Karamea wild is a site dedicated to the beauty of the Karamea region on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Photos and creatives showcasing the beautiful New Zealand birds, Karamea wildlife, and the spirit of Karamea. KARAMEA wild ... is a personal photo album and an outlet for an endless collection of images that this shutterbug is addicted to snapping. This is not about photography, neither myself nor my cameras are professional in any way, any half decent shots you may see here are down to the luck of circumstance in the moment. This is more about sharing a lifelong habit of snapping moments around me and my great love of the Karamea district and all the wild wonder that it holds. The term 'album' is also used in the loosest sense as I have lost control of the number and categories and images, years have passed by in my attempts to organise them and all I have is thousands more images.... so I have given up and here throw them at you in whatever fashion they fall on that day. I share just to share, with no objective, I am delighted if someone else enjoys to see some of the world I see. I do hope for those that live in Karamea some of these images may remind them of the treasures that we have here, and for those who have not yet discovered Karamea, I wish that joy for you in the future. ::This site is always under development and can change without notice. Social media Follow us on Instagram #wix @karameawild Load more Albumns Scenes of wonder Karamea district holds a million scenes and different times of day and times of year make a million more, it is not possible to capture all that Karamea has to offer, for this amateur happy snapper it is a paradise of light and promise. The Crablands >> 100 Scenes from 1 spot >> Otumahana >> :: you can click on these pics and move them around to look at them, double click to make them bigger, or delve deeper and click on the links for more pics and stories Oh the colours! It has always amazed that a flock of red and yellow and green birds can be flying around a drab brown field of dry grass and hardly be visible. The colours around us are amazing, but often you can only appreciate if when you can get a really close look or pause the movement for a moment, or when it lights up the whole sky. Winged wonderland Karamea is a bird lovers wonderland. To the uninterested it might look like a block of pretty pastureland but to those high on twitching, it has to be one of the best regions in the country, such a range of environments in short distances and ease of access and observation. The Littles ! The 'Littles' are the smallest residents of Karamea, the tiny beings who live busy, unnoticed lives, all around us. These Littles are often misunderstood, sometimes feared and most frequently ignored. But when you stop and look closely, they turn out to be skilled engineers, patient hunters, tireless cleaners and excellent parents, just doing their best in a complicated world. If you think you don't like insects, that is okay, you don't have to love them.... but just take a moment to meet some of them. Whiskers on Kittens Layers new layers highlighted or made by mist or shadows, reflections, reflections of land in sky, slate blue sky, slate blue/grey sky with white clouds, sunsets when the sky is still blue, light that makes visible what is normally not visible, sunlight on storm clouds... .....to name just a few. Here be Dragons >> Millions of MOTHS >> Silky Bandits >> The LIST >> Green things! so many green things..>> Colours of Karamea >> Native Orchids! >> Webs of weirdos Fungi are weird, that is all there is to it. They are classified scientifically into a realm of their own because they are not plant nor animal. Not only do some of their chemical properties hold boundless possibilities for the human mind and wellbeing; the way they operate in nature and communicate with each other and the environment around them is still one of the great mysteries of the natural world. Fungi are weird and fascinating, if you are interested in fungi, a whole universe of discovery awaits. The Visitors Karamea has a friendly climate, enough that visitors often stick around for quite some time, with enough space and resources that domestic visitors can survive on their own for long periods. Over the years we have had many visiting species, some are seen just once, some are seen for a few weeks or months, some keep coming back for short periods. You just never know who you are going to meet in Karamea! Kaka for the night >> Goldie and the Weka >> Colours and colours of Fungi >> Fluffies! Fluffies abound in Karamea, different seasons see an abundance of birdy reproduction, you just have to find it! There are many that breed here that don't feature in these albums, because they are very secretive, but every season brings new opportunities and possibilities to track them down, without too much disturbance. Sometimes it can take 2 or 3 seasons to figure out where they might be and how to capture them on film without disturbing their activities... and sometimes you just see them every day when you drive past... you just never know in Karamea. There is always life... just keep looking Contact Contact Karamea wild: Send Success! Message received.

