Northland Part 4

Tane Mahata/Waipoua and Trounson Kauri Forests

We traveled south to Waipoua Forest where we saw the last unaltered forest of kauri trees in New Zealand.  Tane Mahata is the oldest (2,000 years old) and largest.  To give you an idea of the size, the tree could be milled to make 10 houses, its girth is over 42 feet, and it is over 55 feet to the first branch.  Can you find the two smiling faces in front of Tane Mahata?

The kauri bark flakes off in large pieces leaving interesting patterns on the trunk of the tree. The patterns on the trees are very similar to the Maori carvings and other pieces of artwork.

When we were walking in Trounson Kauri Forest, we spotted what we think to be a longfin eel in a small freshwater stream.  They live in freshwater streams far inland for 20 to 30 years, then swim to the ocean and travel to more tropical waters, spawn there, and die.  They are thought to be the largest eels in the world.

Full Moon

Our view of the recent full moon at 2 a.m. from our bach deck.

Pukeko

Earlier we mentioned the pukeko.  This bird is found in grasslands on both islands.  It is one of the more common endemic birds, because it has retained the power of flight, but just barely.  It can escape predators by roosting in trees.  The pukeko is a fun and well loved bird here.  You can find lots of artistic representations of the bird in gift shops. 

View of Coopers Beach from the Pa in Manganoui.

A pa is a historic Maori settlement.  This one is tiered.  On some levels they grew kumara (sweet potatoes) and other vegetables. 

Custard Apple

We tried an interesting looking fruit from the local market.  This fruit may be the sweetest fruit we have ever tasted.  It has a soft texture like custard.  There are lots of large inedible seeds in the middle.  Someone said that its taste is a combination of banana, pineapple and strawberry.  We don’t know what it tastes like really, but we liked it very much and would certainly have it again if we get the chance.

 We fly to Christchurch on the South Island on Sunday.  Our next posting will come from the Banks Peninsula.