TWIN KAURI !

We went on a tramp today (a common New Zealand pastime) off the beaten track, down ravines, up cliffs, through swamps and then, in the green gloom, you reach your goal - a kauri tree with twin bole, a scientific mystery..



Why the tree decides to split into two is a mystery and very rare. Kauri trees themselves, are impressive enough. It always makes us feel sad to imagine the huge kauri forests that must have existed and how magnificent these trees would have been.
The same feeling you get when you wander through the remnant of Sherwood forest, with its huge oak trees, and wonder where the rest went.



Here you can see the kauri 'bleeding' it's gum. Kauri gum hardens to something similar to amber, and just as valuable. The bark of the kauri trees shine out from the other trees in the forest. It's almost silver and the shape of the foliage is quite distinctive. They stand out among all the other trees.



Tomorrow we shall have a tree-fest and go to see some of the largest, tallest, fattest, oldest kauris that remain in New Zealand. Of course, these are nothing compared to what used to exist here. Mere babies of a past with awesome trees (in the true meaning of the word!)



For today though, we returned muddy and tired, but into sunshine and the girls cooking dinner.

CHRIST CHURCH !

We discovered the oldest Church in New Zealand (now we can add it to our list with the longest footbridge and tallest tower). It's called Christ Church - the oldest existing church, which was built in 1836 and still shows some of the old musket ball holes from the early wars, in 1845. It kept the girls busy, finding them!



It is an Anglican church and was built in 1836.
Two famous people contributed to the building fund - Samuel Marsden, the first missionary to come to New Zealand in 1814, and Charles Darwin who came ashore when the Beagle anchored in the Bay of Islands in 1835. (Bit strange to think that Charles Darwin sponsored a Church?!)



Where is the Church? On Church Street, of course!
The grounds contain the graves of some important people, including the Ngāpuhi chief Tāmati Wāka Nene



On all the pews were amazing tapestry cushions, with whales, dolphins, flowers and all sorts on, they were works of art! (I put one on the last blog)

RUSSELL !

Russell is a town in the Bay of Islands which is probably most famous for the number of times the British flagpole was cut down, by Hone Heke, a Maori chief (more on that later - but a brief explanation of the photo)



We arrived to bright sunshine and blue waters, lots of bouganvillae in full bloom and Virginia creeper on the walls of the shops...
It is a quaint town, one which Captain Cook visited in 1769, when it was an established settlement of various Maori tribes.



Its name at that time, was Kororareka, reflecting a legend that a wounded chief asked for penguin and on tasting the broth said " Ka reka to korora." (How sweet is the penguin.) That would be one of those cute, little, blue penguins that waddle around here!



Russell gained a bad reputation in the 1800s however, when the South Sea whalers found it to be a useful port. It became lawless and bawdy, earning the nickname Hellhole of the Pacific.
Hard to believe today, with the pleasure craft moored, cafes and ice-cream parlours, and a leafy walk through the historic remnants of the place.



Our little house for the week had an amazing view, we sat on the balcony and had breakfast with this view!



Greg and Sophia went kayaking and we had fresh snapper for dinner.



Lots of lovely bays and beaches, ice-cream every day, gorgeous coffee and beautiful boutique shops to browse in - next week we shall have to be more adventurous - we're in search of history..why flagpoles got cut down, and so on!

GOODBYE PORK PIE !

What is 'Goodbye Pork Pie' ?
Itis a 1981 film directed by Geoff Murphy and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. It's supposed to be one of New Zealand's most popular films.
To help you understand, it's New Zealand's equivalent of 'Easy Rider'!



It's all about a 19 year old, Gerry, who steals someone's wallet, takes on a false identity, uses the license in the wallet to rent a bright, yellow mini (nicknamed 'Pork Pie') and sets off on his adventures to South Island.
There's nudity, car chases, breaking the law, tangled romances and typical teenage obsessions throughout - try and find a copy!!

MINI CAR FUN RUN !

We arrived in Whangarei to the riverside jammed with minis! We discovered that 50 mini car enthusiasts were taking part in a drive from Kaitaia to Invercargill over the course of five days.



Their journey was based on the great New Zealand movie, "Goodbye Pork Pie".



They told us that it was also to celebrate the iconic car’s 50th birthday and to raise funds for the Starship Foundation.



Then they all set off on the four-day, 2900km "roadie" run, all beeping their horns and jammed into their cars ( heaven knows how they fitted enough luggae in for four days).


It was a weird sight! Such a British icon!

LONGEST FOOTBRIDGE !

We're off on holiday to the Bay of Islands, for a couple of weeks - looking forward to it, it's been a hard term!
The weather is looking good, the car is packed, and then some! And school is out!


We found the longest footbridge ever!



We travelled a fair bit on the first day, then after a good night's sleep Greg went diving off Poor Knights, while we went 'exploring' along the coast. We found ourselves on a coastal walkway, and on one side of the longest footbridge we'd ever seen!


Half way across the longest footbridge in the Southern Hemisphere

On the other side was a tiny town, with a single petrol pump, a fish and chip shop, ice-cream stall and loads of my students! We had a laugh and wandered down to the local pier, through fields of cows.


Sandy Bay with all the surfers

There were lots of beautiful bays, once you discovered them; this one was a surfers' paradise, with huge swells and soft sand. This area was the first to be settled by Europeans, and you can see why. Captain Cook arrived in 1769 and named it.


Sandy Bay

We headed back to pick up Greg and celebrated the start of the holidays. No more motels as of tomorrow - we shall have a house as our base tomorrow.
By the way, in a study, the Bay of Islands was found to have the second bluest sky in the world, after Rio de Janeiro. How do you measure blueness?

EASTER BUNNY !

Here is the fattest rabbit we've ever seen, bfore he was 'sheared' - he looks a bit grumpy!! - is he the Easter Bunny?