After a week in Auckland we decided to continue our holiday at least for a week (this was on Monday 22nd September). The main reason was that it suited perfectly with our plans to travel through the northernmost part of NZ at the beginning of our year here. Besides, almost everybody has been saying that the South Island is even more beautiful and we want to leave the best parts to the end. So we started to figure out which options were available for us. After a comparison of the three bus companies, Magic Travel, Kiwi Experience and Stray Travel, which do guided bus trips, and other non-guided options like standard InterCity bus routes, we came to a decision with the help of the lovely travel advisor at the YHA hostel we were staying at: we were going on a one week guided tour with the Magic travel network (it was the cheapest option at $170 for a round trip back to Auckland, so we picked it).
Our awakening on Monday morning wasn’t the most glorious one: we had (especially Giigan) quite horrible beds and we didn’t sleep that well because of that. On top of this, it appeared that the driver didn’t have the best day either. As we were getting on the minibus and she checked our names against the paper she had, she quite rudely told Giigan that he was not on her bus, that he wasn’t going with her and wasn’t welcome. Because we were sleepy and tired her attitude was all the more offensive to our ears. Well, after a bit of clarifying we managed to solve the problem: there was a mysterious Mr. Fierle on her paper, and we immediately understood that somehow there had been a typing error as the booking looked exactly like ours. So it all got sorted out in the end and we got on the bus. These little problems just make our journey all the more memorable :)
First we drove up to the town of Whangarei. Our itinerary which we got from Magic said that the bus should stop at the famous Sheep World (there are ten times more sheep than humans in NZ, i.e. around 40 million) which lies halfway to Whangarei, but we didn’t. Actually our guide didn’t say a word during the whole two hour drive to Whangarei. We stopped at a café and after she had got a cup of strong coffee her mood changed. Our trip continued without any other problems. She even opened her mouth when we were closing in on our destination, the small town Paihia, and told us where everything could be found. Amazing.
The YHA hostel we stayed at in Paihia was an excellent choice. It was quiet (as was the whole town), clean and the beds were as good as brand new. Needless to say, we slept like babies during our five nights there. It was nice getting out of the beating pulse of the largest city in NZ – Auckland.
A small part of the Bay of Islands seen from Paihia
Paihia lies in the Bay of Islands, which is a huge bay north of Auckland, containing about 140 islands. The climate is subtropical, which means that there are a lot of plants there that don’t grow anywhere else in NZ and the climate is generally a bit warmer than elsewhere on the North Island. Paihia is just a small town and lives mainly on tourism. As the summer season isn’t here quite yet, the town was still slumbering, which suited us just fine. There were less backpackers around but the weather was still good. Paihia is an excellent base from where to explore the Bay of Islands and the Far North – the northernmost arm of NZ.
We started the exploration by going on a full day trip through this part of NZ. This was on Tuesday 23rd September. The tour was included in our Magic passes, but luckily it was not arranged by Magic, but Fullers which is a company specializing in guided tours all around the country. The bus trip started early in the morning and we were greeted by an excellent Maori bus driver/guide who started our day together by singing us a small waiata – a small song in Maori. His narration throughout the trip was fabulous; he was more or less speaking all the time, telling us of the places we drove through, most often from a Maori perspective. This was highly informative and gave much to the journey.
The road took us through the green, fertile lands near Kerikeri, a fruit growing centre in Northland. Here lemons, avocados, mandarins, grape fruits, olives and, of course, kiwi fruits are grown in large quantities. Kerikeri was actually the first place in NZ where, in 1820, a plough was used! The road curved straight through the fields and orchards and descended into beautiful green valleys where small streams cut jagged wounds in the landscape, leaving grass covered hills soaring towards the skies on either side. The black snake of molten rock we were travelling on led us through the tiny settlements of Whangaroa and Mangonui before continuing along the shores of Doubtless Bay (so named by Captain James Cook in 1769 because he doubted it was a bay) and all the way to the single road leading to the northernmost part of NZ. At this junction we stopped at the Ancient Kauri Kingdom in the town of Waiharara.
