Like That Family Circus Where Jeffrey Leaves Footprints Everywhere

This is basically everywhere I went in New Zealand. I thought it would be interesting to take an inventory. I did an okay job of getting around, but I look at this map and I see huge gaps, even after six months in New Zealand. I didn't get to Eastland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, the West Coast, and all the really remote parts of Fiordland. Still, I got 31 dots on the map even though I combined a lot of sights that were close to each other. And I did not include places I just stopped for gas. I think this makes for a good summary.


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More to Come!

Even though I am leaving New Zealand, I still have more posts and improvements for the website, so don't delete that link!

Rangitoto

One last day in Auckland, so I went out to Rangitoto in the Hauraki Gulf. It's fiery birth was actually witnessed since it is only 600 years old. The landscape is mostly blasted scoria and the vegetation is just starting to take hold. From the top, you have good views of the Gulf and there are a couple sandy beaches among all the rock.

One interesting feature of the island is the baches (pronounced batches, short for bachelor pads) which are little vacation homes on the island. The site is a nature reserve and so no private property or homes are allowed. Nonetheless, camping was allowed for many years. Each year the campers would get a little more comfortable and civilized, until there was a town on the island with street lights and everything. The government finally stepped in and stopped all construction. In a compromise, bach owners can stay, but cannot bequeath their houses. Only a few remain and the rest of the land has gone back to the nature reserve.

Wingspan in Rotorua

Before one last trip to Auckland I stopped back at Wingspan to say bye to the falcons and Debbie and Noel. They were extra supportive and nice from the first day I got there, and they run a good raptor recovery program too. But Air New Zealand calls.

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The End is Near!

I can't believe I am winding up my trip! I was worried that I might get tired of traveling, but I'm not ready to leave. I have completely skipped over huge sections of New Zealand even though I have been traveling for months now. If you visit New Zealand, or any country really, I recommend you take your time. Not everyone has months to spare, but I think you gain less from a whirlwind tour. The times that I took a tourist bus that raced around to different sites don't stick with me as well. I found that when I posted about those days it was harder to remember what I had seen, or what the names were, or how places were connected. If you only have two weeks, I think it is better to just visit Fiordland thoroughly, or really explore Northland, and not go crazy trying to see anything. Anyway, that's my take. Or if you can afford it.

Hahei

From Whitianga, I headed down to Hahei, which is smaller and closer to Cathedral Cove. Of course, I headed back to the beach again. This time I reached Cathedral Cove by foot. It is a major tourist spot, but it was late in the season and late in the day, so I ended up getting the whole place to myself. One idyllic feature is that the adjacent Mare's Leg Cove has a natural shower. A tiny stream pours over a cliff just up from the water. After you swim, you can wash the salt off here. On the same walk I stopped at Gemstone Bay at twilight and watched cliff swallows hawking for insects above the water. There were a lot of them and it was a good end to the day.

Here is me at Cathedral Cove, and a high-angle view of another beach, a little farther north. Imagine all those trees covered with red flowers in December. I think Hahei might be a cozier place than Whitianga, but I wasn't really there long enough to say for sure. Fewer grocery options though.




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Whitianga

From Thames, I went to Whitianga on the east coast of Coromandel, which is known for its beaches, and for good reason. The weather is still summer-y here, even though it is mid autumn. The coast is soft limestone, with outcroppings of hard igneous rock from past volcanoes. The soft stone weathers quickly, leaving behind soft, sandy beaches that are divided up by curtains of volcanic rock. You can see the craggy, yet welcoming beaches this forms. The tree are pohutukawa, which bloom bright red in December. It must be an amazing sight.


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Cathedral Cove

I took a boat tour from Whitianga and got my first sight of Cathedral Cove, named for pretty obvious reasons. This is one of the top tourist draws in the area and the little cove features a number of funny rock shapes. Looking out to sea, dollops of volcanic rock protrude above the water, providing spots for cormorants to dry off without being molested.







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Fishing off Whitianga

The boat trip out here led to more fishing. Mostly snapper and then one of these thingies pictured with Captain Bob.

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Kayaking in Coromandel

The next day I came back with a kayak and visited a lot of the same spots. A lot slower, and I covered less ground, but you can enjoy the quiet and marvel at the clear waters more fully. Unfortunately, the weather turned sour while I was pretty far from my ending point. The wind whipped up until the water was white-tipped and was coming into my kayak. It was rather stressful trying to make it back, and of course it was a headwind. At times I was paddling fiercely and only maintaining my position. That part was not fun at all.

