Sunday, 9 February 2020

February 9 Curio Bay

And we did see that amazing petrified forest. It was quite marvellous wandering over the rocks with the sea crashing in and over what was once a forest of tall and small trees alike. I could have spent many hours just picking my way over the rocks.
Ancient petrified giants littered the rocks 
I wandered across the rocks stepping over the remains of a once mighty forest. 

I'm not sure what this might have once been - a flower, fern, twig? but I saw a number of strange shapes embedded and forming part of the rocky shore.
Anisotome latifolia (L); Hebe elliptica (R), It can be white through to mauve and is also found in the Falkland Islands and South America. Gondwana links?
Wandering back from that rocky platform we entered a living forest of New Zealand native plants. 
These red pines formed part of a patch of living forest near the petrified forest. Interesting contrast. 
Then it was back to the bus and on to meet our ship at the Port of Bluff next stop somewhere in the Southern Ocean.

Heading out to sea it was blowing a gale and the seas was fairly rough; the Pilot boat was almost swamped a number of times. 

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