We are currently 21 kms from Cape Reinga, which is the most northerly point in NZ, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. There is a special pohutakawa tree there whose soul goes right down to its roots – one of the most sacred sights of Maoridom. Waitiki Landing is the last post before the tip. There are a few houses, a petrol station plus small shop, a large takeaway/restaurant and a camping ground, which is called a Holiday Park. There are four camping vans here and a cyclist, who has a tent. However it is very peaceful, the sun was shining this afternoon and it gave us a chance to sort out where we have been and where we are going.
We missed a huge chance when we travelled through a kaura forest (Waipoua Kaura Forest) yesterday which has the largest remnant of the once-extensive kauri forests of northern NZ. In the forest , not far from the road, stands the mighty Tane Mahuta, named for the Forest God. It is 51m tall, with a 13.8m girth and a wood mass of 244.5 cubic metres. It is the largest kauri alive. Another giant, Te Matua Ngahere, Father of the Forest, has a girth of 16.4m. These two trees are, I believe, the largest trees in the world. And we missed seeing them! We are also missing walks but tomorrow all this will change as we have everything written down that we want to see, and walking is included.
Today we went through some really old towns, including Rawene, which is very quaint and was the third European settlement. We caught a ferry from there which crossed the Hokianga Harbour and cut a huge corner off the trip. The Hokianga harbour is a very large inlet, and is quite historic in relation to both European and Maori settlement. Kupe was reputed to have discovered this harbour.
Kaitaia (a very boring little town) has a welcome sign which is written in both Maori (Haere Mae and Dobro dosli). Apparently the Croatian settlers and the Maori people really liked each other as they both emphasised the extended family and hospitality.
Camping grounds are interesting from the point of view of someone from the UK or the continent. They range in price from £15 to £18 depending on whether they are a camping ground or a ‘Holiday Park’. Facilities are the same in both, very basic and cold. They have concrete floors, need redecorating and there is no heating and lots of unwelcome ventilation. The showers are hot, thank goodness. It will be interesting to see if facilities improve as we progress further south.
If you are worried about us being swept away in a tidal wave, as we are in a very narrow part of the island, there are no concerns. It is extremely hilly here. I thought it would be very flat!
More photos on the previous blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment