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| Cape Palliser |
Returning to the North Island, and with few weeks until we leave New Zealand we looked to visit some of the places we had missed on our way south in the winter. We first headed to Cape Palliser on the southern tip of North Island, a beautiful spot with views across to the snow covered mountains of South Island. Here we were treated to the regular generosity of local New Zealanders.
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| Profusion of Spring Flowers |
First the local from the adjacent camper came over and chatted and in conversation asked whether we had tried Paua - a sea mollusc which is a delicacy of the local Maori. On hearing that we hadn't he slipped into the cold water of the Cook Strait and 20 minutes later presented us with a paua he had just prised off the rocks, having found a couple for himself as well. Having been given guidance on how to cook it we enjoyed it in a soup for lunch - similar chewiness to Calamari with a buttery smoothness. As paua are known as abalone elsewhere the shells are most attractive, with the ones from Cook Strait the most colourful. A little while later some locals we passing and came over to offer us fresh grapefruit they had picked from their garden, and then added some freshly caught fish as they had too many. A generosity we have been treated with again and again.
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| Pinnacles valley |
Nearby is the Pinnacles valley. Here water has eroded the soft rock leaving fantastic pinnacles on wither side of the valley where harder rock has protected the soft underlying rock from erosion. Standing below the pinnacles as the shadows lengthened you could hear the continuous "rain" of small stones being released from the sheer sides of the pinnacles caused by the temperature changes and the wind.
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| The unique white kiwi |
North from Cape Palliser we stopped at the Mount Bruce Kiwi breeding station, one of the several around the country where they take eggs from wild kiwi just before they are due to hatch, then rear them through to being young adults and large enough to see off most predators before releasing them into the wild. Kiwi are unusual in so many ways; the eggs are huge occupying some 30% of the female's body. Once laid the male incubates the egg until it hatches when the chick is left completely on its own to fend for itself with no parental support at all. On site they have a kiwi enclosure where the young birds are raised, but as they are nocturnal they have also created an indoor glass area where they artificially reverse the day so visitors can see them during visiting hours. Uniquely they have a white, but not albino, kiwi.
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| Tongariro Crossing |
With a week booked in an apartment near Lake Taupo we took relaxed in fairly unsettled weather and waited for a window of good weather so Ed could walk the Tongariro Crossing. This 19km walk crosses an area of volcanic activity (passing Mount Doom) through some extraordinary volcanic landscapes. The recent unsettled weather meant there was still a reasonable amount of snow on the tops, but the path was relatively clear. The path climbs through cold lava fields, the most recent from the 1970's, and crosses the base of a large volcanic crater before climbing a more recent ash cone with spectacular red crater. A short descent passes two beautiful green and blue crater lakes before climbing the other rim of the large crater followed by a long descent with stunning views over Lake Taupo. A beautiful walk.
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| Descent towards Lake Taupo |
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| Oraki Korako geyser field |
Our final visit in this area of volcanic activity was to the Oraki Korako geyser fields. The path leads through a valley where geysers and hot mineral springs are prevalent, resulting in large areas of the most colourful algae covered silica deposits. Bubbling pools, randomly erupting geysers and steam vents dot the barren base of the valley making for an otherworldly experience.
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| Art Deco in Napier |
A British couple we met live in Napier, in the heart of the wine area of Bay of Plenty, and explained its history and how it was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1931 which destroyed most of its buildings. The centre of the town are all Art Deco buildings constructed in 1932 and 1933, and led us to drive this section of the east coast giving us the opportunity to feed the stingray near Gisborne. At low tide each day stingray come into the shallow water and by donning waders it is possible to wade out with a guide to feed them.
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| Cooks Cove |
North of Gisborne is Cooks Cove where he landed for 6 days to replenish food and water and there is a beautiful walk over the hills to this secreted and sheltered place.
Having missed Tikitiki church on our way south we continued north to the Eastern Cape calling at the church en route. This was built in 1921as a memorial to the local mainly Maori soldiers killed during WW1. Although the outside of the building is relatively standard the inside is decorated in traditional Maori style with beautiful paua inlaid carved pews, and woven Maori coverings on the walls - very beautiful.
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| Tikitiki Church |
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| Waders at Miranda |
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| Flightless and rare Takahae |
During the last few days on the road we checked back into the waterbird reserve at Miranda and were rewarded with thousands of waders on the mud flats - quite a spectacle, and visited a peninsula north of Auckland where a predator proof fence across the neck of the peninsula has allowed endemic NZ birds to repopulate and we were fortunate to see wild rare flightless Takahe and the elusive saddleback - both very special.
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| Field of Remberance in Auckland |
Before our final farewell we spent a couple of days in Auckland while the van was being prepared for shipping and visited the very moving field of rememberance at the Centoaph - 18,000 white crosses planted in the grass below the monument, with special areas for families which had lost 2, 3 and in nine cases 4 sons in the war; quite extraordinary.
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| Auckland Skytower |
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| Auckland Sky Tower |
A final celebration of dinner in the revolving Sky Tower completed a memorable 4 months in new Zealand.
