Rangihoua Heritage Park

We got out for a visit out to Rangihoua Heritage Park this morning - this is a place the other half has been itching to see for a while.

From the top of the walk way this was the view we had of the Kerikeri Inlet Harbour - so beautiful on a sunny Spring day like today. From the top it was about a 30 minute walk to the coast and along the way we trekked along a slightly muddy 4 wheel drive track. 

Rangihoua Pā and Kainga (village) was the local town at the time of the mission settlement, home to many hundreds of people including Chief Ruatara, Māori leader and friend of Reverend Samuel Marsden. The people of Rangihoua Pā were the protectors of the settlement in its early days.

Today only a few terraces remain of the first European settlement established by the Church Missionary Society at Rangihoua Bay in 1814. In 1832, the settlement moved to more fertile land at Te Puna, a few kilometres to the west.

Lots of Kowhai trees around our area at the moment too - their name in Maori means "yellow".

The Park was established by the Marsden Cross Trust Board together with its partners Ngāti Torehina, the Rangihoua Native Reserve Board and the Department of Conservation. The prime objective is to inform and educate the people of New Zealand and visitors from abroad of the significance of Rangihoua and the events of 1814 and the years that followed.

Marsden Cross (above) marks where the Reverend Samuel Marsden preached his first sermon on Christmas Day 1814. That line of trees in the above photo is where the track started at the top and carried on along down the hill.

There are cultivation lines running down the slope that may be the gardens Marsden’s travelling companions referred to as “plantations of kumara, potatoes and other vegetables”. 

The terraces that you can see on this slope today are where the missionaries’ homes were and also the country’s first school house. 

So it was back towards the way we came but firstly through this short native bush walk. Next weekend another adventure...

Mystery object at Taupo Bay

When B and I stopped at Taupo Bay a few months ago on our Northland journey we spotted this strange looking thing on the beach with pieces of driftwood in it.

At first I thought it was some kind of sink or basin then we realized it looked like an old washing machine bottom, like one of the retro wringer ones our parents probably had. Looks like it's been well used.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday.

Totara North Container Artwork...

Totara North is one of those tiny settlements in the upper north island just out of the Whangaroa Harbour. Apart from a few warehouse buildings and fishing boats it didn't take us long to drive through...however being from a small town myself discovering places like this is what I love the most.

We spotted this old redecorated shipping container down by the wharf near the water's edge. Whoever is responsible is very clever don't you think?

Winter skies over Tawharanui

Last winter I was playing around with the panorama function on my cellphone and happened to catch this awesome photo of a place I use to spend alot of time at - the Tawharanui Peninsula is just north of Auckland and is an amazing place to enjoy the scenery and do some fishing, both surf casting and out in a boat. This shot of stormy skies reflecting on the water in the low tide over the patterns on the sand is a glimpse of what winter in New Zealand is all about - days hibernating inside and seeing sights like this.

For more Skywatch Fridays click here :-)

Getting back out with my camera this time to Tanoa

This weekend for us kiwis has been Labour Weekend, the true beginning of Spring and what a weekend its been. Yesterday was such a beautiful warm day that the teens and I drove out to see one of my besties...Liz over at Mad Bush Farm who lives in Maungaturoto - a town about 20 mins from here. A decision to drive out to Tanoa on the Kaipara coast was greatly received, anything to get 4 teenagers out of the house and into the fresh air right?  This was the scenery that greeted us - wow, right?

Apart from two fisherman pushing their boat out from the shore and a ferry, the Kewpie Too doing a cruise around the area we were pretty much the only ones there.

There is a beautiful historic house out at Tanoa -

Batley House was built in 1866 and is now owned by locals Rex and Rae Roadley, apparently it has been restored nicely to virtually how it use to originally be apart from the addition of a modern kitchen.

Hows this for a stunning view?  Cool, calm clear water and green hills as far as the eye can see. This is one place we will be going back for seconds! oh and btw I have 5 days to go until I get my cast off - awesome!