The Ancient Kauri Kingdom is a workshop specializing in producing wood carvings from the Kauri tree. Before the Europeans arrived in NZ most of the north island was covered in Kauri tree forests. Due to its immense size, resistance to rot, valuable gum and straight growth, however, it was highly sought after by, for instance, the shipping industry of the 19th century. Kauri tree logs made excellent masts. The giant trees were felled in hundreds, leaving only a few groves to survive to this day. Nowadays the Kauri trees are pacified and indeed, the wood carvings made at the Ancient Kauri Kingdom are not from living trees. Instead, they use so called “swamp Kauri”, which originates from ancient Kauri trees that have fallen tens of thousands of years ago and have been buried beneath the soil during the millennia. Because of the tree’s resistance to rot, these swamp trees are in excellent condition even today and are being excavated.
The carvings were unlike anything we had ever seen, and so were the price tags for a simple piece of wood! A sofa carved from a single piece of Kauri wood was priced at $55,000 – that’s about 27,000 €!!! But furniture isn’t the only thing carved out of the tremendous logs. Different kinds of statues and decorative items were also for sale as well as small items like spoons that everyone can afford. The only “attraction” per se is a staircase which has been carved into a single log of a Kauri tree using a chainsaw. It was quite impressive.
An unfinished Kauri wood carving. Can you see who it depicts?From watching these imaginative creations of wood we continued onto the 90 Mile Beach, which stretches for an actual distance of 64 miles on the west coast of the Far North. So why is the beach called 90 Mile Beach, if it really isn’t that long? For the answer we have to go back to the old days when travelling was done by ox and carriage. The drivers then calculated that they could cover 30 miles during a single day of travel – from sunrise to sunset. Well, the 90 Mile Beach took them 3 days to travel from south to north, thus giving the beach its name.
Since the tour bus was special made, it was actually able to drive on the beach, which is classified as a highway! Driving is only possible on low tide, but is quite an experience. Of course you can’t do this with any car. We saw the cadavers of two cars that had been stuck in the sand, ravaged by the tidal waves and left half buried in the ever changing surface of the beach. We also passed a couple of baby seals and a lot of juvenile seagulls picking up and dropping shellfish over and over again in order to open the shells and get to the delicacies inside.
There is a landmark on the 90 Mile Beach with mythical properties. This is the “Hole in the Rock” – a giant rock jutting out of the sea about 50 metres from the shore, extraordinary in shape as there is a huge hole forming a tunnel through it. According to Maori legend, this “Hole in the Rock” was where the demigod Maui secured the end of his fishing line when he pulled a giant fish from the sea. This fish is called Te Ika a Maui (The Fish of Maui) by the Maori and became the North Island of Aotearoa (what the Maori call New Zealand). Of course, the canoe Maui stood in while doing this is the South Island of NZ, called Te Waka o Maui (The Canoe of Maui). If you look at NZ from above, you can see that the north island in fact looks like a fish and the south island easily resembles a canoe. Unfortunately it was quite misty and cloudy when we were stopping on the beach watching the rock, so seeing this relic from ages long past didn’t shake the cores of our souls as it maybe should have :)
At the northern end of the beach you will almost think you are in a desert. This is due to the Te Paki giant sand dunes. Here we went sandboarding! It was a lot of fun! If you don’t know what sandboarding is, you should really check the following two movie clips. Those guys are real pros!
MOVIE CLIP: Giigan sandboarding.
MOVIE CLIP: Jungle Bunny B sandboarding.
Giigan climbing to the top of the sand dune, board in hand
From the sand dunes it was a short trip to the most famous “northernmost tip of NZ” (a common misconception) – Cape Reinga. Cape Reinga is a significant spot on Earth for the Maori, because it is the place where, according to their belief, the souls of the departed leave Aotearoa and enter the spirit world through a lone Pohutukawa tree, which is said to have been standing on the cape for over 800 years. In the Maori language the cape has the poetic name Te Rerenga Wairua.
