Animal Magnetism

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Sorry we haven't posted in a few days, but Mark's been working the late shift, and what little free time he had was spent preparing a presentation for the Wednesday teaching conference at the hospital. Sherry and Ronan have been busying themselves at the pool, the park, and the beach. Rough, eh? Yesterday they took a foray to McLaren Falls about 20 minutes outside of town, and also checked out Marshall Falls nearby. There was an animal park there, but it was closed by the time they got there, so...

Ro in his favorite swimming hole above McLaren Falls

Today we all went to Marshall's Animal Park, a picturesque place with more varied and exotic animals than some lesser Stateside zoos. Most of the animals were of the domestic variety, but Ronan found them enthralling nonetheless. We bought Ro a bag of corn to feed the critters for NZ$2, and he was mugged in short order by a mob of ducks who quickly tagged him as an easy mark. Although he kept promising "only one more," he kept hemorrhaging corn kernels like a bad gambler chasing his losses and soon emptied the bag within 50 feet of the entrance. After buying another bag (which Sherry kept in her custody), we began our journey into the park. Ronan's favorite animal was the donkey "Krista", Sherry's was the golden pheasant (one of the prettiest birds we've ever seen), and Mark's was the wapiti (elk), which completely slimed Sherry's hand as she fed it, giving Mark a good laugh. There were plenty of sheep and goats, a beautiful Clydesdale, emus, peacocks, and even some Texas Longhorns. The ostriches seemed to have an affinity for shiny things, as one kept going for Mark's wedding ring. Having your hand pecked at by a full-grown ostrich feels similar to someone smacking it with a rubber mallet.

Ro turning up his empty bag of corn as he's cornered by still-hungry ducks

Ro feeding "Krista" the donkey

An ostrich trying to eat Mark's ring

Ro playing tug-of-war with some grass and a goat. The goat won

We had a picnic lunch at the base of the trailhead to Marshall Falls, along a quiet stream. The ducks there must have remembered Ronan from yesterday, as they wouldn't leave him alone. Our biggest surprise (and best laugh) of the day came when Ro was eating his sandwich, watching the ducks circle around his feet. The dominant, big, white duck suddenly jumped up at Ro (he was sitting on top of a picnic table, mind you), going for the sandwich that Ro was putting into his mouth. It missed the sandwich, but his beak nailed Ro's upper lip and cheek, causing Ro quite a fright! He was running scared from the ducks at that point, as if they were "it" and he was playing Tag...lol.

Sherry (laughing) comforting a crying, stunned Ronan after he was assaulted by a duck

The easy 10-minute hike to Marshall Falls wound through a beautiful sub-tropical forest, filled with the famous New Zealand "silver ferns." The falls were pretty but tiny compared to, say, the ones in Yosemite. Ro's favorite part of the hike was swinging on some vines along the trail, a la Tarzan. After the hike, we drove to McLaren Falls, a series of cascades amongst a large outcrop of boulders, with assorted pools between them that Ro loved splashing in. The big lagoon at the bottom was a splash-down site for teenagers jumping off the iron bridge above, which looked to be a good 60 feet above the water. We weren't there long when a summer rainstorm plowed through the area, and we called it a day.

Sherry & Mark at Marshall Falls. Ro took this pic!

Sherry & Ro getting drenched above McLaren Falls