Northland Part 2

Mahinepua Peninsula Scenic Reserve (northeast of Whangaroa)

The DOC recommended this walk, and the views were just stunning.  We are learning that DOC tracks are very well maintained and walkable.  We saw and recorded a tui singing and several Australasian gannets plunging head first into the sea from as high as 60 feet.  Many times they emerged with a fish, ate it, and flew off to do it all again. We were very entertained as we ate our lunch under a tree near the beach.

Ecovalley - Night Tour of the Bush

We were fortunate to have a private guided night walk in the New Zealand bush for just the two of us.  Our guide was a young eco-conscious naturalist that owns 44 acres of bush and has worked to build his own house and get himself off the grid.  Our three hour tour started at 8:00 PM.  We heard many morepork calling (small New Zealand owl).  Tuis flew overhead with their distinctive whirring sound. Tuis have an enchanting call that are clusters of notes sung rapidly with melodic chimes, clicks, whistling bell notes and guttural croaks.  We also saw bush wetas (see picture of weta on the underside of a tree), fresh water crayfish, fresh water shrimp, native trout, and large moths.

The most exciting part of the evening was silently sitting on a bench in the bush while our eyes adjusted to the night, and behold in front of us appeared hundreds of glow worms. Then we sidled up a streambed in the dark to find a waterfall and a rock overhang with hundreds more glowworms looking like constellations in the sky.

Kauri Forest

We can’t seem to stay away from the forests here.  We returned to the Puketi Forest for some new walks.  You will see the view of kauri’s amazing bark as you look straight up the tree.

Today while pulling off the road to take a picture we saw a pukeko (a bird colored with prominent royal-blue feathers and a glossy red frontal piece and beak) and a white-faced heron.