That's Shakespeare's cliff in the background, where Captain Cook came to make celestial observations, which was the official reason for his exploration of New Zealand and circumnavigation of the globe.

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Sunset

Here is a fantastic sunset from Whitianga. Aren't you jealous?

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Colors of Coromandel

You just would not believe how many photos I took in Whitianga.

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Kauaeranga

From Leigh I went through Auckland yet again and then to Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula. The main thing to do out here is to hike the Kauaeranga Valley up to the Pinnacles, which I did. This area was completely denuded 100 years ago, so the flora and fauna are not that great. The main attractions are some volcanic formations, a very tall waterfall, and some good views. You can see most of the Peninsula from the peak. Plus, it is just a pretty good walk. There is just not as much hiking available in Northland, unless you are carrying a tent.



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Goat Island

After the Bay of Islands, I visited the tiny town of Leigh, which is by the Goat Island Marine Reserve. I went snorkeling here and got to see a good variety of fish It is much better than Whangaroa or Pahia for seeing sea life. The Reserve looks a little small, but it is much bigger than I can swim. Unfortunately I got too cold after 45 minutes and had to quit. This is the only picture I took since my camera is not waterproof.

Before I went snorkeling, I stopped at the restaurant next to the hostel and asked about where to rent snorkeling gear. One waiter (who I had never met before) said I should just take her gear instead, and another waiter (who I had never met before) said he could drive me out to the Reserve, which is a couple miles away. Not only was it really friendly and generous of strangers, but I didn't even ask. They just offered. I got a similar reception a lot of places I went. Cheers mates!

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The Bay of Islands

After leaving Whangaroa, I headed down to the Bay of Islands, which is the birthplace of modern New Zealand. The main town is Pahia, which sits on the edge of a bay holding 144 little islands. The town is a bit too touristy for my taste, but the tourists come here because it is really nice. The weather, like in the rest of Northland, is gracious, and the many islands have bountiful little soft sandy beaches and rocky outcrops that make for good snorkeling and fishing. I took a cruise where I got to spend a little time hiking on the islands and enjoying the beaches. You can see how clear the water is here, just like the rest of NZ.


The obligatory stop is at the Hole in the Rock, which is a, er, hole in the rock. It is at the southern tip of the bay, and it is kind of impressive, but there is not really much to do once you are there. The guide on the boat said that Maori warriors used to paddle through the hole as a ritual before battles. He also pointed out that the nearby rocks all had large populations of seabirds (and poop) covering them, while this rock didn't have any. Doo-doo-doo-doo (Twilight Zone theme).



The Bay is also a good spot to see dolphins (although not as good as Kaikoura) and we saw dolphins during the cruise as well. I tried to swim with them, but they weren't interested. Nonetheless, I got a really good picture from the boat. I took about 200 and this is the one that came out. Not bad, eh?

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Dolphin

Really, this pic is good enough to go up here twice.

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The Origin of New Zealand

One reason I call the Bay of Islands the birthplace of New Zealand is that the tiny town of Russell also sits on the bay. It may not look it, but it was the first capital of New Zealand and it also has the oldest church in NZ. The church is just a small white wooden building and I think it was built in 1836ish.



The other tiny town on the bay is Waitangi, which is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. This was the document that gave England sovereignty over NZ and gave (in theory) the Queen's protection to the Maori. The treaty was signed on the beach here, and now there are some relevant buildings and monuments to mark the occasion.
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Cavalli Island

From Kahoe, I took a cruise on the Snow Cloud with two guys from the hostel. We sailed through Whangaroa harbor and out to Cavalli Island, which is a nature reserve and makes for a perfect tropical getaway. Even though it was such a great spot, we were the only three people on the island, which was nice. It is nothing like Pahia and the Bay of Islands, where everyone else goes. On the way out, we saw a number of the strange little rocky islands that volcanoes have formed. We also passed by the resting place of the Rainbow Warrior. The Greenpeace vessel was protesting French nuclear testing (they were testing above-ground long after everyone else stopped) and so the French sent agents to blow up the Rainbow Warrior (interesting link) which they did, killing one person in the process. The boat was sunk further south on the coast, but the government raised it, towed up here, and sunk it again to make a reef for scuba divers.