The tree is, however, off limits for the public, but you are able to walk to the white-plastered lighthouse standing 165 metres above sea level, serving you a spectacular view of the turbulent waters below where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. On clear days you can see as far as 50 km and spot a small group of islands in the horizon, called the Three Kings. Originally the lighthouse was located on Cape Reinga’s pretty twin cape - Cape Maria Van Diemen - but was moved in 1941. The cape was a memorable location from where to witness the vastness of the surrounding seas. It felt sacred and like the end of the world, as it in some ways is.
Cape ReingaOn the return trip south we stopped to eat lunch in Houhora Harbour. A couple of months ago a pair of orcas had swum into the bay, but we weren’t even lucky enough to see dolphins. Still, it was a nice spot to enjoy the sandwiches and boiled eggs we had brought along.
The day trip ended with a tour through the Puketi Kauri Forest, where we visited living Kauri trees. There were about 10 of them, each over 20 metres tall and several metres in diameter. Kauri trees have a very peculiar shape; there are no branches elsewhere than in the crown and they all grow upwards at different angles. This makes the Kauri tree look like an umbrella turned inside out. An umbrella with an immensely thick shaft, mind. The Kauri tree isn’t the tallest or the thickest tree in the world, but it probably is the one reaching the oldest age. And you could certainly sense their age when standing next to them. The majestic trees were shrouded in an aura of peacefulness and endurance, which made you feel nothing but reverence for them. You could probably sit next to one of them for hours without doing anything and just soak up the harmony emanating from it.
The next day Jungle Bunny B woke up early and went on a half day cruise around the Bay of Islands while Giigan decided to prolong his sleep ‘til noon.
It was a glorious morning (in the Klingon sense) and I was very excited about the cruise. After all, those islands out there are what the Bay of Islands is really about. I boarded the ship called Dolphin Seeker and went to the top outdoor deck in order to fully be able to enjoy the sunny spring day on the sea. Armed with sunglasses, sun block, lots of clothing (the sea breeze was freezing) and my camera I admired the silhouettes of far away islands resembling the broken teeth of some enormous stranded sea monster. Closer, the rocky shores of the mainland were quickly left behind and replaced by the tiny coves and capes of smaller islands like Motuarohia and Moturua Island.
The skipper took the ship into a couple of these coves as we carried mail which needed to be delivered to the people who had built houses on the islands. Now these were no ordinary houses, no. Think more in the lines of million-dollar-villas with individual wharfs. Usually there was only one of these luxury “cottages” per island as well. One multi-millionaire even had a landing pad for helicopters on his lawn. We were informed that he owned two of the flying contraptions – one for him and one for her.
After making several mail drops and visiting places like Cook Cove, Twin Lagoon and Honeymoon Cove (thus romantically named since only two people fit on the beach on high tide) the ship sped further into the Bay of Islands until we reached Cape Brett and Motukokako Island. The latter is more known as the “Hole in the Rock”. Don’t be confused now. This is not the same hole in the rock as on the 90 Mile Beach even though it bears the same nickname and principally is the same thing. The Bay of Islands Hole in the Rock is, however, larger. The rock is actually an island which towers 148 metres above the sea just outside Cape Brett, where a lighthouse has been built on an elevation of 149 metres. An inhospitable location in many ways, but the beauty of the sharp walls and dark cliffs plunging into the sky blue waters, fringed by milky foam, was indescribable.
The coolest thing with the Hole in the Rock was that the weather and tidal conditions made it possible for the skipper to take the Dolphin Seeker through the hole! It was a fairly narrow fit and quite exciting. Knowing that not every visitor is able to experience it made it all the more sweet :)
Jungle Bunny B and the Hole in the Rock in the Bay of IslandsThis fortunate turn of events was sadly outweighed by our inability to spot a single dolphin during the whole cruise. I had really looked forward to seeing some free dolphins and had been told that there was an 85% chance. Furthermore, I knew that dolphins had been spotted the day before, which made the whole thing even more frustrating. The rest of the cruise was, however, near perfect so I didn’t let the elusive dolphins ruin my day. Instead I tried to enjoy the one hour lunch break on the island of Urupukapuka even more. From a vista point on the island I had a terrific view of many of the neighbouring islands as well as Otehei Bay where the Dolphin Seeker was tied to the wharf. I found a warm place in the sun on the edge of a steep slope. It dropped down to a secluded beach with white, shimmering sand and turquoise clear water. A tree with twisted branches and a thousand roots stood idly by, its dark green leaves basking in the sunlight. It was a timeless picture and I sat down in the grass to let it fill my vision. A sandwich has never tasted better than there.
