Gibbs Farm - 1

I seem to have been so busy lately, I have photos to post of a walk at the Taheke Falls and up Maungatapere Mountain but have been too tired at the end of the day to post them.  As well as doing numerous walks, visiting my hubby every other day there is general living and gardening going on.

Anyway, yesterday we, Doug and I, went on a bus trip to Gibbs Farm.  It is situated on the Kaipara Harbour, the largest harbour in the Southern Hemisphere.  Alan Gibbs bought the farm in 1991 - it is rolling countryside and is now scattered with major art works as well as various animals, zebras and giraffes to name a couple.

The farm is open once a month except January and is well worth a visit.  To read about the artworks go here

Anyway here are some of the photos I took.

This white faced heron was alongside the water at our morning tea stop on the way to the farm.

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