NZ First Day of Kauri Trip, North Island (Tuesday, February 23)

After packing up this morning, Diana and I went to a smoothie place where I got a breakfast smoothie, then it was back to the hotel to get the last of my things together and head for the lobby. There were already some folks with backpacks and such there, and just a bit of conversation revealed that they were there for the Active Adventures trip, too.

Our guide (Liona, apologies about spelling, which I’ll have to check later), arrived shortly. Then, with bags all stowed in the bus, Diana and I said our last good-byes. Diana’s flight wasn’t until 7:30 PM, so she had time to do some more looking around and shopping, and get to the airport, while I started this new adventure.

Turns out there are only seven of us on this trip, so we have only one guide. Also, I’m the only one doing only the one week; everyone else is doing the full two weeks. Since I’m with three couples who are all sharing rooms, I’m getting a room of my own each night. No nightly sharing about the day, but no having to get used to a new rommie either. 🙂

Today was mostly a travel day as we drove several hours from Auckland up the west coast of the North Island, with a stop for lunch. When we were almost at our destination for the night, we stopped at an observation tower. this was a high point where we could see over the Waipoua rain forest, and it’s where the first picture is from. Here is, unusually, a stand-alone Kauri tree. Liona advised that this was the best place to get a good overall picture of this magnificent tree, so we all did! I also got a picture of our bus for this trip, named Ed (after Sir Edmund Hillary).

Next picture is of the area where we’re spending the night and will do some playing on the sand dunes tomorrow–Hokianga Harbor. I was expecting that the landscape wouldn’t be as beautiful here on the North Island as on the South, as several people had told me it was “flatter” and not so dramatic. Maybe, but from what I’ve seen today, it’s plenty beautiful–and warmer since it’s further north. I might actually get a chance to wear some of those short-sleeve T-shirts I brought!

We had some time before dinner, so I got a few shots from the grounds of the hotel, which is right on the shore. Kids were playing in the water, which was cool to see. The water temperature is pretty chilly, so no one seems to stay in long. And see the fish in the bench? I’m not sure if that was a find as-is or if the shape had a little help, but it was great that someone thought to turn it to a useful purpose as a bench.

After a yummy dinner, we joined some other folks and headed out for the evening activity, a trip into the rain forest to learn more about the Kauri tree and see some magnificent examples. Our guide was Merepaea with a company called Footprints, Waipoua. She did a great job explaining the life cycle of the tree as well as sharing her knowledge of and appreciation of this tree that is unique to New Zealand.

The pictures of the trees can’t do them justice. The ones I’ve selected here show trees that are hundreds of years old. They’re cool because they shed their branches as they grow, which is why they’re so smooth–though you can see where the branches were.

The group of trees together is known as the Four Sisters. This is a most unusual formation as the trees don’t ordinarily grow close together. This group was from the same seed pod, so they have the same DNA. You can see that they grow branches away from each other, so each gives the others space. At the roots, they’re intertwined and are supporting each other. Very cool.

Next stop, Te Matua Ngahere, the second largest Kauri tree in New Zealand. It’s impossible to grasp this imposing and impressive presence. It comprises a whole ecosystem in itself, with other trees growing from its canopy (not visible in the picture).

The last stop of the night was to see Tane Mahuta, the “Lord of the Forest.” No pictures from here as there was no light left, but this 3,000 year old tree was a presence we appreciated in silence for some time. Can you imagine what history it’s lived through? Amazing.

With the tour complete, we were dropped back at the hotel where we had our dessert: chocolate sundaes! Nice end to a long day.

Tomorrow, sand dunes!