The Exchange North Island

... im grossen Kauriwald, erreichten wir Tane Mahuta, den groessten Kauribaum Neuseelands (50m hoch, 16m breit, 2000 Jahre alt).

Tane ist der Gott des Waldes und des Lebens. Er ist der Sohn von Ranginui (Vater = Himmel) und Papatuanuku (Mutter = Erde). Zusammen hatten beide ca. 70 Kinder (Goetter), doch diese konnten sich nicht entfalten, da Vater und Mutter so eng aneinander "klebten". Tane hatte schliesslich die Idee, sich auf seine Mutter, die Erde, zu legen und seine Fuesse gegen ...

Curves – Kiwis love them – driving
here is an experience itself. I think we were on a straight road for
maybe a total of 5 kilometers. We've only been honked at twice –
although every time I put on my blinkers the windshield wipers go on
(those are opposite too) and the wipers go from left to right too.

After stopping off for some lunch in
Dargaville, a small coastal town, we visited ...

... Heads not realising that there was a huge natural harbour which he could have anchored in.

Legend has it that the great Maori navigator, Kupe, who found New Zealand about 700 years before the Europeans landed, sailed from Hokianga when returning to his homeland of Hawaiki. When you stop and think about sailing across the Pacific Ocean in a reed boat, navigating only by the stars, this bloke had to have been a genius or a very ...

... Footsteps Waipoua which was a twilight tour of the Waipoua Kauri forest. At 5pm our tour guide Taffri came to collect us from our hostel. It turned out that we were the only people who booked onto the tour that night so we had Taffri all to ourselves. We got in the van and headed for the forest. Along the way we got to know Taffri some more. He was 25 and from the tribe of the area. He played a couple of cds with the calls of native birds on them to familiarize us with sounds that ...

... off at the quickest pace I could manage with the large pack I had. After 3 hours I was able to cover all the distance that had taken me two days. But this time I was only staying on the beach and not covering hills and valleys that forced you to zig-zag a bit. Finally as the sun was about to set some very friendly Kiwis offered to give me a ride. I've forgotten to mention that I was far enough away from any cell towers that I had no reception the ...

... had time for a tea, and dry off, before getting organised for the tour. Tonight was amazing - the best tour I've done so far. On the way to the forest there was a huge rainbow. Was only faint and didn't last long though all the colours were still distinguishable. The tour was a twilight footprints tour which went into the local forest where the main feature was looking at the Kauri tree. The local Maori's operate and run the tours in the aim of bringing back employment into ...

... was filled with sand boarding down the dunes on the north side of the harbour. After a short boat ride across the water we climbed up the sand dune and then slid down on boggy broads trying to go fast enough to hit the water. Janine even got up the courage to have a go and she enjoyed it.

The afternoon was filled with a trip on the l ocal museum where we ...

... from 40,000 year old wood! The other stop was at the 'world' famous Maunganui fish and chip shop and I have to say the food, washed down with a cold beer, was a great way to end a really enjoyable day! Thankfully, that night the campsite was quiet and we managed to get a decent nights sleep in preparation for the day's activity - swimming with dolphins. The boat set off early on the search for dolphins and had little trouble finding a massive pod. It was great to see them ...

... near Kohukohu from which we were shipped across Hokianga Harbour to Rawene. Rawene was a tiny but pretty town and we stopped for lunch on Clendon Esplanade opposite Clendon House - the former residence of an important early politician. After lunch we moved on along the southern shore of the harbour past the appealing beach towns of Opononi and Omapere. Opononi's claim to fame was a dolphin (christened Opo by the locals) who entertained humans for a whole ...

... but made our way up highway 1 in the pouring rain (our first real bit of constant rain since we got here). The next day we went and seen a working Dutch windmill which was great. Really interesting and the mill which was hand made was class. We continued on up towards Taupo in the centre of the NI and on the way passed through Mordor from Lord of the Rings with Mt Doom looming in the background. It was a cool drive made better as the fog and ...