Northland

After finishing our adventurous two day hiking trip to Cape Brett and back, Phoebe and I explored the remainder of the Northland region, before heading back down to Auckland!

You are a guest in nature, behave - Hundertwasser.

Kawakawa, Paihi and Russell

The drive out from Cape Brett was not an easy one, we took Geraldine on her own trek along a 15km gravel road inland to Kawakawa - avoiding the main road in exchange for this shorter and more scenic route. We made good use of a rare treat at the Kawakawa freedom camping site: contactless (or paywave, as the kiwi calls it) hot showers 😇. Kawakawa is the site of the famous Hundertwasser public toilets, and it was nice to visit these prepared with knowledge of Hundertwasser himself, having visited the museum earlier that week. There was a massive number of other freedom campers at this site, and we exchanged conversation with one other young couple, whose van we have passed on the road since!

 

From Kawakawa we headed up to Paihia and Russell, two quaint coastal towns sitting across the bay from one another. Russell, in particular, is the first permanent Pākehā (foreinger) settlement in Aotearoa, and acted as a seaport for trading with the Maori. Due to lawlessness on initial european settlement, Russell became known as the 'hell hole of the pacific', where abundent drunkenness, crime and debauchary occurred. So, after exploring Paihia, we caught a short ferry ride across the bay to explore Russell and conduct our own naughtiness - breaking budget to take ourselves out for a vegan lunch!

Haruru Falls and Waitangi Treaty Grounds

A short drive from Paihia took us to Haruru falls, where we would camp for the night. Though we paid for this campsite, it hosted a spectacular view of the falls, and offered free Kayaks to explore these at closer proximity.

The next morning we visited the Waitangi Treaty grounds, which is another historic site for New Zealand's history. Here, we joined a guided tour of the site, explored the museums and watched a Maori cultural performance. The treaty grounds remain significant to New Zealanders today, because the treaty itself remains a key element in the politics and government of Aotearoa. Learning about the historic figures, such as James Busby, William Hobson and Henry Williams, placed greater context on the history of the country we are travelling. In particular, I found the museum hosting exhibitions on the history of the New Zealand Wars, and on New Zealand at war, particularly moving, largely because of the impact this has had on the Maori people over the last 150 years.

 

Ninety Mile Beach and Cape Reinga

Following on from Waitangi, we explored further north, journeying up towards Cape Reinga. We started out exploring Puketi forest and the hot springs nearby, before heading west over to Ahipara. Ahipara marks the start of the ninety mile beach, which we learnt is misleadingly not ninety miles long. According our friend, settlers trekked the beach on horseback, and it took them three days to travel it. This led them to estimate the length of the beach to be ninty miles, at thirty per day. However, these individuals did not consider the difficult terrain their horses had to traverse, and the actual length is just short - 88 miles!

Cape Reinga is the most northern point in New Zealand, where a lighthouse sits to warn and welcome incoming ships. This warning, or welcome, was often not sufficient to protect sailors of the past in the tumultuous waters, which have historically claimed a number of ships. The peak of the north island is the meeting place for two immensely powerful oceans: the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. As these two oceans collide, they form whirlpools and disastrously dangerous weather. Whilst camping and hiking during our stay at Toputupotu Bay neaby Cape Reinga, we were subject to some of this powerful weather. The wind shook our little van, but Geraldine stood strong and protected both Phoebe and I from the elements. She even managed to stretch herself, also defending the tent of a fellow traveller we befriended at the campsite. Our new friend, that we made by offering our aid, was named Sebastion, and he was at the start of his cycling tour of Aotearoa. Unbeknownst to us, we would meet him later in our journey too (spoilers)!

This far north, there was another wonder more impressive than the 1940s lighthouse: GIANT sand dunes! I had great fun running and sliding down these (video below), and they were a sight to behold!

 

Waipoua Forest and Glowworms

As we headed back south, we stopped off at a few locations of note, the first of these is a fully vegan cafe in Whangerei. The palate wholesome collective lived up to its name, the staff were wonderful and the food was healthy and fulfilling. Though only a short stop, we were both fond of this little spot, making it worth a brief mention! Following on from our lunch, we discovered a romantic glowworm cave at Waipu. To traverse this unstaffed cave, we had to independently navigate through the low caverns, light them by our own torchs, and wade knee-high water. The reward was a ceiling that appeared like the stars, pitch-black but for small bright lights scattering across it. Serene, beautiful, and truely special.

The next two stops to mention focus on Kauri trees, which are native to New Zealand and endangered due to the spread of Kauri dieback disease. Waipoua forest is a safe haven for these monstrously large trees, and it hosts the largest of all named Tane Mahuta. This tree is the fifth biggest tree in the world, humongous, magnificent and still growing! It is named after the God of the forest and of the birds, Tane. Travelling along the roads of the forest, I took it upon myself to count the bends Geraldine tackled with her usual grace, and reached the massive number of 186 (I initially attempted this in french, but gave up when I reached more than 100 and started to annoy Phoebe). Some time after leaving Waipoua forest, we visited the Kauri museum to learn more about their significance in New Zealand. Historically, many Kauri were nearly as large and numerous as they are now in the Waipoua forest. Their rarity now is largely attributed to the logging industry that built much of Aotearoa into what it is now, and this was the prime focus of the museum. However, we also learnt about the size of the trees themselves, which grow only to the height of the canopy around them to along the forest to flourish. Their roots spread far, and inter-lock with other roots for stability. The trees both depend upon and support the forest they grow in. Currently, Kauri are much diminished in number, and to protect them from the disease spores that are spread across New Zealand on the soles of shoes, disinfectant stations are situated along trekking routes - just like the one Phoebe is demonstrating below!

To finish off our tour of the Northland, we stopped of at an independent and craft brewery named Sawmill. Here, I enjoyed my first sampling tray of beer, whilst Phoebe sipped low percentage and sweet raspberry larger (designated driver duties). The beer at Sawmill was delicious, and I left the brewary merry and pleased after my bout of indulgence 😜.