At Ship Creek, just a few kilometers north of Haast, in South Westland, New Zealand, there is a wonderful boardwalk though an original swamp forest (It’s less than 3 km south of Coal Creek – where I found my first plant fossils, aged nine). The key tree is kahikatea (Dacrycarpus) and the walk features a… Continue reading Tropical Rainforest in …. South Westland?
Tag: Travel
Really Old Mongolian Limestone
We set up ‘camp’ at the base of Mongolia’s ‘White Doors’ — a gap in a massive outcrop of vertically-tilted limestone. ‘Camp’ was the three of us, our swags (roll-up beds we just placed on the ground and slept under the stars) and our big food box. We ate, and after dark, retreated to our… Continue reading Really Old Mongolian Limestone
Canary Islands – ‘Last’ Rainforest in Europe (?)
The fossils are clear – just a few million years ago Europe was covered in broad-leaved, evergreen forest. There were palm trees and numerous other trees that are now only found in the tropics. Under almost any definition, this would be called ‘rainforest’. The climate then cooled and dried and the evergreen forests were mostly… Continue reading Canary Islands – ‘Last’ Rainforest in Europe (?)
Continental Déjà Vu – the Great Escarpments (Australia, Brazil, South Africa)
Most Australians and many tourists will be aware of a prominent topographic feature not too far from the east coast. For example, the Blue Mountains are a nice day trip from Sydney, while nearly two and a half thousand kilometres to the north, a visitor can pop up to the Atherton Tablelands. Both of these… Continue reading Continental Déjà Vu – the Great Escarpments (Australia, Brazil, South Africa)
Traditional Christmas in Hamburg
Late 1984, I was booted out of Denmark and hit the next ferry to Puttgarden (this was a condition of the local cops when they gave my passport back), then hitched my way south through the mist-swathed Northern German Plain towards Hamburg. Being the old-days, East Germany was nearby and I could hear the eerie sounds… Continue reading Traditional Christmas in Hamburg