Native Orchids? Yes! New Zealand has nearly 120 different described species of native Orchids. Who knew.!?.. well lots of people, but I have only discovered them in the last few years, and the more I discover the more I realise they are just about everywhere! In Karamea I have found about 10% of these so far, because I am not hiking up mountains or looking for lost waterfalls... but just here on the coast on my way to and fro my daily activities... native orchids can be seen..... oh...just a small detail... most of them are about the size of your pinky fingernail : ) Looking for our orchids is not as easy as it sounds; They are tiny, often only with one leaf to recognise them by, some are way up high in the tree tops, some are a single flower on a single stem that is so fine they are barely visible and some, extraordinarily, grow UNDER the leaflitter on the forest floor! But the triumph of finding them is very satisfying, good luck! Bamboo Orchids , Earina mucronata, peka-a-waka Easter Orchids , Earina autumnalis, Ruapeka Onion Orchids, Microtis spp Sun Orchids, Thelymitra spp Green Hood Orchids , Pterostylis spp Horned Orchids , Orthoceras novae-zeelandiae, Paratawhiti Potatoe Orchids , Gastrodia spp, Huperei Spurred Helmet Orchids , Corybas cheesemanii Spider Orchids - Corybas oblongus Spider Orchids , Corybas spp Spider Orchids - more Corybas spp Lady's Slipper Orchids, Dendrobium cunninghamii Caladenia spp , white fingers/pink fingers

Colours ... just beautiful colours Karamea wildlife and wilderness is full of such beautiful colours and colour combinations. Often when you see a shot, it is not just about the scene or the creature, it is about the colours, the contrasts, or the gradients from one colour into another, or the way one colour offsets another, or a favourite or surprising colour combination, these are the ways I view things. I don't have the professional ability to translate these views into proper images, but you may get the idea...

BITTERN The Australasian Bittern is declining with less than 2000 thought to exist globally. In New Zealand we may have as many as 1000, here in Karamea we have a few, perhaps just 2 or 3, perhaps a few more, no one is sure. But we do know we are amongst the privileged few who may see a Bittern when we leave home in the morning. These photos of Bittern are all taken in areas within a 10km radius of the township..... a couple of them right in the middle of the township!

The List! Someone once said to me that it would be good if we had a list of all the wild things found in Karamea. I thought that was a good idea, and I have started this list. This is not everything found in Karamea, but rather everything I have found so far in Karamea, so it is a work in progress and will constantly be updated (I hope!) our birds Swans & Geese Black swan | Cygnus atratus | Kakianau | Greylag goose , Honker | Anser anser | Canada goose | Branta canadensis | Ducks Paradise shelduck | Tadorna variegata | Putangitangi | Blue duck | Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos | Whio | Grey teal | Anas gracilis | Titi, Titimoroiti | Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | Grey duck | Anas superciliosa | Australasian shoveler | Anas rhynchotis | New Zealand scaup | Aythya novaeseelandiae | Papango | Sea Birds Little Blue penguin | Eudyptula minor | Korora | Australasian gannet | Morus serrator | Takapu | Shags/Cormorants Little shag | Phalacrocorax melanoleucos | Kawau paka | Black shag | Phalacrocorax carbo | Kawau | Pied shag | Phalacrocorax varius | Kawau | Little black shag | Phalacrocorax sulcirostris | Kawau tui | Spotted shag | Stictocarbo punctatus | Kawau tikitiki | Herons/Egrets White heron | Ardea modesta | Kotuku | Cattle egret | Ardea ibis | White-faced heron | Egretta novaehollandiae | Matuku moana | Australasian bittern | Botaurus poiciloptilus | Matuku | Royal spoonbill | Platalea regia | Kotuku ngutupapa | Hawks & Falcons Swamp harrier | Circus approximans | Kahu | New Zealand falcon | Falco novaeseelandiae | Karearea | Rails Woodhen | Gallirallus australis | Weka | Pukeko | Porphyrio melanotus | Pukeko | Gulls & Godwits Bar-tailed godwit | Limosa lapponica | Variable oystercatcher | Haematopus unicolor | South Island pied oystercatcher | Haematopus finschi | Pied stilt | Himantopus himantopus | New Zealand dotterel | Charadrius obscurus | Spur-winged plover | Vanellus miles | Southern black-backed gull | Larus dominicanus | Red-billed gull | Larus novaehollandiae | Black-billed gull | Larus bulleri | Caspian tern | Hydroprogne caspia | White-fronted tern | Sterna striata | Songbirds & others New Zealand pigeon | Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae | Kereru | Shining cuckoo | Chrysococcyx lucidus | Sacred kingfisher | Todiramphus sanctus | Kotare | Grey warbler | Gerygone igata | Riroriro | Bellbird | Anthornis melanura | Koimako, Makomako | Parson bird | Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae | Tui | Australian magpie | Gymnorhina tibicen | New Zealand fantail | Rhipidura fuliginosa | Piwakawaka | Tomtit | Petroica macrocephala | Miromiro, Piropiro | Rifleman | Acanthisitta chloris | Titipounamu | South Island robin | Petroica australis | Kakaruwai | Eurasian skylark | Alauda arvensis | Kaireka | Fernbird | Bowdleria punctata | Matata, koroatito | Silvereye | Zosterops lateralis | Welcome swallow | Hirundo neoxena | Eurasian blackbird | Turdus merula | Song thrush | Turdus philomelos | Common starling | Sturnus vulgaris | House sparrow | Passer domesticus | New Zealand pipit | Anthus novaeseelandiae | Dunnock | Prunella modularis | Chaffinch | Fringilla coelebs | European greenfinch | Carduelis chloris | European goldfinch | Carduelis carduelis | Common redpoll | Carduelis flammea | Yellowhammer | Emberiza citrinella |

