North-Island-New-Zealand

12th November 2009 It’s very difficult to spot a Kiwi (New Zealand’s national bird) in the wild. Not only are they nocturnal and shy with a wicked sense of hearing and smell, but they are also severely endangered. The population is currently declining so rapidly it is halving in size every ten years and the Kiwi could be close to extinction by 2015. This flightless bird survived millions of years and developed defenses against other birds that preyed on them. However, these defenses were useless against man, who in the past hunted Kiwis, and the preditors he introduced such as stoats, rats, cats, dogs and possums which tarket kiwi and their eggs while wild pigs dig up their burrows. ...

11th November 2009 Time to explore Rotorua, famous for its sulphur smell, thermal springs and Maori culture. We headed to Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland which is part of a Scenic Reserve and has the largest area of surface thermal activity in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. This is a highly active volcanic area in the North Island of New Zealand. The Wai-o-Tapu Reserve is literally covered with collapsed craters, cold and boiling pools of mud, water and steaming fumaroles (vent in Earth’s crust). The area is associated with volcanic activity dating back about 160,000 years. ...

3rd November 2009 Today we go even further north, up to Henderson Bay which was the nearest place we could get to Cape Reinga. We set off from our lovely hostel quite late, calling in to get food and petrol on the way out of town (we’re not sure where the nearest supermarket will be up north!). We made a short detour along Whangaroa harbour, calling in at Tauranga Bay for a spot of lunch. Unfortunately the weather is still a little changeable so we had a short shower while we were here, but were still able to enjoy the peachy pink sand. From the road, we enjoyed some lovely veiws over the Cavalli Islands scattered off shore. ...

2nd November 2009 Apparently the best way to see and experience the Bay of Islands is from the water, so this morning we were up early to catch a 50 foot catamaran from Paihia for a days sailing and dolphin spotting. The weather this morning was quite chilly and overcast when we reached Paihia, so we were wrapped up warmly for the first part of our sail. ...

4th November Awoken this morning by a fabulous sunrise across the ocean which we can see from our room, a perfect start to the day. Consequently we headed out early to Cape Reinga, the point where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet, breaking together in waves. The area is considered extremely sacred by the Maoris and at the tip of the cape is a spiritually significant 800-year old pohutukawa tree - souls of the departed are believed to slide down its roots on their way back to their spiritual homeland of Hawaiki. As a result you are not allowed to eat or drink on the site out of respect. ...

1st November 2009 This morning we had to pack up and leave the little slice of heaven that was Little Earth Lodge. Definately one for the recommendations. We followed the Tutukaka Coast north to Matapouri Beach. We walked along the long stretch of sand, then followed a path through the long grass at the north end of the beach, this led us to a hole in a rock where we scrabbled through and clambered along the rocks on the other side to reach Mermaid Pool. This is a deep, natural rock pool with crystal-clear water flushed out by the tide. A group of lads with a rugby ball had been ahead of us on the path and were now playing with the ball near the water, when one of them inevitably had to go in and retreive the rugby ball he reported back that the water was as ‘cold as’! ...