Jen and I just got back from a weekend up in Paihia, which was amazing for a number of reasons. First, check out the view from our Airbnb rental (above) and second, check out the fact that we were walking around barefoot (also above) because it was so warm-- and because that's what people do in New Zealand. :)
First on the agenda, we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. This is a BIG deal in New Zealand. New Zealand seems a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to thinking/talking/doing something about their history of colonization, so I kind of expected it to be a thoughtful take on New Zealand history, reconciliation efforts, reparations, etc. It wasn't really. The whole thing seemed like a giant missed opportunity and not at all in line with what I've seen at other moments during my time in New Zealand.
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We also visited the Hokianga Harbour, in hopes of checking out some huge sand dunes where you can rent body boards and surf. The weather got in the way of that plan, but instead we found an amazing secluded beach and watched/experienced a storm rolling in.
Once it started pouring, we headed to the Waipoua Kauri Forest to look for Tane Mahuta the biggest tree in New Zealand. We found it! Pretty sure you can't understand the giant-ness of this tree, so you'll just have to take my word for it. It's huge! There were others that were giant as well, but none as big as Tane Mahuta. Some fun facts, courtesy of the DOC website:
- Trunk girth: 13.77 m
- Trunk height: 17.68 m
- Total height: 51.2 m
- Trunk volume: 244.5 m³
The trees were amazing, but the best part of this day trip was seeing the west coast countryside. The region is called Northland and it's noticeably more tropical, rural, and Maori than anywhere else I've been in the country. It's just as pretty as the rest of the country, but in a more relaxed, less shocking way than the South Island.
Our weekend ended the next morning with a kayaking trip in the Bay of Islands. It was so pretty! The two islands you see in the picture below have beaches on the opposite side, so we stopped, went for a quick swim, and then continued onwards. Afterwards, we kayaked up the Waitangi River and saw Haruru Falls, but since we've indulged on waterfalls the past month, we've become waterfall snobs and they didn't seem quite as amazing as advertised. But it was fun and the current carried us all the way back out to sea!
Our weekend ended the next morning with a kayaking trip in the Bay of Islands. It was so pretty! The two islands you see in the picture below have beaches on the opposite side, so we stopped, went for a quick swim, and then continued onwards. Afterwards, we kayaked up the Waitangi River and saw Haruru Falls, but since we've indulged on waterfalls the past month, we've become waterfall snobs and they didn't seem quite as amazing as advertised. But it was fun and the current carried us all the way back out to sea!