In March we took a quick trip to the Bay of Plenty area and Mt. Maunganui. This is the car park (parking lot) at the base of the mountain. It was a busy place with lots of hikers that day.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Distant view
We stayed in a lovely B&B while in the Bay of Plenty area. This is a view of Mt. Maunganui from the B&B where we stayed. It is the small mountain in the very far distance.
The Northland
We recently took a week to tour the very northern part of the New Zealand's north island. We found it to be some of the most beautiful scenery we've seen yet. They have a subtropical climate and grow bananas, pineapples and avocados. We were fortunate to get there in cooler fall weather (less humid) and had much more sunshine than we expected! Hope you enjoy some of our photos.
Paihia Harbor
Paihia is a small east coast town where we found wonderful food and lots to do. We would have been happy to stay here more than just 2 days. It's a busy harbor with several ferries, fishing and sailing excursions and some interesting and entertaining locals.Bay of Islands
While we were in Paihia we took a 1/2 day cruise around the Bay of Islands. Very reminiscent of the San Juan islands in many ways.
Bay of Islands clouds
We had periods of full sun, clouds and rain on our tour. Pretty in any weather.
Hole in the Rock
Self-explanatory ~ and big enough to take a boat through. However, not the hugemous boat we were in (with about 150 other people.)The water was very rough the day we were there; It's out in the open water, not at all protected so not any of the smaller boats were attempting to go through.
Hiking Up
We had a lunch stop and time for a hike on one of the islands. It wasn't far but it was steep.
Whangaroa Harbor
Leaving Paihia we traveled north along the Pacific coast before heading west across the island to our next stop. We took a little side road and found this harbor; this could be some where in the northwest US. This was the quietest place I think I've ever been. Just around the bend is a marina and some hillside homes with stunning views.
Sunset at Ahipara
After leaving Paihia we stayed the next two nights in Ahipara, a little coastal town on the west coast. This is a view and sunset from the deck at our hotel there.Cape Reinga Lighthouse
We took a bus tour of Cape Reinga and 90 Mile Beach. Cape Reinga Lighthouse is not the most northern tip of NZ but it is where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean come together.
Where the waters collide
This is where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. You can see the currents coming from each side. Tasman on the left, Pacific on the right. It was really quite amazing.
Sand Dunes on 90 Mile Beach
We tobogganed down this sand dune!! (That's me on the way down. Roger had already made his descent.) What a hoot ~ what a mess ~ gritty teeth and ears for a couple of days after this.
Fog on the Harbor
Heading south from Ahipara we crossed the Hokianga Harbor on a little ferry. This was our view as we came up to the ferry landing.
Kauri Forest
On our way south we drove through the Kauri Forest on the west coast. Kauris are very ancient trees and can become quite large. This is the largest, living Kauri tree with a trunk height of 58 feet, total height of 169 feet and total girth of 52 feet. That's one big tree! Couldn't begin to get it all in the photo.
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Second Largest Living Kauri
It's really hard to appreciate how big these trees are from the photos. Roger is standing about 30 feet away from the base of this tree.
4 Sisters
These Kauri trees are called the 4 Sisters - quite impressive to see them so close together.
Rushes on Mt Auckland
Or Pampas grass as we know it, grows everywhere here. Just annoying weeds to the locals. Roger's still the same height, the clump is just big!
Mt Auckland Walkway
Our last hike before catching the flight home. Mt Auckland (which is actually a couple hours north of Auckland) overlooking Kaipara Harbor.
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