Before heading north into Northland, we spent a couple of days in Auckland with Haven and Keith, friends of Nat's from Cornell
Waipoua Forest
This forest preserve holds some remnant kauri forests. Damn big. This is one of the smaller ones. Near here is Tane Mahuta ("Lord of the Forest") which is 45' in circumference.
This forest preserve holds some remnant kauri forests. Damn big. This is one of the smaller ones. Near here is Tane Mahuta ("Lord of the Forest") which is 45' in circumference.
'90-mile beach' heading north towards the northern tip of the island
The treaty house at Waitangi
This is where the treaty granting the British rights to New Zealand was signed.
This is where the treaty granting the British rights to New Zealand was signed.
Rupert along the coast
Bay of Islands. Looking out towards the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior. After the French gave their opinion on opposition to nuclear testing, the hulk of the Rainbow Warrior was hauled to the Bay of Islands to be an artificial reef. The three of us dove it. A nice dive with piss poor visibility. But it was still pretty inspiring that the ship is able to live on as a habitat
Just about to the northern tip of NZ
Cape Reinga
the northern tip of the north island
the northern tip of the north island
near Cape Reinga
this flowering yucca reminds you how much latitude New Zealand crosses. Here it is truly sub-tropical, by the time you get to Steward Island and the roaring 40s come in off the Southern Ocean, it is a different world completely...
this flowering yucca reminds you how much latitude New Zealand crosses. Here it is truly sub-tropical, by the time you get to Steward Island and the roaring 40s come in off the Southern Ocean, it is a different world completely...
dunes near 90 mile beach
I took this shot because of the surreal interface between the edge of the dunes and the forest. The difference in reflectivity alone made looking back at the forest a bit strange
out near the Coromandel peninsula
Miranda Shorebird Center, near Coromandel