A Trip to the Waterfalls

We had a slow start to the morning - yesterday had caught up with us!  John needed to get up because he had offered to take newbie Rachel down to Terra where she is getting her car repaired - it was damaged in transit - John had shown her where it was so that she could get a quote but she was uncertain as to whether she would remember how to find it again.  It is the same place as we recently took Mum's car.

Mum and my sister Kaye were coming up after lunch and I wanted to take Kaye for a short walk in Kritou Terra to see the waterfalls.  It had been a bright start to the day but by the time they arrived it had clouded over.

We drove down to the waterfalls.  At this time of the year you can go down beyond the newly installed carpark as there was no one around to stop you.  Had I known about the changes they have made to the access to the falls I would have parked in the carpark and walked from there as you can now do both sides of the waterfall as a circular walk - you couldn't before - you had to crawl through the cave!

We parked up at the picnic area and walked down to the cave.  Although we were in the shade most of the way it wasn't cold.  There is a new path with railings that now joins the two sides of the waterfall.  It means that if you don't want to go into the cave you can get a good view and you are safely stood behind railings.  

As we took in the view you could hear the unmistakable call of a bird of prey and flying overhead there was a massive bird which I think may have been an eagle.  Later we were treated to a close up view of a massive buzzard which flew right across our path and then another which was sitting atop a telegraph pole as we drive out of Kritou Terra to head for the cemetery.

So back to the waterfalls the walk is lovely and you get to see some real autumnal colours plus in places there were little clumps of wild cyclamen with their pretty delicate pale pinky white flowers.

The cave is still impressive and had it been warmer and we had come prepared I think my sister would have given the tunnel crawl through a go!!!

There were two other people investigating the falls.  They had parked up in the car park and walked down the opposite side to the way we had walked.  This is a new path with freshly hewn steps which John and I have walked previously.  

I am not sure that these two were seasoned walkers as the woman was in a floaty pure white cotton dress and totally inappropriate shoes.  Bet her pure white dress wasn't still pure white after she had negotiated her way down the muddy steps and back - certainly not if she chose to traverse the new path and come out at the picnic area which was extremely muddy.

It wasn't a long walk for my sister but it certainly took her to an area of the island that she would not have been to before and it is quite a surprise particularly as the water flows there all year round.

We walked back to where I had parked the car and then beyond to the picnic area and the smaller waterfall and 'lake'.

The water was much more blue than it looks in the photograph.  Lots of leaves and no sign of any goldfish - there were some in there years ago.

We made our way home via the cemetery.  John had taken Mum with him to the Winery to go stock up the shelves which were somewhat depleted yesterday.