Oakura update

 I've just had a 10 period back here in Ōakura once again dog sitting. This time for these two:

Monet

Yayoi

So more daily walks on the beach and time to keep up with the emotional roller coaster that is supporting Scotland's sporting adventures (rugby and football)! Overall I'll take the results, the rugby team will bounce back. The footballers (and their supporters) deserved the achievement, maybe not in all their performances but we've suffered long enough...

The mountain still snow-capped back at the start of November.

I also had time to explore the amazing Pukekura Park in nearby New Plymouth. Much of the layout and collection dates to the stewardship of Scotsman William Walter Smith from Hawick who was curator from 1908 - 1920.

The original Pukekura stream was damned to form a lake. The water is used to power this restored dairy farm water wheel:

A beautiful green space in the middle of town with play park, cafe, cricket pitch and sculpture:

Cats 1960 by Don Driver

Once the dogs were reunited with their owner I got my boots on again and headed back up towards the mountain (Taranaki Maunga). This time I took the road less travelled (Robert Frost https://www.thenatureofthings.blog/2022/03/poetry-sunday-road-not-taken-by-robert.html)

The Dover Track - can you spot the orange marker?

I emerged from the bush into a world of swirling mists and watched 2 cloud levels rolling in opposite directions. Quite steep up but listening to Ken Smith's The Way of the Hermit kept me going at a decent pace (definitely recommend it, especially if you have seen the film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwUockt4D28).

The Pouakai Range from near the Pouakai summit at 1400m. The eagle eyed may be able to spot the Pouakai Hut where I stayed back in September. To the left of the highest point to the right and slightly below the ridge with a red roof.

DOC (Department of Conservation) are busy this time of year repairing the track with sections like this being helicoptered in.

Trees

Looking across the marshland of Ahukawakawa to Taranaki Maunga (summit 2518m). Notice the snow has mostly melted in the last few weeks. A lengthy boardwalk protects the delicate marshland, the 'kidney' of the mountain as it cleans the water passing through it. Some of that descends over Bells Falls to the right. Holly Hut visible directly below the mountain at the far side of the marsh.

Holly Hut the next morning. Not as swish as the new Pouakai Hut but has lights via the solar panels and dorms that benefit from the heat of the stove in cold weather (although the Pouakai dorms being separate are quieter).

2 hikers when I arrived, then a group of 9 female student medics/nurses arrived and after dark 3 German guys who had been to the summit. The hut has 28 bunks in three rooms. And a ready supply of firewood brought in by DOC.

I was tired but the sun was shining so I left my pack and walked on half an hour to Bells Falls. Well worth it. 

30m Bells Falls

I did cool my feet but that was as far as I went, water still pretty cold. A couple of quiet days then I leave for the South Island on Saturday.

Northland Part 3

Near Paihai on the east coast you will find the historic Waitangi Treaty grounds. It was here in 1840 that a treaty between some Maori leaders and the British Crown was first signed. It is celebrated today on Waitangi Day every 6th February. 

An original copy of the Treaty, badly damaged. Some Maori chiefs signed on the day and many more as copies were circulated around the islands. It has been controversial from the start (not all signed) and the Maori and English versions differ slightly in their meaning. Meant to give protection to the Maori property rights it was in fact widely ignored on various occasions. This has led to the Waitangi Tribunal now looking at individual historic cases and attempting redress.

I took an excellent guided tour which set out the historical context. This was followed by a performance of Maori songs and traditional dances/training. Always a tricky one watching these shows put on for visitors, however it was part of the museum's activities and very informative. There was also a very good museum and war memorial.

For the 1940 centenary celebrations a huge traditional Maori canoe was built. As in Canada traditional carvings had previously been prohibited so this was an important way to keep skills and knowledge alive. The canoe is taken out every year, but has to soak a few days beforehand and nearly doubles in weight.

The main body of the canoe was made from two sections of one kauri tree, spliced together:

You can see the splice above. Faces along the canoe represent family who are accompanying the paddlers on their journey. Those at an angle represent ancestors and those upright represent living relatives.

One of the canoe shelter supports showing ancestors

After leaving Paihia I made a stop near Whangarei and had a very wet walk to Bream Head in the mist (so no photos!). I stayed at a lovely Air bnb where the owner had built his own bar and served free home brewed beer, so that helped.

From there I headed further south (beyond the reach of the map I posted) to Warkworth and a lovely little museum and kauri park. Another place saved by the foresight of a few individuals.

Kauri

In the kauri park

Nikau palm

Reconstructed school room in the Warkworth Museum

Rules for teachers - not sure these would go down well with the unions today.

Be interesting to know how today's modern NZ girl would be portrayed.

My last night of the trip was at a really special place. Mangapiko School, built in 1880 then moved to its present location in 1976:

Lovely inside and a whole folder of fascinating local history. 

