West coast, back to The 'Naki

The largest known Kauri tree in the world

On our way down the west coast of the north island we passed through a couple of Kauri forests.  Kauri trees once covered this country, but because their wood is quite strong and easy to work with, they were logged extensively, nearly to the point of extinction.  Those that remain are now quite well protected, and the forests that they grow in are a real pleasure to drive through (even though, without our exhaust, we made quite a ruckus doing it!)

Gannets greeting each other

Our first stop on Auckland’s west coast was Muriwai.  It has lovely black sand beaches and one of the north island’s only gannet colonies.  The gannets were fun to watch; they’re graceful in the air, and highly skilled divers, but clumsy when landing; they kind of crash and stumble into their nests.  Then they greet their partners with a ritual of rubbing their beaks together (kind of like “Eskimo kisses”).  Although nice to look at, a colony of gannets is not at all nice to smell.  

standing near one of
many waterfalls 

We spent a night up in the hills near a big dam.  There was a 4km walk from the car park to the dam, and throughout the walk there were about 5 significant waterfalls.  Because there had been so much rain, the waterfalls were pumping, and even all the spaces in between them were dripping from every rock and cliff. 

From Muriwai we headed a bit further south to Bethells Beach.  It was yet another really nice beach, but the weather put a damper on things and we spent most of our time there in the van, hiding from the rain.

in front of the keyhole at high tide

Fortunately, we got lovely weather a bit further south at a place called Piha.  It ended up being one of our favourite places so far.  There was a great surf break, which a local told us had been good since before he started surfing there in the late 60’s, but the sand had shifted and the waves hadn’t been breaking very well for the past 10 to 15 years.  This is the first year it’s been really good again, so our timing couldn’t have been better.

Our friend Mr. Sea lion 

There is a really great series of headlands in Piha.  When we first arrived it was high tide and we swam out around one of them towards a more secluded bay.  On our way out Tom noticed something moving on the rocks, and we realized it was a sea lion sunning himself on the rocks.  We swam around and, at first, we were trying to sneak up to him for a closer look.  We eventually realized he wasn’t at all bothered by us, so we were able to get within about 6 feet of him.  Being so close to a wild animal, especially when he was making eye contact with us, was a bit nerve wracking, but they’re quite clumsy on land and there was plenty of rock to run on, so we figured we were safe.  It turns out there was no need to be nervous; he would look straight at us, then turn his head back toward the sun and continue to scratch himself. 

When we finally decided we had had enough of the sea lion we swam through what the locals refer to as “the keyhole”.  It’s a natural tunnel through the headland, shaped like its namesake. 

Tom, nearly finished with the climb out
through the keyhole.

That night, while I went for a surf, Tom went to scope out a fishing spot.  He had seen people fishing out on the rocks at the end of the headland, but couldn’t find the way out to where they were.  It was only when he mentioned it to a friendly local that we found out you have to climb through the keyhole to get to it.  The climb involves scaling the side of the keyhole, about 4 meters above the bottom, at low tide.  I have to admit I was a little nervous, falling from that height onto jagged rock and wet sand certainly would have ruined the evening, but there were plenty of rocks to hold on to, and Tom carried my fishing rod.   The mission to the rocks ended up being very much worth the trip, as we both caught our first ever gurnard.  They’re fascinating fish: bright pink bodies, fins that look more like wings, which are dark green and black and lined with a bright blue/green colour.  They also have funny whisker-like feelers on its underside that remind me of the legs on a lobster or crayfish.  Out of the water, they make a croaking noise, much like a frog.  When you hit them over the head the pink colour instantly changes to grey, then once it’s been dead a few minutes turns back to pink.  I was thrilled to have caught such a big one. (Especially because I was feeling the need to redeem myself.  Earlier that night I got all excited, thinking I had hooked a big fish, but had actually just gotten my hook stuck on a rock!  We fished ‘til after the sunset, and wouldn’t have made it back through the key hole if it wasn’t for the head torches (flashlights that wrap around our heads and therefore point to wherever we’re looking) that my mom sent for Christmas.

a small gurnard

We fried our gurnard up the next morning.  Even with all the fishing Tom’s done in his lifetime, he said it was the best fish he’s ever caught and cooked himself.

Next on the trip was a place Tom has been hearing about for years: Raglan.  It’s New Zealand’s most famous surf destination.  The conditions at Raglan make for pretty consistent waves that peel along the reefs in a way that makes for nice long rides.  It was a big crowded, and competition for waves meant that Tom only got one really good ride, but it was so long and so good it was worth it.  Since most of my surfing attempts still end in falling, I wasn’t ready for shallow waves breaking over rock.  I went to the sandy beach instead; the waves weren’t as good there, but I was able to practice getting to my feet, and when I fell it was on forgiving sand. 

One of the reef breaks at Raglan

looking through the
Mangapohue Land Bridge

When we had finished our time at Raglan, we headed toward Hamilton.  There were a few nice places to stop along the way.  Our first stop was at the spectacular Marokopa Falls.  From there we headed toward the PiriPiri caves.  It was quite a small cave, without much to explore, but still worth the stop.  About 20 minutes down the road we came across one of our favourite land forms from that area: the Mangapohue Natural Bridge.  Apparently, it used to be part of a very long cave, but throughout time had gradually caved in.  All that was left of the roof of the former cave was a small land bridge.   

When we got to Hamilton we stopped at the public gardens, which were really nice (and free) to walk through.  Afterward, we stopped in Waitomo, where there is an extensive range of underground caves, some of them filled with glowworms.  We were both quite keen to explore them, until we saw the price of admission.  (Maybe I’ll have Tom take me for my birthday.)  We got back on the road and before we knew it, we were back in Taranaki. 

It’s somewhat bittersweet to be back.  Bitter because it means our travelling around without a plan (or jobs) has come to an end.  Sweet because we’re back on familiar territory.  We know our way around, where to shop and find free internet.  Now it’s time to find a flat and get some proper jobs…