Northland, NZ, and homeward bound

It's difficult to believe that the trip that started last year is now in its fourth calendar month and about to end. It has truly been an enchanted couple of months and we've already got a "to do" list for next time.  I can't wax nostalgic forever, so I'll get to finishing the last post in this travelogue.
Upon heading north from Snells Beach, we soon entered the region called "Northland" at the tip of the peninsula north of Auckland.  Although never far from the sea, we caught only fleeting glimpses now and then when the road was at higher elevations.  We stopped in Whangarei at the information office where, in addition to a week's worth of suggestions, they provided us with a booking for lodging in the Paihia area (Bay of Islands, which really is gorgeous, but no time for water activities).  (More on our room later)  On the way north, we made a brief stop  in Kawakawa to see, if not the most stylish, then one of the most stylish public toilets in the world.  It is the first building in the Southern Hemisphere designed by the architect Fredrick Hundertwasser.  When we were there, there was an entire bus of German tourists swarming the place, including the women marching right into the men's room to observe.

Exterior of the Hundertasser public toilet in Kawakawa. 

Entry to the men's room side.

Interior shot of the ceramic tile walls.  The entire interior was done like this.

We arrived in Paihia just before noon and went straightaway to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds complex.  It is the location where the treaty between the British and the Maori was originally signed in 1840 and is considered as the birth of the nation of New Zealand.  With a formal treaty outlining the rights and duties of each group, the Maori have probably fared better than most other indigenous groups who were colonized by Europeans, although it was not all roses.  The museum at the site documents the events leading up to the original treaty as well as enforcement (or lack thereof) over the years as well as more recent laws that have reinforced a commitment to at least some of the treaty.  While NZ is not without racial issues, it seems to be far ahead of much of the world.  This history, like any, is too complex to summarize well in a few sentences, so I'll leave it to you to follow my link to the Treaty Grounds web site or do some Googling on your own--for North American readers, it is definitely something you did NOT learn much about in school.  In addition to the museum, there was the house where the treaty was signed, a newer Maori meeting house and a large Maori war canoe on the grounds.  In all, we stayed almost six hours and also experienced a Maori singing/dancing presentation and a tour of the grounds from a Maori perspective.  For me, this is one of those "must see" spots.

The flag pole at the treaty grounds.  Three flags fly:  NZ at the top, independent Maori NZ (for about 5 years in the 1840's) and the Union Jack.

The house of the British representative in NZ and where the treaty was drafted.

Facing the house above and also adjacent to the treaty grounds is a more recently constructed ceremonial, carved meeting house.

Maori dance demonstration inside the meeting house.

With some of the dancers after the presentation.

Ngatokimatawhaorua, a large ceremonial war canoe.  It is constructed from the trunks of three Kauri trees coupled together.  It holds 120 people (80 paddlers) and is actually sailed on special occasions.  It is mounted on dollies and there are tracks down to the bay for launching.

Our lodging was about a half hour away from Paihia near Kerikeri at Aroha Island Eco Centre.  It's far off the beaten path and run by a non-profit conservation organization that also offers camping sites.  It's not truly on an island as a road traverses a narrow neck of land between the mainland and the island.  All along that road are traps with poison targeting small, invasive mammals such as possums and rats.  Originally, NZ was a bird-based ecosystem with no mammals and few predators, so many of the birds are/were flightless.  With Europeans, however, came invaders and the island is trying to protect the Kiwi population by keeping the small mammals off the island.  Oh...and the room was also quite comfortable.  There are only 3 cottages for rental, but if available, it's a nice spot to escape the rat race.  We made a brief attempt after dark to stand quietly in the woods and see an elusive kiwi.  The kiwi search wasn't successful, but the sky was beautiful and moonless--I can't remember when I've seen the Milky Way so vividly.
We headed mostly west and a bit north in the morning with the goal of visiting the Gumdiggers Park, but along the way decided to make a short side trip to visit one of the NZ Frenzy suggestions--St. Pauls Rock, located in the small, sea-side town of Whangaroa.  After a bit of confusion (the guidebook's directions were a bit faulty), we arrived and made the 600 walk up to the top.  While 600 m is not such a long distance, there was also an elevation change of 150 m, so it was not a piece of cake.  The final ascent required the use of some permanently attached chains.  As with all pinnacles, the view from the top is superb, but the view of marina, sailboats and mountain peaks is particularly  pleasing.

St. Pauls Rock in Whangaroa.  The climb from the car park is about 300 m of elevation in 1600 m of walking.

Susan on the grass approach before the rock climbing.

Susan and me at the top of St. Pauls Rock.

