Monday's adventures
I was all set to post as I went along today - only to find that the very Northlands wasn't giving me internet. Waah! Oh well, let's see what I can do in the traditional way before I go to bed... *g*
I set off nice and early, because Cape Reinga is about three hours from Paihia, and I thought I might want to stop at places on the way too. In the end I did that on the way back, and it worked really well. So I headed north, again with no view of the sea, but rounded hills, the most winding road I've been on over some mountains (and I've driven over mountains in Greece) - this was like a slalom! Past the most gorgeous red trees, and wild turkeys! Which I couldn't stop to take photos of, unfortunately, but I promise - wild turkeys! I hadn't been expecting them... *g*
My trip this year is all about oceans meeting! At Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia it was where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. Today at Cape Reinga, by the lighthouse, it was where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. I'm not sure I've ever seen the place where seas meet before, and now twice in one trip. *g* See the waves going in two different directions, towards each other? How cool is that! Not to mention how spectacular the views were in general.
Cape Reinga is also a sacred Maori place - it's where the spirits of the dead travel to, to begin their journey to their next homeland. The first picture captures what it looked like best - colours and all.
The back down southwards again, accidentally past the giant sand dunes that I meant to stop and see, but that worked out for the best. Next I managed to find Ninety Mile Beach (and more to the point, my car survived the gravelled road getting there!) This is one of the places I knew about as a kid, and always wanted to see. Now I have - and it was completely worth it.
I didn't drive down it, because you're not allowed to with hire cars, but I walked out onto it, and looked in both directions, and... yes. Totally worth it. *g*
Further south, bound for the Kauri Gumdiggers Historical Camp, which was actually an ancient Kauri forest that was flattened by some catastrophic event, and eventually it produced gum, which could be used for all kinds of things, and turned into a massive industry (mostly to supply England). There were old huts and things there, and lots of manuka trees - aka teatrees, which I hadn't realised! So Manuka honey is actually made from teatrees, which amazes me... *g* Such a versatile plant!
Finally - here's what a kauri tree looks like when it's made into something else - I stopped at Kauri Unearthed on my way back next. It's basically a shop, but it has this in it...
A whole entire staircase in a tree! Not a small one either, it was perfectly roomy to walk up and down it...
Just beautiful, I thought... And the kauri wood they used there has been dated to 45,000 years ago...
And that's surely enough pictures, because now it's late and it's bedtime (and tonight I'm sharing with two nice girls, but one of them is... well, let's say a little manic... *g*
I set off nice and early, because Cape Reinga is about three hours from Paihia, and I thought I might want to stop at places on the way too. In the end I did that on the way back, and it worked really well. So I headed north, again with no view of the sea, but rounded hills, the most winding road I've been on over some mountains (and I've driven over mountains in Greece) - this was like a slalom! Past the most gorgeous red trees, and wild turkeys! Which I couldn't stop to take photos of, unfortunately, but I promise - wild turkeys! I hadn't been expecting them... *g*
My trip this year is all about oceans meeting! At Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia it was where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. Today at Cape Reinga, by the lighthouse, it was where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. I'm not sure I've ever seen the place where seas meet before, and now twice in one trip. *g* See the waves going in two different directions, towards each other? How cool is that! Not to mention how spectacular the views were in general.
Cape Reinga is also a sacred Maori place - it's where the spirits of the dead travel to, to begin their journey to their next homeland. The first picture captures what it looked like best - colours and all.
The back down southwards again, accidentally past the giant sand dunes that I meant to stop and see, but that worked out for the best. Next I managed to find Ninety Mile Beach (and more to the point, my car survived the gravelled road getting there!) This is one of the places I knew about as a kid, and always wanted to see. Now I have - and it was completely worth it.
I didn't drive down it, because you're not allowed to with hire cars, but I walked out onto it, and looked in both directions, and... yes. Totally worth it. *g*
Further south, bound for the Kauri Gumdiggers Historical Camp, which was actually an ancient Kauri forest that was flattened by some catastrophic event, and eventually it produced gum, which could be used for all kinds of things, and turned into a massive industry (mostly to supply England). There were old huts and things there, and lots of manuka trees - aka teatrees, which I hadn't realised! So Manuka honey is actually made from teatrees, which amazes me... *g* Such a versatile plant!
Finally - here's what a kauri tree looks like when it's made into something else - I stopped at Kauri Unearthed on my way back next. It's basically a shop, but it has this in it...
A whole entire staircase in a tree! Not a small one either, it was perfectly roomy to walk up and down it...
Just beautiful, I thought... And the kauri wood they used there has been dated to 45,000 years ago...
And that's surely enough pictures, because now it's late and it's bedtime (and tonight I'm sharing with two nice girls, but one of them is... well, let's say a little manic... *g*