead.
Then Samburu has the gerenuk, the Grevys zebra, reticulated giraffe, and
other special animals. The gerenuk is an antelope with a very long neck that
can stand vertically on its hind legs to browse. We stayed also at Ol Pejeta Conservancy which has a policy to integrate
wildlife with cattle production.. it has sanctuary places for white rhinos
and chimpanzees, neither indigenous. Sweetwaters Camp was an absolute
delight. Then back over the Timau road to Meru National Park and a camp in
the shade by a river. Black cotton soil after rain has to be seen to be
believed. We slithered for two days.

Four days at a large coastal resort south of Mombasa was followed by another
six days on safari, to Maasai Mara and Nakuru, and finally to a farm near
Njoro to see the Nightingales who have farmed there for 100+ years. Geoff
and Cathie have a keen interest in sustainability and ecology, Geoff having
built wildlife corridors across the farm and used no-till methods for his
rotation of about six crops. An elderly employee came up and shook me by the hand, asking in Swahili
'Where is your husband?' I could kid myself that he remembered Colin and me
visiting there on honeymoon in 1977, but more likely he was put up to it. I
had to tell him that Colin was at home working so that we could enjoy our
holiday in Kenya. Thank you Colin! Christine Jane Mckenzie 1 Jan 2011

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Dappled sun through the tree ferns

A true piece of NZ - it couldn't be anywhere else - the Waipohatu Wilderness
Track today - two waterfalls, some gigantic old rimu, mosses, young
seedlings everywhere. Colin went through like a klipspringer! Must write
those surgeons in Dunedin who did that amazing heart stuff last year.

This is the species list from Brian Rance: 45 ferns alone...

Waipohatu short walk - Plant species list

S Short track
L Long track
R Road/open areas

Ferns
Asplenium bulbiferum hen & chicken fern S
L
Asplenium flaccidum hanging spleenwort S
L
Asplenium terrestre a spleenwort S
Blechnum chambersii a fern S
L
Blechnum colensoi a fern
L
Blechnum discolor crown fern S
L
Blechnum fluviatile a fern S
L
Blechnum membranaceum a fern S
L
Blechnum novae-zelandiae (=B. capense) kiokio S
L
Blechnum procerum hard fern S
L
Ctenopteris heterophylla a fern
S L
Cyathea smithii soft tree fern S
L
Dicksonia fibrosa fibrous treefern
S
Dicksonia squarrosa hard treefern S
L
Grammitis billardierii a fern S
L
Histeopteris incisa water fern S
L R
Hymenophyllum bivalve a filmy fern S
Hymenophyllum demissum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum dilatatum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum ferrugineum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum flabellatum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum multifidum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum rarum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum revolutum a filmy fern S L
Hymenophyllum sanguinolentum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum scabrum a filmy fern S
L
Hypolepis distans? a fern S
L
Leptolepia novae-zelandiae a fern S
Leptopteris hymenophylloides crape fern S
L
Leptopteris superba Prince of Wales fern S
L
Lycopodium scariosum a clubmoss S
Lycopodium varium a clubmoss
L
Lycopodium volubile a clubmoss S
Paesia scaberula pig fern
R
Phymatasorus diversifolius hounds tongue fern
S L
Polystichum vestitum prickly shield fern
S L
Pteridium esculentum bracken
R
Rumohra adiantiformis plastic fern S
L
Tmesipteris elongata? a chain fern S
Tmesipteris tannensis a chain fern S
L
Trichomannes venosum a filmy fern S
L

Podocarps
Dacrydium cupressinum rimu/red pine S
L
Podocarpus hallii halls totara
S
Prumnopitys ferruginea miro S
L
Prumnopitys taxifolia matai/black pine
S

Trees & shrubs
Arisotelia serrata wineberry
S L
Carpodetus serratus marbleleaf S
L
Coprosma aerolata a coprosma S
L
Coprosma colensoi a coprosma S
L
Coprosma foetidismia stinkwood S
L
Coprosma lucida glossy karamu S
L
Coprosma tayloriae (=C. sp. aff. parviflora) a coprosma
S R
Coprosma propinqua mingimingi S
R
Coprosma rhamnoides a coprosma S
L
Coprosma rigida a coprosma S
Coprosma rotundifolia a coprosma S
L
Elaeocarpus hookerianus pokaka S
Fuchsia excorticata tree fuchsia S
L
Gaultheria antipoda false beech S
Griselinia littoralis broadleaf S
L
Hebe salicifolia koromiko
R
Leptospermum scoparium manuka
R
Melicytus lanceolatus narrow-leaved mahoe S
L
Myrsine australis red mapou
S L
Neomrytus pedunculata rohutu S
L
Olearia ilicifolia mountain holly
L
Pennantia corymbosa kaikomako/ducksfoot S
L
Pittosporum eugenoides lemonwood S
L
Pittosporum tenuifolium black mapou S
L
Pseudopanax colensoi three finger S
L
Pseudopanax crassifolius lancewood
S L
Pseudowintera colorata peppertree S
L
Raukaua edgerleyii (= Pseudopanax edgerleyii) a tree S
L
Raukaua simplex (= Pseudopanax simplex) haumukoroa S
L
Schefflera digitata pate/seven finger
S L
*Ulex europaeus gorse
R
Weinmania racemosa kamahi S
L

Climbers & vines
Clematis paniculata white flowered clematis S
L
Metrosideros diffusa climbing rata S
L
Muehlenbeckia australis pouhuehue S
Parsonsia heterophila a native jasmine
S
Rubus australis a lawyer vine S
L
Rubus cissoides a lawyer vine S
L
*Rubus fruticosus blackberry
R

Herbs
Acaena anserinifolia a biddibid S
L
Cardamine debilis agg. a bittercress S
L
Centella uniflora a herb
R
*Cirsium vulgare Scotch thistle
R
Gnaphalium limosum? a herb
R
Gonocarpus micranthus a herb
R
Hydrocotyle heteromera a pennywort S
L
Hydrocotyle novae-zelandiae var. Montana a pennywort
R
Lagenifera petiolata a daisy
R
Nertera depressa a creeping herb
S L
Nertera setulosa a slender herb
R
Nertera villosa a creeping herb S
L
Ranunculus membranifolius a buttercup
R
*Senecio jacobaea ragwort
R
Senecio minimus fireweed
S L
Stellaria parviflora a native chickweed S
L
Viola filicaulis a native violet
S L

Monocots
Grasses
Microlaena avenacea bush rice grass S
L
Rytidosperma gracile a native grass
R

Sedges
Carex dissita a sedge S
Carex flaviformis? a sedge
R
Carex geminata a sedge
R
Carex secta pedicelled sedge
R
Isolepis habra a slender sedge S
Uncinia ferruginea a hook grass S
Uncinia uncinata a hook grass
S L
Uncinia sp. a hook grass S

Orchids
Earina autumnalis Easter orchid
S L
Earina mucronata bamboo orchid
S L
Microtus unifolia onion orchid
R
Pterostylis montana? a hooded orchid S

Other monocots
Astelia fragrans bush lily
S L
Cordyline australis cabbage tree
R
Juncus gregiflorus a native rush
R
Juncus planifolius a native rush
R
*Juncus procerus a giant rush
R
Phormium tenax lowland flax
R
Ripogonum scandens supplejack S
L

Brian Rance 14/7/1998, 10/2/2001, 22/7/2008

The waterfalls are Punehu and Pouriwai - more later.
Barack Obama's school in Hawaii was Punahou. Close (Maori and Hawaiian)!

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