Cavalli Island itself is edged with white sand beaches that have been divided into little personal-sized bays by the rocky outcrops. The rest of the island is covered with trees and long grasses since it is a preserve. I hiked up the first hill for some great views and also walked along the beach. From the top of the hill I saw a stingray in the next inlet. It was also warm enough to go snorkling in the water and there were a good number of fish in the kelp beds. In the rocks in the center of this photo I saw some cool chitons that had a snakeskin kind of pattern, as well as some big snails. This photo shows one of the bigger beaches and you can see how nice it is.


After all of that, the other guys wanted to go fishing, so we spent an hour doing just that. Here is Captain Chris with a red snapper, which ended up as dinner. We finally made it back to the dock about 11 hours after we started.

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Kahoe

On the way back south after Cape Reinga, I hopped off the bus in little Kahoe, by Whangaroa Harbor, while the rest of the tourists dutifully rode back to Pahia. It turned out to be one of the nicest stops of the trip. Kahoe Farms is a very comfortable little hostel. It was a small group of guests and everyone was really able to make friends. Without exception, everyone there stayed longer than intended. One couple planned to spend two or three days of their four week trip in Kahoe and they ended up staying two weeks. My one day stopover easily morphed into three. Stephano, the host/chef is really personable and he organized pickup soccer games as well as drama filled livestock races. He had a small pack of kune kune pigs, which are an interesting story in themselves.

The area, like so many in NZ, has some unusual volcanic formations and some nice hikes leading to them. One of the absolute highlights, though, is the walk to the rock pools. I followed a small trickle of a stream (crystal clear, natch) into a valley where the water dropped into three consecutive pools. You can only see part of two in the photo, but they made the most amazing natural swimming pools. The water is clear and fresh and the pools are so deep, I couldn't find the bottom. I could safely dive in and swim short laps in these possibly bottomless pools.


Another great activity in Kahoe is kayaking. There is the beautiful Whangaroa Harbor with its tiny entrance, volcanic formations, and clear water, but I opted for the mangrove kayaking. I went the other direction, away from the ocean, and found a huge swath of mangrove trees to explore. Quietly snaking through these high-tide routes was really great and I got a good look at several kingfishers. Then, as the tide turned, I just drifted and let the retreating ocean bring me back out.

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Tiritiri Matangi

Tiritiri Matangi is an island that is an hour ferry ride from Auckland, and one of the best bird sanctuaries here. I've mentioned before that the dominant threat to NZ species is introduced predators and it is only feasible to eradicate them on islands. There is too much land on the mainland to find them all and if you miss even a few, they multiply. In two years, a pair of rats can turn into 10,000 rats if not controlled. On Rangitoto, another small island, it took 10
years to kill 25,000 animals to make it predator free.

Once all predators were eradicated from Tiritiri Matangi, they set about introducing their rarest birds into this safe haven. With no predators, the birds have thrived. The bird life here is much denser, more varied, and features rare species, so I got to see some great birds. Furthermore, as I have mentioned, the birds are not afraid of people, so it takes no skill or patience to get close to them.

The North Island Saddleback, pictured here, was reduced to a tiny population on one very small offshore island, but now they are thick on Tiritiri and I was able to see several.



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Tiri Takehe

The takehe is one of the rarest birds in the world. They were not spotted for 60 years and were thought to be extinct, until a small group was found in a remote part of Fiordland. Today, there are only about 250 in the whole world, and I saw six in a few hours on Tiritiri Matangi. They seem like sort of a slow-witted blue chicken.



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Tiri Stitchbird

Some of the best spots on Tiritiri Matangi are at the bird baths. Here are two tui surrounding a stitchbird. The tui is not that rare, but this picture is good because you can see the poofy white feathers on the neck that gave them the name "parson bird". The tui is an entertainer because their calls sound like something from a computer game, with lots of clicking and whirring.

The stitchbird, on the other hand, is extremely rare. Even 100 years ago, they were reduced to a remnant population on one small island near Auckland. It is a nectar feeder, like its cousin, the tui. It is also has a loud and complicated song, which it employs a lot. At the baths on Tiri there were heaps of these birds which are found no where on the mainland.



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