Sunday and the Waipoua Kauri Forest

Let’s see, I finished up Friday and Saturday. Now we’re on to Sunday. Sunday was a long day but we expected that. We left around 8 a.m. for a drive to the west side of the Northland to visit the kauri forest. I would say that these trees are similar to our redwood and sequoia trees in their enormous size and magnificence. The kauris used to be cut for timber and boat spars. These trees, along with several others, are now protected.

Before reaching the Waipoua Kauri Forest, we stopped in Omapere to view Hokianga Harbor where the Hokianga River ends in the Tasman Sea.

We pulled into the car park to walk out to the scenic view location. When we drove into the car park, there was only one other vehicle there and the side driver window was smashed in with broken glass laying on the ground and on the driver’s seat. We saw a couple out on the lookout point taking picture and didn’t know if that was their vehicle or not. Ernie decided to stay in the van and I went to take pictures. Wound up talking to them and we walked back to the car park together. I hadn’t said anything to them about the vehicle since I wasn’t certain it was theirs and I didn’t want to be the one to spoil their moment.  Unfortunately, it was their vehicle. They were from Auckland and up for the weekend. Not only did the thieves break into the vehicle and take a few items from inside, they also broke into the trunk and took their suitcases, her purse, and several other items they ha purchased. We felt so bad for them.  We wound up staying with them until they got the police on the line and knew that police were on their way.  They did say that there was another car in the park when they arrived and they thought it was a little suspicious but decided to do to the lookout anyway. We left them in capable hands but with some concern for our next stops. As I said in my earlier posts, we had come to some car parks that appeared dodgy (great NZ word isn’t it?) and chose not to stay. This event just cemented that idea and confirmed that we needed to be aware of our surroundings and trust our gut feelings.

So, onto the Waipoua Forest to see Tane Mahuta Ngahere (translates to the Father of the Forest).

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Note the man standing in the forest in the second photo. That gives you some idea of the true size of this tree. Tane Manuta Mgahere is believed to have the widest girth of any living kauri in NZ and is possibly the oldest also, 2000 years old. We then walked on to the four sisters. When you see the photo, you will understand the name.

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Continuing on with our walk , we arrived to Te Matua Ngahere (God of the Forest.) This is the largest kauri tree in NZ and is estimated between 1200 – 2000 years old. At 51 meters, it is much taller than Te Matua Mgahere but doesn’t have the large girth. Check out the close-up of the bark in the last photo. I’d like to see a faux finish of that!

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We then passed the Kai Iwi lakes on our drive home. Their claim to fame is the extreme blue water.

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