Favourite Trees Karamea is a dairy farming region, so most of the flat land is cleared for agriculture, but here and there are some stands and individual trees that have been preserved in place. Some are special trees, some are popular with the wildlife, all have a unique style or presence that increases the value of their surroundings. .... in my eyes anyways

100 scenes from 1 spot There is one spot that features repeatedly in this photo collection, it is a favourite haunt, because it is so beautiful and because you never know what you will see but it is bound to be beautiful and different. These shots are all from basically the same spot at the north end of the Karamea estuary looking south, but each one is different; different times of day, different light, different tide levels, different weather, the variety is just stunning. These shots are mostly only about the landscape, the wildlife that you will also see there is just too much and is a whole new section. (As I start this page there are only 30 or 40 of these different shots, but I am sure as I keep adding them in, there will be 100 and more.)

Page Title This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors. Button Section Title Every website has a story, and your visitors want to hear yours. This space is a great opportunity to give a full background on who you are, what your team does and what your site has to offer. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want site visitors to know. If you’re a business, talk about how you started and share your professional journey. Explain your core values, your commitment to customers and how you stand out from the crowd. Add a photo, gallery or video for even more engagement.

Our Little Shags, or Kawau paka, are the smallest of our Shags or Cormorants. They are most often seen alone, sitting on a rock on the edge of the estuary or fishing near the gulls in the river, or on Shag log at the Kohaihai river mouth, or even on a fence post in the middle of a paddock. They are quite shy but if you are quiet and don't approach them directly they may tolerate your presence for a short period of time. They seem to be quite stubborn and determined little birds and will not give up a good fishing spot or sunbathing spot for anyone, not human nor larger Shag nor even a group of larger Shags. An interesting trait of Little Shags are their colour variations, always black and white but sometimes just their face/cheeks, sometimes their whole face, sometimes their whole chest, sometimes all black. Literature says that different morphs are more common in some areas than others, here in Karamea either or seem to be equally likely. These photos below are of a nest on the Kohaihai river, this was a total thrill to find and so exciting to see these weird little baby aliens from juveniles to adults. As they got older they still retained their full black plummage, making them look like a different species..... at what stage they gained white facial or body plumage, I am still to observe.

The Crablands The Crablands is a place that we as Coasters often take for granted, we treat it as a pathway to get to the fish; we trapse across it, quad bike through it, run the dog over it, drive across it...... and miss an entire universe of ecological wonder and drama along the way . Science calls it the inter-tidal zone, but the Crablands is a much more apt description because it is a badlands, full of these tiny creatures eeking out their dramatic living in an ever-changing environment where there is no guarantee of life from one moment to the next. The Crablands Low-tide landscapes... Where all the drama happens There are CRABS! of course Big ones, tiny ones, funny looking ones... There are sign of other creatures living out on the Crablands too Who knows what they all are, but it is fascinating! The larger predators add another layer of drama It is a dangerous place for a tiny creature to live... A very very lucky Eel

BLACKWATER The Black Water probably doesn't get a mention in the pamphlets, because it is a man made drain. Created whilst the draining of the Kongahu swamp was underway, it persists today draining all the run off from the Wangapeka terrace. I love the layers and colours in and around this 'drain' , it is ever changing, pallettes to die for, and the critters like it too. It is an outrageously sourced agricultural drain, but provides an endless variety of scenery and potential wildlife sightings.

KOHAIHAI The Kohaihai river marks the northern edge of Karamea and is the southern starting point of the Heaphy track through Kahurangi National Park. It is an extraordinary environment of beach and mountains, river, bush and wildlife, one never knows what one might see there...