Hawera

Took a short break down the coast in Hawera for a couple of nights. Spent several hours in the amazing Tawhiti Museum. Mainly built up by one man one over many years it is a mixture of agricultural heritage, local history and even a Disney style ride. Lots of intricate dioramas like this one showing the early days of the NZ railways:

And life size models all made on site and based on casts taken of local people:

Fleece press?

Spot any childhood toys?:

Looks like a fun vehicle:

I learnt a lot too about the Musket Wars of the first half of the nineteenth century. Europeans traded arms for flax which was shipped back to be made into ropes. The guns upset the military balance between Maori tribes and led to many deaths and loss of territory. Also redirected effort into growing flax for trade to the detriment of many aspects of traditional life.

The next day I drove to the nearby Rotokare Scenic Reserve. This is a rare vestige of native bush and wetland centred on Rotokare, 'Rippling Lake'. The lake is almost entirely surrounded by a ridge of hills topped by a 2 metre high predator fence. Trapping continues within the reserve to keep out stoats, rats etc. Birds are thriving and spreading out from here.

The entrance is an automatic double gate system:

The fence is topped by an electric wire. If a nearby tree falls on the wire it breaks the circuit and sets off an alarm giving staff time to remove it before any invaders find their way in.

The difference between the reserve and the adjacent pasture land is stark:

Lake Rotokare

Kahikatea white pine

Canopy

Mount Taranaki

Pūkeku

Feeding station with sugar water for the hihi

Birdsong

Oakura Update

So a week now housesitting in lovely Ōakura. Bit wet today for dog walks to the beach or park so taking time to write an update here. Ōakura is on the coast about 15 mins drive from New Plymouth in the Taranaki area that sticks out on the west side of the North Island, about 2/3 of the way down. Dominated by the mountain itself which rises Fuji like from the plain. Big dairy farming area, with rich soils. 

Ōakura top left

Sorley and Elvis on Ōakura Beach

My niece Maddy in her element riding along the sand.

View inland towards the Kaitakes where Nick and I walked the trap line

For the architecture fans. There's quite a range of style here.

Ōakura is becoming quite a desirable place to live. There's a thriving surf scene here. Lovely cafe called Dawn in an old church where I met my cousin Kate for a catch up the other day. She lives nearby.

I've had a couple of trips into New Plymouth and spent a few hours in the Puke Ariki museum. 

This counting staircase caught my attention.

And on Friday night Ben and I went to see the Taranaki Bulls rugby union team in action in an impressive 38 - 24 win over Hawkes Bay. (See video of the mascot!)

Lots of windfall grapefruit in the garden to make fresh juice with!

Bulls mascot

Birdsong in Matekai Park

Pouakai Circuit

Despite the 14km hike with Nick I decided to set off on Sunday evening for the Pouakai Hut as the forecast for the next day was so good. It was after six by the time I started on the steps and boardwalks for the 2 hour climb up the Mangorei Track. I needed the head torch from the start and near the end it began to snow. Then I saw the lights of the palatial new Pouakai Hut ('There's a light, over at the Frankenstein Place') ahead and was soon warm and dry by the stove.

Mangorei Track

Pouakai Hut kitchen

A lot of people come here for one night (or just come up in the dark) to see the mountain at dawn reflected in the nearby tarn. I packed for a long hike (27km/17 miles) and made my first stop there.

Taranaki Maunga (or Mount Egmont) 2518m is a dormant stratovolcano. I made it to the top in the summer of 2010. The tarn is properly called Ruahumoko and the waters were used for spiritual cleansing. Today it was frozen. 

From there I followed the well made track to the top of Henry Peak 1224m. The scale of the infrastructure for these walks is amazing: the huts, bridges, ladders, walkways and vegetation management etc.

Staircase and steps up Henry Peak

The track didn't need to go this way but the view was worth the detour and climb:

Pouakai Range with the tarn somewhere in the brown patch to the left of Maude Peak 1220m

Also visible to the bottom left is the Ahukawakawa sphagnum moss swamp I would cross later.

Frost on the leaves

There was a lot of unbroken ice on the path so I reckon I was the first one out that way that morning. 

Steps - often icy high up

Kaiauai Swing Bridge

There was a lot of mud and very slippery sections back under the tree cover. Boardwalks do have their advantages. Once past the Egmont Visitor centre I saw hardly anyone. And up on the Holly Trail (around 1000m)  I was above the tree line with magnificent views:

Looking up. the mountain. with the Holly Trail clearly visible.

And look who turned up!:

Shadowman first made his appearance in NZ in 2010

More steps

And then down to the Ahukawakawa sphagnum moss marsh:

The last climb of the day was ahead of me over to the Pouakai Hut. The sun was just catching the hills before it disappeared behind the Pouakai Range. A long board walk protects this fragile environment:

Soon time to turn the head torch on again.

Silhouettes

Again the lights (powered by solar panels) of the hut were a welcome sight. More dancing lights were trampers who had been out to look at the tarn by light of the big, orange moon. I rejoined the track I started on that morning and 5 minutes later arrived at the hut.

The next morning was glorious again:

Hut dining area window, view to the sea

Early morning light on the Pouakais with the moon rising

My first day time view of the hut as I headed back down the steps of the Mangorei Track. Kitchen/dining to the right and four 9 person dorms to the left. At 15 NZ dollars a night not bad but free for me with my year long back country hut pass (160 dollars).

Now some recovery time for my poor calf muscles...

New Zealand - arrival in Oakura

Had a pretty comfortable (as these things go) 14 hour overnight direct flight from Vancouver to Auckland with Air New Zealand. Couple of hours to transfer for my connection down to New Plymouth.

Landing in New Plymouth with the snowy peak of Taranaki (the Shining Mountain) to greet me

Great to catch up with the family (8 years since I saw my sister Beth).

And with Ben, been over year since I saw him!:

Maddy has been busy with horses (mostly) but seen plenty of Beth, Molly and Nick:

They'll be off on their travels soon and I will be here with Elvis the dog for a month. Not bad with the beach 10 minutes walk away:

and a nice deck out the back:

I've already had a quick jaunt into nearby New Plymouth:

Mural

Len Lye centre with clock tower reflection

On Sunday Nick took me out to check his trap line in the nearby Kaitakes. The Department of Conservation is running a massive programme to eradicate pests like possum, rats, weasels etc that have been introduced but have wreaked havoc on the indigenous flora and fauna. Volunteers like Nick monitor a number of traps each and empty and reset them as necessary. A big job to make New Zealand predator free by 2050.

From the Kaitakes back towards the coast and New Plymouth. Very spring like here. Chilly one minute and warm and sunny the next with some heavy rain showers. But I did get a fantastic window of weather to tramp on the mountain...