HOKIANGA 3

On our full day in the Hokianga we went to the Heads where we could see the waters meeting at the bar and the wonderful Hokianga Sandhills.

We went in to Rawene stopping off at the Memorial to Opo, the Dolphin, on the way.

The Ferry runs between Rawene and Kohukohu.

Apart from having morning coffee with a delicious lemon cake and lunch of flounder cooked in foil at the Boatshed Cafe we also walked around Rawene including the boardwalk through the mangroves.  The photo below is the only one I seem to have of that walk.

We then went on the road south to a puzzle museum and shop and outside found this lifesize elephant which was previously at Auckland Zoo.

Just by the Puzzle place was a bush walk to a waterfall.

                                     

                                   

Hokianga - 2

After the Mangungu Mission we visited the Wairere Boulders.  A Swiss Couple bought the property which was covered in gorse in 1983 and, as the gorse was cleared, they discovered the boulders.  It is fascinating and the boulders are basalt which is not usually known to have fluting as it is too hard.  see here

There is one main walk and two additional smaller walks. We did them all and it took about two hours.  In some places one climbed over rocks, in others squeezed between two rocks and others ducked into low holes.

                                              We had to go through here
                                  

                                         

see here

Hokianga

On Tuesday we went to the Hokianga for a couple of nights staying at the Copthorne in Omapere.  We went the long way around as we wanted to go to some attractions in the Horeke area.

The first was the Mangungu Mission House.  It is still on winter hours so we were unable to go inside  but the view of the upper reaches of the Hokianga Harbour are magnificient.

We set off on a lovely spring morning.

The photo below is of Lake Omapere. with a farm pond in the foreground.

The next two photos are of the Harbour (at low tide) taken from beside the Horeke Tavern

Photos taken from the Mangungu Mission House.  Its history is interesting as it was shipped down to Auckland and much later shipped back up again. see here

The lovely cat that greeted us there.

KAWAKAWA - 4

After our trip on the train we returned to Whangarei via  Ruapekapeka Pa which was the site of the last battle in the north 1845-6. see here

 This tree was so large I had to take a photo of it's base and then the top.

and home to Kamo.  Kawakawa is just a leisurely 45 minute drive from home and we had both driven past many times but had a really enjoyable day.