AOTEAROA (NZ)
Arriving in NZ was like coming home with a familiar landscape full of promise and friendly and welcoming people. After 40 years of visiting this remote and beautiful country we feel very comfortable and confident that two weeks in a campervan, however modest, will prove to be a delight.
We have decided to limit our travel to two areas – the Coromandel Peninsula and the central volcanic/thermal area around the Tongoriro National Park staying wherever possible in DOC (Dept. of Conservation) campsites within the national parks which almost always have a variety of long and short walks close by.
We have decided to limit our travel to two areas – the Coromandel Peninsula and the central volcanic/thermal area around the Tongoriro National Park staying wherever possible in DOC (Dept. of Conservation) campsites within the national parks which almost always have a variety of long and short walks close by.
The Coromandel is a long, narrow peninsula with small communities separated from each other not only by distance but by the rugged hills and a mountain spine covered for the most part in thick forest.
There are many beautiful beaches and the east coast has a warm sub tropical current while to the west is the Firth of Thames with a long coastal road leading to the north fringed by old pohutekawa trees. The Coromandel Peninsula was once a chain of volcanoes which began erupting about 20 million years ago and ceased some 1.5 million years ago.
The original mix of broadleaf and podocarp forest was as lush as any tropical rainforest with a rich variety of plants and birds. Small patches of this bush may have been cleared by Maori who arrived in the 13th century but it could not survive the arrival of European pioneers who systematically felled the forest in the 19th century. What was left was burnt to clear land for farming leaving a bare wasteland. Today the bush is regenerating and bird life increasing once again although always under threat from introduced animals. NZ had only one mammal, a small bat, but settlers brought with them cats, dogs, pigs, possums, stoats and hedgehogs all of which have decimated the birdlife. Many species now survive only on offshore islands from which all pests have been removed.
On a warm and sunny afternoon, our first stop was the Kaueranga Valley which was once filled with magnificent kauri, the world’s second biggest tree which can live to 4000 years old. From the 1870s to the 1920s this area was extensively logged but several fine examples of this giant tree can still be found in remote and inaccessible places .
On our first morning we set off to climb to a lookout which gave excellent views over the valley and Table mountain. The walk passed regenerating totara, rimu, towai and kahikatea and the calls of bellbirds and tuis could be heard.
On our first morning we set off to climb to a lookout which gave excellent views over the valley and Table mountain. The walk passed regenerating totara, rimu, towai and kahikatea and the calls of bellbirds and tuis could be heard.
From Napier we spent an afternoon visiting some of the vineyards of Hawkes Bay, one of the earliest areas to plant vines in NZ. The following day we took a 9km trip on a trailer pulled by a tractor beneath the soaring volcanic cliffs of Cape Kidnappers to visit the gannet colonies located out on the headland.
- Thousands of these beautiful birds could be seen with their offspring in several large groups on the cliff edge . The young make a long flight to Australia at 15 weeks old and are away for 3 – 4 years before returning to NZ although the mortality rate is said to be as high as 70%.
The Tongariro National Park attracts many overseas visitors who come to make the most popular one day walk in NZ, the 7 – 8 hour Tongariro Crossing. We took the two ski lifts up Mt Ruapehu and then climbed slowly over the volcanic rocks and dust on the Skyline walk to a high edge from which views of both Mt Tongariro and Mt Ng could be seen over the devastated volcanic wastes of the valley below.
From our camp at a small path led through the bush towards the mountain and in the evening birds and butterflies could be seen. Heather lined the path and other wildflowers including a sticky red flycatching plant.
From our camp at a small path led through the bush towards the mountain and in the evening birds and butterflies could be seen. Heather lined the path and other wildflowers including a sticky red flycatching plant.
Heading north the following day we reached Mt Maun described in a birding booklet we had picked up as an “island refuge” Most reserves set up to protect rare and endangered birds are on offshore islands such as the wonderful Tiri Tiri Matangi off Auckland. With great vision this mountain which still has a covering of native trees and bush in an area of cleared pasture has been completely fenced and cleared of pests. Slowly, rare birds are being introduced and we were thrilled to see a pair of takehe, of which only 252 birds remain pecking around in a clearing, completely unconcerned by our presence.
