We spent our first day exploring the Coromandel Peninsula about a 2 hour drive from our Auckland home. What a cool place! The scenery reminds us of Newfoundland in Canada but quite a bit more lush.
Check out what it looks like to drive one of these narrow and windy roads by clicking on the youtube below:
The national bird of New Zealand is the Kiwi. That is also what folks are called if you are from New Zealand. The bird is flightless and nocturnal so we might not get to see one in person. We love taking pictures of the road signs warning of animal danger and this one was particularly cool.
As New Zealand has no large predatory animals their rat population has blossomed over the years. The favorite meal for an NZ rat is the poor kiwi itself. We find these box traps all along the trails we walk. Evidently the rats can fit through the small opening but not the kiwi. Some traps had eggs placed inside them to lure the rats in. This section of trail was “adopted” by the local school children who made and decorated the traps.
As New Zealand is smack dab on a fault subduction line it gets constant earthquakes which mean the possibility of a tsunami is very real. To us, it did not look like there were too many “safe zones” for folks to walk to. All signs in NZ are in English and Maori as the Maori people are the natives to the island.
Okay, call me a tree hugger. Worse things to be we suppose. This is the kauri tree and this one is over 600 years old. The Maori used them to create huge dugout canoes back in the day and the invading Europeans used them for sail masts. They have incredibly straight trunks which make them fabulous for this. Unfortunately, as with most nature-human interaction, they became almost extinct until the mid 20th century folks decided to start a conservation effort.
We found these shoe cleaning stations at both ends of our first hike. They have brushes and a spray hose with disinfectant also.
This contraption also had a brush and a foot pedal that sprayed the bottom of your boots with disinfectant. As it was a loop hike we used it going in and coming out. We did follow the same rules of the road as when driving….Stay left. Check out the video below by clicking on it.
The forests around here are of a very tropical nature. The bird noises were fabulous. If only my Merlin app on my phone would work here we could identify them.
Not sure if this natural umbrella would keep me dry in a rain storm but it made for a cool picture.
Our next little hike was to a cool hidden waterfall named Waiau Waterfall. The serenity was fabulous! Click on the video link below to hear what a Southern Hemisphere waterfall sounds like:
While on the highpoint in the area we had a view of a fishing boat going out to check on their oyster farms you can see in the background. We were not sure what they were but a nice local walking her horse down the road back to the car confirmed our suspicion.
Another nice animal warning sign on the left. We saw no sheep near here but did “run into” many a wild looking pig. Not sure who would stop to feed these homely creatures?
After checking out the local farm animals we took a drive by the water as it was on the way “home” anyway:
Cool driftwood art on the side of the road, or should we say, the side of the ocean?
Had to check out the temperature of the Pacific! Bathwater warm it was. No swimming today but maybe in our future here.
The New Zealand Crimson Christmas tree in full bloom here in December. It’s real name is Pohutukowa.
Thought this was a cool and peaceful picture to end our first New Zealand post with.
You’re right about the scenery. Totally awesome!