KERERU !

This is one of my favourites, the kererū or New Zealand Pigeon.
This bird is only found here and no-where else in the world!
The Māori name is Kererū and they feed largely on fruits.
You know when a kereru flies past because it is the size of a large duck, with huge wings that make a ‘whump, whump’ sound overhead!



They are beautiful colours, a mixture of purple, gold, green, grey, white, orange and pink. They have red eyes and feet.
In spring they build flimsy, shallow, twiggy nests in pohutakawa trees, these then get hidden when they flower.
They make occasional soft coo sounds (hence the onomatopoeic name), and their flight pattern is very distinctive.
They ascend slowly before making impressively steep dives into fruit trees; all with this huge ‘whoosing’ sound.



At this time of year, spring for us, they sit on the kowphai trees and eat the nectar and fruits.
One of my favourite birds - see the blog on the Takahe for the other!

GISBORNE !

We're off to Gisborne, to explore another corner of New Zealand!

Gisborne is a seaside destination and its claim to fame is that is the first city in the world to see the light. something to do with the world's axis..
It is one of the sunniest places in New Zealand, and after the winter that is what we're looking for!



The Māori name for the region is Tairawhiti, which means 'the coast upon which the sun shines across the water'.
Gisborne is named after an early Colonial Secretary William Gisborne.
Whereabouts is it - well, about 5-6 hours from where we live.



The city of Gisborne is at the north end of Poverty Bay and it has white cliffs called Young Nick's Head because Captain James Cook's had evidently got fed up naming everything he was discovering, so he allowed the crew member who first saw it, to give it a name!
A memorial to Cook stands on the foreshore, marking the point where he first stepped ashore in New Zealand on October 8, 1769.




It is sometimes known as the City of Rivers as the centre of town is the convergence of three different rivers.
The last geological event here, of note, was in 2007, when the region was hit by an earthquake of Richter Magnitude 6.8. Let's hope that's the last one for a while!

WHAKATANE

Whakatane is pronounced fɒkəˈtɑːni in Maori and is a city in the Bay of Plenty where we are stopping off on the way to Gisborne, this holidays.

The town has a population of 18,000, which is a lot!
Around 40% have Māori ancestry.



Whakatane is the gateway to White Island (Whakaari), New Zealand's most active volcano, but we are saving our adventure there until Christmas.
Then I shall have story to tell my Uncle Bob!!



Whakatane has caused a stir on the internet, because it is censored by search engines (due to the pronunciation of the name).
Locally, the 'Wh' is pronounced as an 'F'.
The phenomenon of a name being blocked due to it being mistaken for an offensive term is known as the Scunthorpe Problem... and you know what that means!

THE ROAD TO PIHA !

Here's an advert, for car tyres, I think.
The road to Piha is very twisty turny and through forests of ferns and looming green trees.
It's the only time you'll drive through a rain forest!
Good practise for San Francisco!

JUST LOOK !

..
To give you a better idea of Lion Rock - here is a picture from the air...
Can you make out the volcanic crater that it 'plugs' ?
And the hugeness of the waves the surfers love?
Well, been there, done that, got the T shirt!

LION ROCK !

I climbed Lion Rock today .. something I've wanted to do for a while, but it's very steep and dangerous.
Lion Rock, is an icon of Piha Beach, and is actually an eroded remnant of an ancient volcanic plug.
It was also a fortified Maori pa.

So, today, despite the winds, I took my time and made it to the summit!
Frighteningly beautiful views and it's left me wanting to live here more than ever..



Lion Rock in the distance

This was the point that I returned to the car and got the camera - I was so going to record my attempt at climbing Lion Rock!



The steps up the rock - if you can call them steps!

These steps caused a little concern, they seemed to disappear and basically became a rock climbing exercise with occasional iron hoops set into the rock to hang on to.


The view from one side, half way up!

Spectacular view, you have to imagine the constant roar of the waves rolling in and the wind blowing fiercely against you.


The view the other side..

This side is The Gap and the waves smashing against the rocks - it was so violent that I couldn't even see any surfers.


View from the top!

Made it! There was a bench here, that some thoughtful person had put with an inscription in tiles at the side. Thank you!


Pou at the top

The significance of this rock, to Maori is illustrated by the carved guardian pou at the top.
The steep climb leads up to a lookout and you cannot climb to the top of Lion Rock due to the area’s Wahi Tapu significance. However, not knowing this, I did.



She gazes out to sea

The pou carving has curling fern shapes at the base and the eyes ar of paua shell.



Back at ground level

Made it down back to the beach and sat in the sunshine amongst the sea daisies.



View round the coast with spring flowers

Freshly roasted coffee from the Lion Rock cafe and a well-earned rest!

CHICKEN IN BLACK !

PET a Silkie chicken and you understand how it got its name.
The feathers are fine and flutter in wisps in the breeze.
Now, I need to make it clear that we don't intend to eat Froth or Tuppence - but I found some recipes for Silkie Chicken, and it really is black!
With a walnut-shaped crown of plumage, blue earlobes and feathers that come in a variety of colors, they are striking-looking birds, often raised for show.



Apparently Asian cooks love them for their deep, gamy flavor, even in the breast meat.
In an Asian home, most often a Silkie will be made into a deeply flavored, aromatic, amber-colored soup, simmered or steamed with ginger, ginseng, dried wolfberries and dried red dates, also known as jujubes.



The broth is usually served clear, but occasionally it has bits of meat in it.

Here's a recipe for you!

Time: About 1 hour 40 minutes

1 11/2 -pound black-skinned chicken, head and feet discarded, cleaned, rinsed and quartered

4 cups light chicken stock

1 cup Chinese rice wine

1 inch-long piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

1 small onion, peeled and quartered

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk

1 zucchini, trimmed, peeled, and cut into long julienne

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves.




1. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine chicken, stock, wine, ginger, onion, garlic, five-spice powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, until chicken is very tender, 1 to 11/2 hours. Remove chicken and set aside. Strain and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.

2. Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and add oil. When hot, add ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in curry paste, tomato paste and coconut milk. Add chicken, reserved cooking liquid and a pinch of salt.

3. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer. Add zucchini and simmer just until cooked, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in lime juice and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped basil, and serve.

Yield: 2 servings.