Northland- east coast

I spent a lot more time on the eastern side of Northland- but am running out of time for blogging with a return to work looming- so you might just get a few highlights!

First up is the amazing bridge at Taipa. I parked and walked back to look at it properly and was so glad I did. On one 'prow' is a shag and on the other is a whale diving. There was a plaque dedicated to Sire Heke-nuku-mai-nga-iwi Puhipi, who was a master waka builder and celestial navigator, and who had been involved with the building of many bridges in Northland.

I stopped at several beautiful bays on the way south- then stopped for longer at Kerikeri, where I was a teacher many years back in just my second year of teaching. There have been many changes since then. It was nice to enjoy some rare sunshine this day!

 There used to be a bridge here but there was some serious flooding, and now there is a majorly changed route.

 The Stone House stands here still. You could enter now as it is a shop- when I was living in the area it was closed all the time.

 I was disappointed to find I couldn't enter Kemp House though. I bought a Heritage NZ membership this year, but so far have only managed to use it once in Russell- many places are either closed or only open on Sundays.

 St James church in Kerikeri.

 There was lots to see wandering in Russell. I did a guided tour of Pompallier House that was incredibly informative about how the Catholic missionary station printed material in Maori. I also noticed some prominent graves in the Russell cemetery.

 There was more light shed on this one to a Ngapuhi chief when I visited Ruapekapeka Pa a few days later. He was fighting with the British against other members of Ngapuhi in the last of the northern wars.

 There was a lot to take in at Waitangi. There is a new museum to members of the Maori Battalion. I found it extremely moving, and actually left in tears. One day I hope to go back and view it more.

The government is clearly making good on its promises that we should all be able to learn more about the New Zealand Wars. The Ruapekapeka Pa site has had a lot of work done with infrastructure near it like paths and parking. Again it was a very moving, and somewhat sombre, place to visit.

Last photo in this blog post is of Whangarei Falls. Great track to walk around to see it from various angles and heights.

Storms were promising as I drove south finally to spend some time with my niece. One day I will return when it is all perhaps slightly warmer and drier!
This blog post is really just skimming the surface, but work is calling!

Onuku

I used all my Camino-skills to rise from my tent in the camping ground quietly yet early, and was on the road towards Onuku, with its marae and church, before 7.30am. Onuku lies about 5km from Akaroa, and it was set aside as a Maori reserve in 1856, following the confiscation of much of the land around Akaroa harbour from Maori.

This is the marae building at Onuku. As a visitor, I would have needed to be invited onto the marae to go any closer: this photo was taken from the gate.

Just past the marae, you come to this historic church, opened in 1878 as a non-denominational place of worship.

 

 This is part of a carving that stands outside on the lawn, outside the church doors.

This simple but beautifully carved altar sits inside the church, and an inscription at its base says it was presented by Sir Heaton Rhodes in 1940. On top of it sat a thank you gift from some children to the marae- a card with some shells.

The windows of the church gave views to the harbour outdoors.

And the morning sunlight came in through the windows to cast gentle light over the pews.

And just to finish, a more mundane theme... On the shore side of the road stood this shed- and you might have noticed I tend to take photos of some of these old buildings.

And to end this post: a close-up of the door lock.

Square Sunshine

It was far too glorious today to stay indoors, so I walked down to the Square and took some more photos.

And yesterday I discovered how I could export a slideshow with sliding panels.... so..... I have uploaded a version to YouTube. (This is lower quality as upload speeds in NZ are sloooooooow. If any of my teaching buddies know a local teacher doing anything on the Square or Palmie.... they are welcome to contact me for a higher quality copy!)

Anyhow.... here it is: summer and autumn sunshine in the Square..... Enjoy!!