We continued on and arrived at the Gumdiggers Park, just north of Waipapakauri, shortly before noon.  We had a picnic in the park before starting our walkabout.  The woman at the ticket counter said the average time to go through is about 45 minutes, but we spent almost three hours completely fascinated.  So this park needs a bit of explanation:  The Kauri is an ancient and very large tree native to New Zealand.  (it is believed that some earlier trees were the largest trees on earth in terms of biomass per tree--bigger than the Sequoias.)  There are still some Kauri forests, but they have largely been eliminated since European settlement.  The tree secretes a resin, or gum, that was at one time an important ingredient in varnishes and wood finishes.  To obtain the gum, it was first gathered off the ground near the living trees or off the ground where ancient trees had grown.  The ancient gum was semi-petrified and is sometimes referred to as New Zealand amber.  When surface gum became scarce, they began to "mine" ancient, buried gum, which is what occurred at this site.  In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, men would dig into the peat to recover the gum for export.  This site was never reclaimed or re-converted to agriculture, so it still includes many gum holes.  In addition to the gum holes, there are numerous displays and a video about gum digging, the Kauri trees and why they might have disappeared at this site, info about other flora and fauna in the area and most remarkable, an unearthed Kouri log that has been dated to 100-150 thousand years ago--it is the oldest non-petrified wood every found.  In fact, this old Kauri wood is still extracted and used for turning, wood working and crafts.  Another great spot to visit and for this one, we have Erin and Wm to thank.  I should also mention that this park is completely privately run and is among the better-documented and better-signed places we've been, so I think they are quite passionate about the endeavor.

Wesley and Susan at an unburied Kauri log dated between 100,000 and 150,000 years old.  It was preserved in the acidic bog environment and is not petrified.

Susan with some of the gum diggers tools.

The only very young Kauri tree we saw on the trip.  This one was planted at the park about 20 years ago.

Sending greetings to William and Erin from a bench carved from a single dug-out Kauri log.

In one of the holes from gum digging days.  The holes now are typically two meters deep or so, but may originally have been much deeper (if water removal could be successfully accomplished).

Susan looking down into an excavation of a Kauri stump.

Susan with a background of Manuka trees, the source for a particular medicinal honey she recommends.

The next day we wanted to visit a living Kauri forest to the south so needed to make some headway.  We drove about 3.5 hours, though not so many km as the roads were very curvy and we also had to wait about 45 minutes for a ferry crossing at Rawene (apparently the 3rd oldest European settlement in NZ according to the bulletin board at the fish and chips shop).  As it was getting late and we were ready to stop, we took a cabin at a caravan park (RV park) in Rawene.  The only problem was that we forgot to ask if linen was included, so all we had were bottom sheets and no towels.  (Except I had a backpacking towel that Susan ridiculed me for bringing, so my shower went pretty smoothly :-).)  Fortunately the weather was rather mild and the lack of cover was only a bit uncomfortable.  However, Susan, felon that she is, went into the neighboring cabin (a deluxe unit that was not locked) and borrowed a blanket for the night, so we managed a relatively comfortable night.  On the plus side, we had a beautiful sunset with a crescent moon, Venus and the mountains silhouetted against an orange sky.  Also, they had laundry facilities, so we should now be good to home.  Hard to believe, but only one more full day here and next week at this time, we'll have been home for two days.  (I'm sure it will be spring by then!)

Susan on the Hokianga ferry.

We left Rawene and approximately followed the Hokianga inlet to the Tasman Sea.  (The same body of water we crossed the day before on the ferry.)  We stopped for a brief walk out to the signal point with a great, sun-rise view of Hokianga Harbor to the east and the coastline to the west, then headed south to one of our two main goals for the day.

View to the north across the inlet to Hokianga harbor.

View looking south from the same location with the Tasman Sea.

After seeing ancient, preserved Kauri trees the day  before, today was the day to see the real McCoy, so this called for several stops at Waipoua Forest Reserve.  The walks from the car park ranged from five to perhaps thirty minutes each way.  The first stop was to see Tane Mahuta, the largest know living Kauri.  On other walks we saw other top ten trees as well as groves and groupings of the trees.  Unlike the redwoods or sequoias, the Kauri are interspersed among many other types of trees, tree ferns, etc., and are not a complete grove of strictly Kauris.  Another facet of the visit was that we had to brush and sanitize our shoes going into and coming out of each forest track.  There is  fungus that is killing some of the Kauris and they are trying to stop the advance.  In addition, several tracks were closed completely to visitors due to the infection.

Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest), the largest known standing Kauri.  Like redwoods or Sequoias, it is difficult to capture an entire tree with one shot!  Note how the trunk does not taper, so the amount of usable lumber per tree is quite large.

