Road to Nenthorn

How does one manage the encore to an ephemeral wetland in the midst of a vast tussockland ? In truth, this wasn’t much of a concern, as we had already had a great couple of days being shown around various parts of Macraes Flat by Mike Thorsen.

That said, the hunt for an inconspicuous native grass within overhangs of Nenthorn (an isolated area once populated by gold miners) was a fine way to spend a day. When I start banging on about botany, distraction can be a welcome diversion for David – and on this occasion, he found just that in the shape of Michael Shepherd reduced down to a beard and a hat against the backdrop of Nenthorn’s expansive grassland and sky.

The aforementioned inconspicuous grass, Simplicia laxa, is a subtle character with a fascinating back-story. Now critically endangered, this inhabitant of shady habitats finds refuge within overhangs; not necessarily because it prefers to occupy these habitats, but because they are the few places that offer the conditions that it would probably have found within the dry forests that were once widespread throughout Otago.