More rules for teachers

Excerpt from the school history

The next morning I took a walk up Mount Kakepuku:

This area was swampland until the nineteenth century. European settlers cleared the native bush and drained the swamps to create rich farmland. The hills today are small islands of protected nature in this great sea of fields.

I'm now house and dog sitting once again in Ōakura, this time for a Dachshund and a Dalmatian. At the end of the month I head down to the South Island for a new adventure.

Northland Part 2

 After a night staying in Opononi I took the short ferry crossing from Rawene over to Hokiangi.

Farmland and tree covered hills. Some twisty roads through the landscape. There are plenty of crawler lanes to get past the trucks, but they only slow down on the uphill! Speed limit is generally 100 km/h.

Kakaitawhiti, revered ancestor of the Ngai Tamara tribe and Kahutianui, daughter of the chief Tūmoana

Next stop was the near the south end of 90 Mile Beach. So named because it took the first Europeans 3 days to travel its length on horseback and 30 miles a day was considered average riding speed. However they hadn't calculated with riding on sand which was slower. It's only 55 miles long and is also an official highway and can be driven. It's Maori name is Te-Oneroa-a-Tōhē (the long beach of Tōhē):

Near the top of the beach you come to the Te Paki giant sand dunes. Here you can hire a boogie board and slide down the sand. However it was pretty hot and I didn't fancy all the climbing back up. Plenty of people did though. Figures just visible on the skyline:

Just before the top of Northland there was a great view of Cape Maria van Diemen:

Cape Reinga is not strictly the most northerly point of New Zealand (3km south of Surville Cliffs to the east holds that honour).  However it is easy to reach dramatic. The Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet here. Te Rerenga Wairau is a sacred place for Maori. The name means 'leaping off place of spirits' as they believe this is where the spirits enter the underworld (reinga).

That night I camped at the site on Tapotupotu beach, a beautiful place at the bottom of a winding gravel track. Still a bit cold for swimming.

First stop next day was at Rangakapiti Pa near Coopers Beach. A pa was a Maori fortified hill top settlement. View from the top of the earthworks.

Then a lovely beach at Taupō Bay where I did go for a paddle:

Some great views from the coast road here:

Next was a walk along the Mahinepua Peninsula where I did go for a swim on the long beach below (and it wasn't cold):

Dramatic coastline from the peninsula:

More views from the road, this time Matauri Bay and the Cavalli Islands:

At about 6 I arrived at the hostel in Paihia just in time for a power cut that put the whole town out overnight. So very quiet! Thankfully I had my camping stove to cook on.

Northland part 1

Starting in New Plymouth I made a 9 day road trip around Northland, the area of NZ north of Auckland. Lots to see and generally good weather, though did have the heaviest rain I have driven in. Middle of the day but hard to see it was so heavy! Thankfully it didn't last long. Combined with the instability of the ground up here the heavy rains cause a lot of damage to the roads. No dual carriageways up here and lots of big trucks with trailers. But overall driving was a pleasant experience.

My route north of Auckland in blue

First stop was an overnight at Sunset Ridge campsite near Helensville (not on the map). Interesting site with basic facilities but there was a sunset!

The next day I spent several hours at the fascinating Matakohe Kauri Museum. As well as info on these amazing trees there were rooms full of info on the logging and social history of the area: reconstructed boarding house and saw mill full of original artefacts. Kauri are long lived tress which drop their lower limbs as they grow and regularly shed their bark preventing vines and lichens from making a permanent home. Of course Europeans began felling them for timber (initially ship spars then building material) and to clear land for pasture.  Maroi used the wood for carvings and to build their waka (canoes). The biggest on record from the nineteenth century had a trunk diameter of 28ft (8.5 metres). 

Not a lot of health and safety back then

Then there is swamp kauri. These are trees or logs that have been preserved in the peat swamps, often turning up during drainage work. 

This wood can still be worked and is highly valuable. One farmer recovered a log that was used to carve 7 table tops for his family.

Unfortunately a soil borne pathogen causes kauri dieback, affecting a tree's ability to transport water and nutrients between its roots and leaves. To this end there are rigorous efforts being made to stop its spread.

DOC (the department of conservation) has also created islands where predator and disease control can be carried out effectively. About 75% of NZ's native forest has been lost and for kauri it is 96%.  

I took a walk around Trounson Kauri Park and saw some of the kauris. 

Another interesting section of the museum was devoted to kauri gum digging. Although some people took it directly from trees this was stopped. The lumps of resin would fall to the ground and become buried. Maori used to chew it and it also made an excellent fire lighter. It could be carved into jewellery and served as a pigment for tattoos. European used it for oil varnishes and to manufacture linoleum. It became NZ's number one export in the second half of the nineteenth century. Gumdiggers used long prods to locate the lumps then dug them out of the mud.