A upward view of a Kauri tree.

Susan at the base of a Kauri tree.  This is a typical tree, not one of the giants.

Our last major goal for the trip was to see glow worms, so Susan picked out the Waipu Cave from the NZ Frenzy guide book which was free to enter, but would require some wading in muddy water.  In addition, the book said that this cave leaned towards the obscure rather than popular.  The cave was, indeed, a fantastic experience.  The glow worms (actually fly larvae) on the cave ceiling looked something like the night sky (although not quite like the dark skies we've been experiencing here).  Unfortunately, capturing the effect with a camera proved futile.  Suffice it to say the experience was worth it to wade around in muddy water in a dark cave--which is saying a lot for me.  The one negative is that it did not turn out to be quite as obscure as we had hoped.  After an initial five or ten minutes alone enjoying the spectacle, we were "invaded" by a series of visitors, at least one of whom seemed seemed to continually have a flashlight lit.

Susan at the cave entrance.

The cave itself had some attractive formations, but the glow worms were the prime attraction.

This is a time exposure from the internet and is a good indication of what we saw.  My attempts at photos only show a few of the points of light.

Also from the internet, this is a close-up of the worms (larvae) with the fibers hanging.

From Waipu, we headed back to our previous lodging in Snells Beach to pack and prepare for the flight home.  The flight is not until evening, so we may find something to do tomorrow, but it will be an unrushed day (barring disaster on the drive to Auckland!).
Last day in New Zealand and it dawns mostly clear with some scattered clouds.  We have had remarkable weather throughout our trip with only three days that were affected at all by rain (and nothing serious) and a few beastly hot days in Oz (though not unexpected).  We had nothing specific planned for the day, but since flights were not until 7:30 or later and the car didn't need to be back until 5:00, we decided to backtrack north and visit the Kauri Museum at ##.  This gave us one last chance to drive through the New Zealand country side.  One thing that I've noticed particularly in NZ is that they love to plant things in rows to form hedges or wind breaks:  bamboo, flowering shrubs, conifers, broad-leafed trees, Toetoe (a native that looks like Pampas grass, New Zealand flax (looks like agave or yucca).  Many are completely solid and they are often trimmed to an even, planer surface--some were trimmed as high as five or six meters.  This is perhaps a vestige of the cultural connection to England?
It turns out the museum was an excellent choice as it added to our overall knowledge of the Kauri tree, but it also housed exhibits about the history and development of the area, which included some interesting artifacts.  The museum had a fabulous display of decorative gum.  It looks a bit like amber but is available in much larger pieces so that artistic possibilities are much wider.  There were also many examples of beautiful furniture and household/industrial items made of Kauri wood.  Finally, there were many examples of equipment used in the Kauri industry (logging as well as gum digging) over the years, with many connected to the local people who earned their livings from the Kauri.  One particularly interesting item was a piece of Kauri wood that was recovered from a coal mine in Australia that is dated at about 30 million years, but it has not been petrified so is still wood.  (Note:  there is some possibility that the wood is not Kauri but a close relative;  however the best theory at present is Kauri.)

Clock and kiwi carved from Kauri gum.

A part of the gum collection on display.  All the gum is in a fire-proof vault in the basement of the museum.

A sample of some of the Kauri furniture on display.

A board-room table made from a single slap of Kauri.  It was made for a brewery, but more recently was used in a government office before being given to the museum.

A butter churn made of Kauri.

One of the exhibits about lumbering the Kauri.  On steep slopes where oxen couldn't go, they built dams like this to hold back water.  When a number of trees were ready to transport, the gate at the bottom was suddenly opened, carrying the logs downhill in the temporary flood.

Multiple slabs from a single tree pieced together to show the scale of the trunk.

Susan with a graphic showing the diameter of several large Kauris.  Tane Mahuta, the largest living tree, is the ring above her head.  The larger rings represent trees that no longer exist.

We then had an uneventful drive back through Auckland to the airport, got the car turned in and were checked in and at the waiting area by shortly after 5:00.
For anyone still reading after suffering through all of these posts, I can't recommend more highly planning a trip to Australia, New Zealand or both while you're in the neighborhood.  For Australia, recognize the size when you plan--distances are often very far between attractions.  For New Zealand, distances are not so great, but roads are slower and there are also many attractions closer together, so it takes longer to cover a given area in NZ than in Australia.  For both, don't be afraid of leaving the paved roads (although beware of going on four-wheel-drive tracks in a regular car) and give yourself as much time as possible--there are absolutely no worries of running out of things to do.  Since our only other stop going home is Las Vegas (and what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas), this will be the final post.  I hope I was able to convey at least a fraction of the wonder we experienced on this trip.

