Tuesday - Paihai

Tuesday

Woke up to a wild and windy morning… what’s going on? The locals assured us that it would get better later.

Headed out in the rain… we’re only here for a few days so no time to waste. 

Walked to Waitangi Treaty Grounds which commemorates the treaty between the British  and the Maori people of New Zealand. I learnt a lot about the history of the country and the part Britain had in its development. 

The grounds are magnificent and there has been a huge amount of work to restore them to their natural state…pre sheep station times. It’s a haven for birds which were hugely important in Māori culture. We saw some  beautiful Eastern Rosella…such a vibrant red! 

Had lunch in the cafe then walked to some local waterfalls. Such an exciting walk with different trees and ferns all around us. We got to walk on boardwalks through the mangrove trees!. Along the route there were many stoat traps as they are the main predator of the endangered kiwi bird. 

The water fall was forceful though not from a great height. We took a different route back to the Motel, including a walk along the sea front.

What a difference a day makes… this evening we are eating and drinking en terasse as the sun sets on a warm evening.

We’ve booked a boat trip tomorrow morning and then we head for Rotorua south of Auckland 

A bit of a wet start

This duck was after our lunch (there’s a theme developing here!)

Rainforest trek

Mangrove forest