Shrooms, A Lot of Magic Shrooms...

St. Arnaud, New Zealand

May 9, 2007
S 41°48.952
E 172°50.909

The natural beauty of New Zealand continues to dazzle us. We headed to Nelson Lakes National Park today, near a small village called St. Arnaud. Inside the park are two lakes—Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotoroa. There are several walks around each lake, so we immediately took off to explore the trails.

As we set out on an hour and a half hike, we weren’t expecting much. We figured we would see some of the same beautiful scenery we’ve seen since we arrived in New Zealand. We should have known better. Every day seems to bring something else spectacular, and since the lakes are located at about 2100 feet, much higher than the Abel Tasman trail; we walked into a new amphitheater of fauna.

We set out on the trail from the visitor center and walked directly into a forest of singing birds. The song of the Bellbirds was like nothing we had ever heard. They were singing away, males and females talking back and forth, with their fluffy little bodies and lime green feathers. Their natural camouflage and speedy movement allowed them to blend into the forest surrounding them, preventing any pictures.

Continuing along the trail we started spotting mushrooms hidden among the mossy logs and autumn leaves. These toadstools were different than any we’ve seen, every color and shape. They varied from brilliant white to burnt orange to brown mustard yellow to translucent, but my favorite one was deep purple. Some of the mushrooms looked like a fan covering a mysterious face, others, like the purple ones, were button sized, so small they could be missed without careful observation. Even though we saw several shapes and colors of mushrooms we didn’t see the elusive blue mushroom.

We’ve been searching for the mysterious blue mushroom since our arrival in New Zealand. Shelby’s friend shared glorious stories about blue mushrooms covering the New Zealand forests, making it Shelby’s goal to see one. I sure hope she does!

As we arrived at the end of the trail we bumped into some nice ladies from Perth, Australia, chatting about what hike they should do the following day. We urged them to get out and see all of the beautiful mushrooms, and shared mutual stories about the beauty of New Zealand.

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.