Brief epilogue:  We made it to Vegas ok, but had a bit of a struggle getting through US Customs.  We were in line about 1 hour 10 minutes, I think because we checked that we had some food with us--a small jar of Manuka honey.  When we finally got to the window, we were waved through immediately.  This was about 50 minutes longer that the combined  times of passing through Australia and New Zealand (twice) custom, even with our endangered species issue.  Perhaps this was because over half of the inspection stations were not staffed.

Central North Island New Zealand

We had all showered on Friday evening to remove the minerals from Kerosene Creek, but Susan and Wesley wanted to get our money's worth from our luxury digs, so they went at 7 am to the Spa Park hot springs right in Taupo and took a second shower to remove the new mineral deposits.  The spring is in a city park, so no entrance fee.  We were hoping for a nice sunrise, but it was quite foggy/cloudy (although it cleared nicely as the day progressed).  The spring is up the hill from the banks of the Waikato River, but is too hot to get into if you go too far up stream.  The last pool before the river was the one used and the river itself is warmed considerably near the shore.

Susan and Wesley in the Spa Park hot springs.

Where the hot springs enters the Waikato River.  The water is warm to tepid to cool as you go farther out into the river.

After the showers, we backtracked a bit to first visit Huka Falls.  It's more of a cascade than a true falls, but is quite impressive nonetheless.  The Waikato River narrows from about 50 m wide to only 15 m for this short segment, so the water velocity is quite high.  A really good kayaker might be able to negotiate this section, but it would certainly be  a challenge. This is one of the "must sees" for every foreign tourist on a commercial tour, so we got to share this spot with several tour buses full of our contemporaries (i.e., old  people).

Huka Falls looking downstream from the bridge.

Susan at the downstream end of the falls.

We next went a bit farther back toward Rotorua to see the Craters of the Moon.  This is a large thermal field with multiple vents, mud pools, craters, etc., that gives an other-worldly vibe  It's interesting that this thermal area only became active and started to expand after the first geothermal power plant was opening in 1958.  The two immediately noticeable results of this power plant were 1)  the extinguishing of nearby geyser activity (for example, a place previously called Geyser Valley had to be renamed to Thermal Valley) and 2) an increase of vents and other thermal activity at Craters of the Moon and other locations.  We spent about an hour and a half wandering about in what would appear to be the smoldering remains of a grass or forest fire, but was, in fact, simply steam venting.

A steaming vent at Craters of the Moon.  Photos were sometimes difficult because visibility was low.

General view showing the smoldering-fire effect and indicating the scale of the place.

We then headed into town to meet Wesley's friends Anne and Mike Godfrey for lunch.  We had some time before our scheduled meet, so Susan and I wandered through a farmer's/arts/crafts market.  We bought a turned honey dipper from a guy who unsolicited told us to go home and do something about our president (a not uncommon reaction when meeting folks here).  Anyway, we had a very pleasant lunch with a view out over Lake Taupo, watching paragliders, sea planes and water skiers pass by.  I haven't mentioned the lake because we didn't really interact with it at a personal level, but it is a beautiful setting with vivid blue water surrounded by volcanic peaks with some high enough to have snow at the top.

Lake Taupo from our lunch spot showing a parasail and the snow-topped  mountains in the background.

Susan by Lake Taupo after leaving the tourist mayhem in the city of Taupo.

After lunch we headed west to the other end of the lake (about 40 km) and stopped at Tokaanu Thermal Pools.  The pools themselves were not remarkable after others we have seen, but on is hot enough to cook with and Susan wanted to try it out by boiling and egg suspended in the pool in a sock.  She held it there for 12 minutes and claims that the egg was perfect.  While on her hands and knees holding her sock, a high school group came by, became captivated and waited until the egg was done before they left.  (I suspect they stayed longer than was scheduled for the stop, but at least they saw a crazy Yank boil and egg!)

Susan hanging her sock with egg in the hot pool.

Successfully opening and eating her finished egg--cooked "perfectly" according to her.

At this point, we saw a motel with a vacancy across the street and took a room there for the night instead of  proceeding a bit farther as planned.  This opened up the possibility of visiting Tongariro National Park, about 40 km south and having a confirmed room waiting for us if we got back late.  The approach to the park was not so impressive as it was rather flat though lava flows and fields of rubble, but in the distance were several higher peaks, including the snow-topped mountain we saw from Taupo, Mt. Ruapehu. We turned off the highway to  Whakapapa Village, at the base of the mountain (elev ~1000 m).  It is a somewhat typical ski village with a large hotel and several other lodging options.  However, it is still 6 km from the ski lifts, so we drove on up to take a look.  At the base of the Whakapapa ski field, we were at about 2000 m, and took a short walk to a nearby ridge.  From there we could see Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings Mordor movie) and the locale of some of the shooting for the movie.  The slopes at this point (and up as far as we could see) were extremely rough and rocky--they really need a deep base to ensure that skis don't scrape on  rocks.  On the way back down, we got a meal at Whakapapa Village and then took a couple of short walks on the way out of the park.

