We visited Kawau Island in the sunshine, which was purchased by Sir George Grey (the then governor) in 1862. It's a sub-tropical island of about 5000 hectares, and very beautiful; heavily wooded on the side we dropped anchor, with the shipwreck and copper mine visible.
The copper mine ruins
Sir Grey was an enthusiastic collector of plants and animals from around the world & between 1862 and 1888 he spent a fortune developing Kawau as his island home, planting hundreds of different plants and introducing many exotic animals like wallabies, kookaburras, weka, peacocks, zebras and monkeys. He was friends with Charles Darwin!
Dog in the kayak, by the shipwreck
The shipwreck
His home is known today as Mansion House, & is now in public ownership. The house is the closest to National Trust that I've come across, it has a valuable collection of antique furnishings and is open to the public.
Mansion House from the gardens
It is called "a historic place"!!
We also stopped at the old copper mine and what was left of the smelting factory - my bit of NZ history for the week..
Mansion House from the jetty
Aerial view
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