Northland (New Zealand)

Northland (New Zealand)
Travel

I reached the camping ground at Paratai (near Helensville) to begin my exploration of Northland.
(I had survived driving through the traffic of Auckland, which had loomed like a dreadful obstacle to Northland in my mind!)
Paratai had a lovely peaceful camping ground with plenty of trees. I put up my tent amongst them and headed off for the free swim I was offered in the nearby pool, with its water heated by local naturally occurring hot springs.

Next day I explored all around the Kaipara Harbour, with its mangroves. I travelled down backroads and beach roads: the fingers of the harbour cover a huge area. In the "middle of nowhere", overlooking the harbour, I found the beautiful Minniesdale chapel. This was a chapel set up by Pakeha settlers.

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I was very surprised by the number of small churches I was to see in rural Northland, most of them associated with marae.

I also visited the kauri museum at Matakoe. This was an impressively set up museum, but I found myself feeling incredibly sad as I went through it. It told the story of how all the kauri trees had been logged in the area. There was a section set up with a "sawmill" that included many human models, all modelled on real people. Little notices said who they were and who they were descended from. There were also many exceedingly beautiful pieces of furniture in the museum. This museum had been set up by local people to convey their history, and it had been set up with a lot of energy and passion: yet I had this all pervading sense of sadness as I went through it. I mourned the loss of so many mighty kauri trees, some 2000 years old, all gone.

I had travelled a long way this day and stopped in Dargaville for the night. I had always imagined this town was somehow the "back of beyond" but I was surprised to find it was actually a vibrant and friendly place and I rather liked it! I had never heard of the huge "Northern Wairoa" river that flowed through it. Apparently it is navigable for many kilometres. The tide was coming in, and water was rushing upstream with incredible force.

The next treasure in store was the Hokianga area.
I first caught sight of Hokianga Harbour above Omapere, and it was a breathtaking sight, one of those views that has you getting out the camera and trying to take a line of shots to join into a panorama.
The sandbar of golden sand at the harbour entrance is contrasted against the blue sea, and the land stretches far inland around the water. Very beautiful. (Also very crowded just below in Omapere and Opononi in the summer holiday season!)

I carried on to reach Rawene where I took the car ferry across the harbour, and then spent time exploring the isolated rural roads down to Panguru.

I finally stopped for the night at Ahipara, and had my first walk along a part of the "Ninety Mile Beach", (which is actually more like 90 km). The beach just stretched on and on northwards, with flat "clean" sands as far as my eye could see this low tide.

Next morning I paid a visit to the West Coast coastline at Bayly's Beach, before heading off up to see some kauri forest.

First I walked through Trounson Kauri Park. Then I took the main "tourist" tracks through the Waipoua Forest.

The massive bulk of the kauri trunks stood against the sky and I stood in awe. Such huge trees that have grown here for so long.

When Taupo erupted, and the skies told those in the northern hemisphere of that catastrophic event, some of these kauri stood here.

More on the next page.
I go on a coach trip to Cape Reinga, explore the east coast where I had lived in 1980, visit Waitangi, and take a guided tour through Pompallier House in Russell.