MOVIE CLIP: The Bay of Islands Hole in the Rock.
Once back in Paihia Giigan was waiting for me in the harbour and we walked to nearby Waitangi to visit the Treaty Grounds.
Waitangi is the place where New Zealand as a nation was “born”. On February 6th 1840, 43 maori chiefs signed a treaty with the British forces occupying NZ, essentially putting the land under British reign. Within half a year over 500 chiefs across the country had signed the treaty. Despite of this, do not think the history of NZ is without blood. No, many wars were fought in the 19th century between the British and the Maori. Even to this day the contents and interpretation of the treaty remains a topic for fierce debate and it has caused much strife between the Maori and the pakeha – the Maori name for New Zealanders with European origin. Apparently the Maori translation of the treaty differs from the original English version, which granted the British much more power. In order to rectify some of the injustices done to the Maori since signing the treaty, a tribunal has been formed in the present day, its purpose to hear out Maori issues and decide on appropriate compensation.
In spite of the ambiguity of the treaty, February 6th is still celebrated as Waitangi Day – the independence day of NZ – because in essence, the treaty is a mutual agreement between two people to live and work together as one nation. This everyone agrees upon.
The history of the spot where the treaty was signed is all very interesting, but sadly we didn’t think the spot itself was. There is a visitor’s centre with a gift shop and an audio-visual presentation (included in the admission fee), a huge Maori war canoe bearing the monstrous name Ngatokimatawhaorua (35 m long, requires a minimum of 76 paddlers), the house of the British commander James Busby, a Maori meeting house, and a flagstaff marking the approximate location where the treaty was signed. The meeting house – Te Whare Runanga – and the war canoe were by far the most interesting ones, but not worth $12.
The fearsome Maori war canoe NgatokimatawhaoruaAcross the water from Paihia there is another town, bearing the name Russell, or Kororareka in Maori. Small passenger ferries operate between the two towns and it only takes about 15 minutes from one harbour to the other. If you would go there by car, it would take over an hour!
Russell is significant in two ways. It was the first capital of New Zealand, but more interestingly, it was once known as “the hell-hole of the Pacific”. During the first half of the 19th century Russell was one of the large trading centres in the Pacific, attracting sailors and whalers and riff-raff with less honourable intensions. While walking along the idyllic, clean streets of present day Russell with its white wooden houses, it is hard to imagine the smell of vomit and faeces in the alleys, the sight of bloody fist fights or the sound of ringing bottles, grunts and moans and squeaking beds.
Russell may not have any real attractions beside the oldest church in NZ, a couple of small museums and Flagstaff Hill from where you have a good view of the Bay of Islands, but it is still worth a visit for the atmosphere alone. That is, if you like the feeling prevalent in tiny fishing villages where time seems to stand still.
And if you haven’t seen dolphins on your Bay of Islands cruise, you might just get lucky enough to see some on the ferry ride back to Paihia. We were.
As the ferry left the quay in Russell, a large group of dolphins swam right into the harbour between all the boats and sailing vessels. There were at least a dozen of them, some making small jumps and somersaults to our pleasure. One even dived right beneath the ferry a couple of times and surfaced just a few metres from the side of it where we were standing camera in hand! They were very graceful and beautiful. We’re glad they showed up for us!
A dolphin in the harbour of RussellWe had read that there was a waterfall about 6 or 7 km from Paihia, and that it would be lit at night. With the intension to check this out we put our forehead torches on and headed out after sunset. The trail to the waterfall was not lit up you see. After some initial difficulties in finding the start of the trail, we hiked through the black forest for a long time. The path took us ever deeper into the quiet darkness and followed the slow moving Haruru River. Our destination – the Haruru Falls – was further upstream. Suddenly we saw movement ahead and a pair of yellow glaring eyes, followed by a largish furry body jumping up a tree.
