The next day in Hokianga we woke to a much nicer day, so we decided to take a boat-ride over to the dunes, complete with body-boards. Although the dunes I surfed further up at the cape with Dad were bigger, these go straight into the ocean. Good fun, but a killer trying to get back up again. Mum even had a go and enjoyed herself(despite shouting “shit, shit, shit” at the top of her lungs on the way down)
and a couple of clips:
This is Rainbow Falls, Kerikeri, Northland – February 2007 when Dad & I visited:
Rainbow Falls – November 2007 when Mum, Bro and I visited:
We decided to head West across the Northlands, from the Pacific to the Tasman sea. After a bit of car trouble (faulty battery), we managed to get started and travelled to the Hokianga Harbour. The first thing you see when arriving is the massive sand dune across the bay. We still had the stormy weather with us, so grabbed a few snaps, and settled down in a great room overlooking the whole harbour.
Seagulls always get a bad rep – they’re common, they scavenge, are loud, and bully. I think that the more we are surrounded by something (be it landscape, architecture, animals, plants) the less we see it. I’m sure you’ll agree that they are pretty striking looking birds. I think these guys are Red-billed Gulls, known locally as Mackerel Gulls or Tarapunga in Māori.
After Waitangi we took the car ferry over to Russell (a photo from the visit with dad here). Russell is a great little place, white picket fences, that sort of thing, and was the capital for a short amount of time.
Here’s a clip I grabbed of an Australian Gannet diving for fish off the Russell Pier. He was very close, so missed him hitting the water – but he got what he wanted so all is good:
First full day in the Bay of Islands we headed to the Waitangi Treaty grounds. For non-kiwis reading this, Waitangi is the birth place of modern New Zealand. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6, 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and Māori tribal leaders. The Treaty made New Zealand a British colony. However it’s still the centre of much disagreement and strife in NZ, mainly over land ownership. Two copies were drawn up, one in English and Māori, which differed greatly in wording, and not all Māori tribes were represented at that original signing.
Waitangi is now a beautifully kept reserve and full of birdlife:
Luck wasn’t with us when we set off for the Bay of Islands. New Zealand weather being unpredictable at the best of times, we had rain pretty much the whole 3 days we spent there (with one sunny day at the end). We had the same motel Dad and I stayed in booked for Guy Fawkes night. Despite the weather, it was a great motel to stay in. Mum and Alex were given some free snapper (very popular NZ edible fish), which got them hooked for the rest of the trip.
Yup, Guy Fawkes night is celebrated here too, although it’s not called Bonfire night, and I think the meaning is probably a bit lost…
and this is for dad:
With the help of Matt, decided to show Alex and Mum the rugged West Coast of Auckland which I last visited back in August
Photos by both Alex and I:
We then headed back to Auckland via Mount Eden:
Mum and Alex spent the first weekend in New Zealand having a look around Auckland. All photos by bro:
My flat:
Took them up the skytower on the Friday night to watch the sunset and have a great meal (last time was with Dad back in February!
Our flat is somewhere in the middle there:
Don’t look down! Glass floor…
Going down:
Also the Auckland Nightlife…