Feeding boxes had been set up to encourage the 60 hi hi or stitchbirds and kaka and kakariki were also present. The nocturnal kiwi has also been reintroduced and 60 of these nocturnal birds are now present on the mountain for the first time in a 100 years.
Feeding boxes had been set up to encourage the 60 hi hi or stitchbirds and kaka and kakariki were also present. The nocturnal kiwi has also been reintroduced and 60 of these nocturnal birds are now present on the mountain for the first time in a 100 years.
Returning to the Coromandel we stayed once more in the Kaueranga Valley before setting off towards the northern part of the peninsula. Passing through Thames we visited a Forest and Bird hide set among the mangroves from where a variety of waders could be seen. The hide was built with some of the proceeds of compensation for the murder of Fernando , the Dutch photographer who was drowned when the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sunk in Auckland harbour by French agents in reprisal for publicity the organization had provided regarding the nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll.
Heading north over increasing rough unpaved roads we finally reached the isolated campsite at Stony Bay, a deep cove flanked by bush covered mountains often shrouded in mist. Sacred Moehau, the highest point on the peninsula sits above Stony Bay and venerable old pohutukawa trees stand along the beach. In early summer the flame red flowers of this tree are a wonderful sight and the trees line many of the roads along the shoreline. The area was once one a farm settled 80 years ago by a Norwegian family and now managed as a campsite by DOC. Regenerating bush now clothes the hills which were cleared for grazing. Stony Bay is the end of the well known Coromandel Walkway which begins at Fletcher Bay on the west coast.
Heading north over increasing rough unpaved roads we finally reached the isolated campsite at Stony Bay, a deep cove flanked by bush covered mountains often shrouded in mist. Sacred Moehau, the highest point on the peninsula sits above Stony Bay and venerable old pohutukawa trees stand along the beach. In early summer the flame red flowers of this tree are a wonderful sight and the trees line many of the roads along the shoreline. The area was once one a farm settled 80 years ago by a Norwegian family and now managed as a campsite by DOC. Regenerating bush now clothes the hills which were cleared for grazing. Stony Bay is the end of the well known Coromandel Walkway which begins at Fletcher Bay on the west coast.
From Stony Bay we travelled back over the rugged and winding road to Colville located on a beautiful bay. Along the shoreline, flocks of oystercatchers could be seen including one unusual albino bird. The NZ dotterel was present in sizeable numbers together with bar tailed godwits.
In a small creek outside the village a group of the threatened brown teal were present. The winding unpaved road to Port Jackson was very scenic although the 15km took a considerable time with high cliffs and a narrow road. For two days we camped by the beach with a wonderful view out towards Great Barrier Island. On the second day we walked for several hours over undulating paddocks and through lush vegetation including nikau palms to Poley Bay where a steep descent brought us to a small cove surrounded by high hills clothed in bush.
In a small creek outside the village a group of the threatened brown teal were present. The winding unpaved road to Port Jackson was very scenic although the 15km took a considerable time with high cliffs and a narrow road. For two days we camped by the beach with a wonderful view out towards Great Barrier Island. On the second day we walked for several hours over undulating paddocks and through lush vegetation including nikau palms to Poley Bay where a steep descent brought us to a small cove surrounded by high hills clothed in bush.
Our last daybrought us back along the winding road to Coromandel town and then over to Whitianga on the east coast. Archaologists report that some of the earliest settlements in NZ were in the Mercury Bay area and the legendary Polynesian explorer Kup is believed to have visited the region naming it Te Whitianga a Kupe (the crossing place of Kupe). He built a pa here and left several of his people before returning to his homeland passing on the knowledge of his discoveries. His journey marked the beginning of the great migration of Polynesians to NZ Hundreds of years later, James Cook in the Endeavor stopped here for several days to make astronomical readings during his circumnavigation of the North Island.
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