It wasn’t a Kiwi bird like we had hoped (they are flightless and small). It was a Possum. This devilish animal is a real problem in NZ because it’s a serious threat against the Kiwi birds. There are an estimated 70 million Possums in NZ and according to the current calculations there won’t be any Kiwi birds living free in the wild in 20 years if nothing is done about it. The Possum is not a native animal to NZ; it was introduced by the Europeans like so much else.
On our nightly trek to the falls we encountered two other Possums, smashing our hopes of seeing a live Kiwi bird. They are, you see, very shy nocturnal birds so the chances were slim to begin with – even though we heard their screeching calls in the beginning of our walk – but this area was supposed to be their natural habitat so we certainly didn’t expect to see Possums there. Thus, the Kiwi bird-spotting became Possum hunting! Watch the following movie clip about this dangerous business (the audio is the actual thing so make sure to turn up the volume):
MOVIE CLIP: Possum hunting in Northland (narration in Finnish).
The Haruru Falls were indeed lit up, but far from dramatically. Still, there was a peace and quiet around the place and a waterfall is much like a fire – you can watch it for hours without getting bored. The fact that we had the whole waterfall – and the trail for that matter – all to ourselves made it even better. We didn’t stay long though because it was late, but enjoyed a cold beer from our backpacks before backtracking to Paihia. On our way we stopped at the small wooden bridge crossing the Haruru River. The sky was so clear and the water so calm that we could see stars reflected on the surface of the river. It’s a strange thing, for JBB at least, to gaze towards the night sky without recognizing any of the constellations. It makes this distant land seem even more alien.
On our nightly walk to the Haruru FallsOur last day in Paihia, Friday 26th September, was spent chilling out and playing a bit of tennis. Next day we jumped on the same Magic minibus, with the same driver, and returned to Auckland.
The journey back was a lot more eventful than the one to Paihia. This time the driver was in a better mood right from the start and told us about a few of the places we drove through. The road back took a different route: along what is called the “Kauri Coast”. We stopped briefly in the town of Opononi which lies on the shore of a fantastic bay, once home of the legendary dolphin Opo. At the information centre you can watch a short movie made in the 60s or 70s, telling the tragic tale of the lone dolphin who frequently visited the bay and became very accustomed to human contact. He even let kids ride on his back! The tale is tragic, because in the end Opo committed suicide by stranding himself on the beach. It is thought that Opo’s lack of contact with other dolphins and thus his loneliness drove him to seek human contact, as well as to his last horrifying act. Isn’t this the saddest tale ever?
The bus also stopped at the Waipoua Kauri Forest, home of the largest living Kauri tree, named after the Maori Lord of the Forest – Tane Mahuta – the life giving god who tore his parents Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatuanuku (Earth Mother) apart to let light, space and air into the world. Tane Mahuta is estimated to be 2000 years old and just a bit over 50 metres high. The girth of the trunk is an impressive 13,8 metres! Tane Mahuta was, like all the other Kauri trees we have seen, magnificent. Truly the lord of the forest.
The Lord of the ForestThe final thing worth mentioning of our journey back to Auckland is the Kauri Museum in Matakohe, where the bus stopped for an hour. We visited the museum and do not regret it by any means. It is perhaps the most well made museum we have ever visited. Inside you will find a real saw mill showing how logs were sawn into timber, all sorts of machinery used in the forest industry of the old days, pictures and models, all kinds of things made from Kauri wood, an astonishing Kauri Gum display and much more. Don’t miss it!
The beauty of Kauri GumTo end this humongous post we are going to give you an idea of what travelling in NZ costs. Our 6 days in Northland cost 185 € for Giigan and 215 € for JBB (the difference is due to the ship cruise Giigan didn’t participate in). This includes everything; the bus trips, accommodation, food, (a few) drinks and all attractions described in this text.
For MORE PICTURES from our days in Northland click this link.
Enjoying a Christmas Eve midnight buffet with our flatmate Matt
Christmas Day dinner
Merry Christmas!
This one's for all you guys out there with loved ones in your arms
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