Chateau Tongariro Hotel with Mt. Ruapehu.

At the ski area showing how rugged the terrain is.  They were running the lift for hikers to get to higher elevations.

From the ski area looking across the "Mt. Doom."

Tawhai Falls, a short walk we took on the way  out of the park.

Another walk we took on the way out was an overlook of several mounds creeated by a rubble sllide about 12000 years ago.

The motel we chose, due to it's location near the springs, offered bath house with heated mineral and clear water, so Susan and I were able to have one last soak before we head north tomorrow and leave the thermal area of the island.  Hopefully this mineral water has cured whatever ails me--but I'm sure my memory is too much to hope for!
On the road the next morning we headed west to Taumarunui then turned northward towards someplace north of Auckland.  This was a day to make mileage (or  kilometerage?  Metrification doesn't seem to work well here!), but there were a couple of stops we managed along the way, both of them cost-free to help out the budget.
The first was at Omaru Falls, about 50 km north of Taumarunui.  At the end of a 1.8 km track was a beautiful, 40-m high waterfall--probably the highest we've seen on the trip (at least the highest with water flowing!).  What I enjoyed most about this stop, however, was the walk to get there--it was very surprising.  It started with crossing a couple of fences with styles, then walking along a very sedate, somewhat muddy creek that appeared to be barely flowing between the sheep pastures.  After a short time, we plunged into a rain forest environment with cool shade and lots of birds (but the sound of baaing sheep stayed in the background).  In a bit, the creek started to gurgle and show signs of life, then at about 1 km, there was a sharp turn and we were crossing the creek (now probably 12-15 m wide) on a swinging cable bridge.  After crossing, we were back beside pastures for a while when a real (though small), 1-m waterfall appeared.  A bit farther, we could see the creek disappear over a precipice ahead, although to this point there was no hint of anything more than a slight drop and the entire track was very flat.  In another 200 m, with a view of the creek hidden by vegetation, we suddenly are at the view point and can see the full 40 m of the falls dropping into a narrow canyon.

Crossing the fence on a style on the way to Omaru Falls.

Susan on the swinging bridge over the creek.

Arrival near the falls.

Susan at the viewpoint of the falls.

Our other stop was at the Ruakuri Tunnels track at Waitoma, near Te Kuiti.  Waitoma is another of those very commercial spots with cave tours of various kinds, tubing, rafting, etc.  We drove past all of that to the public reserve and walked about an hour through a fascinating landscape of caves, underground rivers, natural tunnels and (if we'd been there after dark) glowworms.  In addition, it was in a very lush forest in a narrow canyon with nearly vertical walls.

We then made a beeline north, but got snarled in some traffic (reinforcing our first impression of NZ traffic being worse than Australia--although to be fair, we did avoid driving in cities to a large extent).  Another observation that become obvious as we drove is that New Zealand has incredible diversity (landscape, geology, flora, etc.) within very small areas--within a 50-km radius, you can see English countryside, Alpine pastures, above-the-tree-line volcanoes, commercial logging operations, pristine lakes, steaming springs, ...  I can't imagine anyplace with more variety closer together.  The traffic, of course, delayed our arrival into Warkworth, our ultimate goal for the day, until almost 6 pm.  The information office, of course, was closed, but worse, had no practical info posted (such as  a town map).  We managed to find the listing for one motel and knew about where it was, but missed it as we drove past.  After that, we made a wrong turn heading out of town towards the coast.  For about 4 km, the traffic against us (heading back to Warkworth) was bumper-to-bumper/stop-and-go and since we couldn't turn around (and didn't really want to), we went farther on till the traffic lightened.  Nearing the town of Snells Beach, we saw a sign advertising a vacancy and turned in.  It turns out it was not a motel, but simply a couple with a room to rent out.  It is in a steel, garage-type building, not looking like much from the outside, but very nice inside, and situated in a beautiful garden with fruit trees and hundreds of Monarch butterflies.  (Not sure where the butterflies came from as they are North American, but they are definitely here.)  In fact, we not only decided to stay, we booked it for next Wed, the night before our flight home, so we can be within easy reach of the airport.

Twilight view from the deck of our room in Snells Beach.