The weather hasn’t been our friend.

As Doug said ‘Come up to the Winterless North they said. The weather will be warm they said’.

That would be a big NOT. 

But let’s start from the beginning. The weather will play a starring role in the posts over the next few days.

Our trip North to Paihia at the beginning of the week was quite eventful, including a trip to the big tree. 

Tane Mahuta – Lord of the Forest. 

To view Tane Mahuta, we firstly needed to clean our shoes. Not something I have ever had to do to view nature. Not a bad idea frankly. Plus we had to clean them on the way out. 

When we got to the tree we were absolutely blessed to be there at the same time as a large Māori whānau were paying homage to the tree and their ancestors. 

The  Koroua – the male elder of the family -was talking about the tree. In Māori.

Which I couldn’t understand. But I could absolutely appreciate the beauty and passion of his words. 

The whole whanau then sang a beautiful and harmonious version of auld lang syne. In Te Reo. It was amazing and very special. I may have had a little tear.

Prior to that we had stopped in Dargerville for lunch and for what I may say was THE BEST mussel, bacon and kumura chowder I have ever tasted. 

Not such a recommendation given I have never had that combination before. 

Quirky little cafe in the centre of town called Blah, Blah, Blah – thats really it’s name. 

The further north we went, the more it reminded me of north eastern Victoria.

Wangaratta to be specific. After a wet winter. Lush and green. Memories of a childhood visit I had there once. 

We got to Paihai in good time – our accommodation overlooks the beach. Not too shabby.

Our Travel Guide was worried that it may not be up to scratch but it’s absolutely perfect with a kitchenette, lounge room, sky channel, two TV’s and fully serviced.

Next day, which happened to be the public holiday to commemorate the passing of the Queen (Lizzy what a shame you didn’t make it to 100- truly), we headed to the site of the Treaty of Waitangi – signed 6 February 1840. In respect to the Queen, the museum was closed, but we did still manage a walk in the grounds. It’s a beautiful spot overlooking the water.

That afternoon, after our morning 10km walk, we headed for a short walk along the Waitangi Track.

We commenced the track at the Harura Waterfalls then followed Hutia Creek down to the Mangrove Forest Boardwalk. Absolutely stunning. 

But certainly not a short walk.

11.31km to be exact.

We all slept well that night.

P.S. Smithy you will see these boxes on your Queen Charlotte Track walk.

They are traps for Stoat, who pose a huge threat to kiwi and other wildlife in the area as they eat all the eggs. They are the number one killer of many of NZ’s endangered native species. Just so you know 😃