Town Basin (Quayside) Whangarei

The girls spent all afternoon climbing Mount Parahaka. We stopped in town on the way home and they still found somthing to climb, but now they don't even have shoes on.

Mt Parahaka from Whangarei

This is a view of Mt Parahaka (middle of the background) from the town basin. The town basin is full of lovely sailboats and features giftshops and restaurants. An oasis of beauty in a city that has many unattractive areas.

Stairway to Heaven?

Well, it wasn't heaven, but the war memorial at the top of Mt Parahaka might make some think of life after death.
This is part of Ross trail, which leads to the top of Mt. P. The trail follows a stream through subtropical forest. It was shady and cool. The sound of cicadas was almost deafening at the start of the walk. Apart from cicadas, we saw a lot of fantails (birds) flitting about. Brenna thinks she saw an eel in the stream. The trail was only steep in some parts, had a few bridges across the stream and was a delightful walk. About 40 minutes bottom to top. The splendid view and a few jellybeans made the hike worth all the effort.

Whangarei From Mount Parahaka

This is part of the view of Whangarei from the top (about 250 m high) of Mt Parahaka. The hill is part of a large reserve park and can also be accessed by road. We hiked up the trail. We are so proud of Alana for walking all the way to the top on her own two feet, without complaining!

First Stop

We went camping for the long weekend and enjoyed a lovely circle tour of part of the North Island. We travelled west to the town of Dargaville, set on this river. After exploring the local park and stocking up on a few supplies we headed north, along the west coast of the island and camped in Wapoua Forest. We then carried on north to Hokianga harbour, followed the harbour east to Rawene, and travelled the rest of the way south to our home on an inland road. The scenery at every point was nothing less than spectacular. It seemed fitting to spend the Waitangi Day weekend exploring our new country. 

Ahoy Mates!

Our quick stop for cold drinks turned into a long stop as the girls had to explore every inch of this delightful structure. 

Whale Jawbone

This whale bone has been left in the sun to bleach. It is part of the scenery at this lovely riverside park in Dargaville. One thin strip of wire secures it to thewall and the other fragments are propped up, loose, beside it. I wonder that no one has taken these.

Saw in a Kauri Stump

Kauri is no longer logged in New Zealand. But the stumps are often found buried in swamps and used for carvings and decorative bowls and platters. 

A Glimpse of the Tasman Sea

 

No Cows Here!

This is Waipoua Forest, on the west side of the North Island. About 2 hours drive from our home and a welcome relief from the bare farmland. We camped two nights at a Department of Conservation campground. 

Fern Tree

 

Miss A Leads the Way

 

Our New House...

Don't worry, this does not demonstrate the standard of living in New Zealand. As we prepared for our first camping trip, we forgot to pack the fly for the tent. The first night, it did of course rain. We were protected by a vinyl table cloth over the top of the tent, but decided not to risk it for the second night. Fortunately, the campsite also had some cabins. We stayed in these two for the second night. The campgrounds were lovely. A large field near the river was set aside for tents. The cabins were close to the communal kitchen. A lovely trail through the woods led to a pinic area and swimming hole. Hiking trails were also accessible. At night we figured out where the southern cross was and fell asleep to the hooting of Moreporks (an owl that crys "more pork!"). 

God of the Forest

We spent a lot of time looking at large Kauri. We found that living out in the farm area, we were really missing large trees and forest. 

God of the Forest

 

Obligatory Photo of Sheep Crossing the Road

The fellow on the tractor was assisted by two dogs. 

Hokianga Harbour

This is a view looking north, up Hokianga Harbour. As we did a circuit north, on our way home from camping, we travelled along the Harbour (right side of photo) to Rawene, before turning south to go home. 

And This Is Pretty Too

 

Sand Dunes at Hokianga Harbour

These dunes represent the southernmost point of ninety mile beach. Charters take people across the water so they can toboggan on the sand. That is the Tasman sea to the left of the picture. 

Hi Wendy!

As we were travelling north on Waitangi Day (New Zealand's national day, 06 Feb) we found a lookout with a view of the Tasman sea. We stopped and waved and said hello to Wendy and Mark and the kids. Well, as Miss B will tell you, I was the only one silly enough to try to yell "Hello Wendy!" across the sea. This point shows the sea just at the entrance to Hokianga Harbour. 

Rawene

Rawene is the third oldest township in New Zealand. It features some well-maintained historical buildings and a ferry across the harbour to the northen-most part of the North Island. I liked this set-up as an old Maori canoe sits in front of the whitemen's church. Church name is also clever.

We enjoyed lunch at the Boathouse Cafe. It is an old boathouse, right on the water that has been done up as a restaurant and gift gallery. 

Waiwere Boulders Nature Park

On our way home from our camping trip we took a detour to see the Waiwere Boulders. The property owners have built bridges and railings to form a lovely walk through forest, along a river and all through these fascinating basalt formations. The boulders look like limestone and, apparently, are the only basalt rocks known to have eroded in this fluting pattern. The girls loved the hour long stroll as we were provided with a map featuring rocks that looked like various animals. They were thrilled everytime they found one and raced off to find the next one. 

In Case You Were Wondering