Finding Flagstaff Hill

On Monday we drove over to Russell in the Bay of Islands.  We drove through many roads and just as we were about to return home I spotted a signpost directing up a long driveway to the Flagstaff Hill Reserve on top of a high hill - this was the view over Russell from the top and was a very very windy Spring day.

On one side of the hill was this large sculpture and mosiac floor of the Bay of Islands with various plaques explaining what once happened.  This whole area is classed as a historic place as the union jack was first flown here in 1840 before being chopped down 4 times until 1845 as a symbolic gesture against the British rule.

 

One sign at the entry says "In 1834 the chief Hone Heke presented a flagstaff to James Busby, a British resident at Waitangi. It was to fly New Zealand's first flag, the Flag of the United Tribes. 11 years later the flagstaff had become a focus of protest and bloody fighting between the Maori and British."

In 1832 Flagstaff Hill was made a historic reserve under the management of the Bay of Islands Maritime and Historic Park. Today the flagstaff and the reserve are under the care of the Department of Conservation.

Linking up with My Corner of the World.

Morena Rangitoto!

When I was growing up as a child in the suburbs of Auckland my mother use to take my siblings and I up to the top of this mountain in Devonport. Mount Victoria, where I took this photo however it's the volcanic landscape in the distance that interests me more.

Rangitoto Island is volcanic and located in the Hauraki Gulf. It is 5.5km island and measures in height 260m. "Rangitoto" is maori for "bloody sky" and is the youngest and largest of around 50 volcanoes in the Auckland area. It erupted approx 600 years ago. It is not dead like most volcanoes but dormant (asleep) and could erupt again at any time. I've never been there, you have to get there by boat and it is now managed by the Department of Conservation, the Ngai Tai and Ngati Paoa tribes.

Visitors are not allowed to take dogs or other animals onto the island and after many years of trying to get rid of rats, stoats, mice, cats, goats, deer, wallaby and possums it is now pest free. North Island Saddlebacks are prevalent there after once being threatened into extinction and Kaka birds once lived there before colonization.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

Our Oystercatchers Harry and Sophie

Meet Harry and Sophie, Mount Maunganui's resident Oystercatchers. Every year they come to our main beach to nest and raise babies.

The Department of Conservation are pretty good at putting up cordons around the nest along with sandbags to protect the chicks.

We carefully walked around the area and I managed to get this photo of the baby that's hatched out this year. Looks like he/she is quite happy.

People have been pretty good at staying away from the nest and there is a no dog policy on this part of the beach. Hopefully this family can keep coming back here in years to come.