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!

182: obsession / passion

 

I guess this bookshelf shows a bit of an obsession, but I know other fine people who share it... The next escapade is in the plotting stages- probably involving Cluny to Le Puy, maybe as soon as next year...

PS: One of the fine people who walked the Camino with me has told me to call it a 'passion' rather than an obsession- and she is quite right!!! Blog post title duly amended.

43: Te Awe Awe

Te Peeti Te Awe Awe, Rangitane chief

This statue in the Square in Palmerston North commemorates the Rangitane chief, Te Peeti Te Awe Awe, who was born in 1820, and died at Awapuni in 1884.

And the blue sky is in stark contrast to some recent grey drizzly days, when I took photos of raindrops on spiderwebs.... And no, it is not 'photoshopped'... the sky really was this intense blue...

The French presence

After visiting Onuku I headed back to Akaroa -still before the heat of the day and the later rush of fellow tourists -to see a little more of the French connection.

My first stop en route back to town, was to the Catholic part of the Akaroa cemetery. I had visited here once before, as one of my great-uncles married a woman who hailed from here, and I had previously found her parents' headstone. Her father was named François, so I have presumed he is quite possibly French.

I was very surprised by what I saw in the cemetery. Akaroa is not all that close to Darfield where the recent huge earthquake was centred, and I wasn't expecting to find a damaged headstone. But there was in fact considerable damage to the headstone I was seeking, and to many others in the cemetery.

 

Yes, maybe this is a bit of a cliché shot, with the agapanthus flowers in front of the harbour view- but I am sure you don't mind seeing another pic of this beautiful harbour.

On the outskirts of Akaroa, near the coastline, is the 'Britomart' memorial, and it commemorates the raising of the British flag here in Akaroa.

The British flag was raised here on 11 August 1840, just days before the arrival of the French ship, L'Aube, carrying the first French settlers to the South Island.

 

In the centre of the Akaroa township, a different flag flies near the place where it is believed that the first French settlers came ashore.  Here the French are celebrated.

Whatever political power ploys were in action in 1840, today Akaroa is proud of the French part of its heritage.

(You can read more about the French colonists in Akaroa here.)

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.

Arrival in Akaroa

Given the weather I had encountered on the Summit Road, I wasn't expecting to have pleasant conditions for walking when I arrived in Akaroa. But the weather can change quickly on Banks Peninsula. I arrived at the camping ground- so crowded and regimented after the more relaxed camping ground at Okains Bay!- and found that by the time I had set up my tent, the temperature had definitely warmed up. So I headed steeply downhill via the local walkway into the township, (knowing I was going to have to climb all the way back up later...)

I had visited Akaroa once quite a few years before, and remember being enchanted by its village atmosphere, and by finding little surprises from the days of the early French settlers all over the place. But this time I was struck more by the brash tourist nature of the place, and didn't fall in love immediately. (Perhaps last time my first walk was in the quiet of the morning, a better time to quietly appreciate such things.) However, I soon began finding some 'treasures'. There was this old house with some quirky 'sculptures' on the side.
 

And the Catholic Church, much of it dating back to 1865- very old by New Zealand standards!- was a very peaceful, prayerful oasis of cool and quiet.

I did enjoy seeing the wide range of signs with French names on them all over Akaroa, but this large modern sign outside the petrol station was arguably the most impressive one of all.

There were still many houses that clearly dated back to colonial times.

I was feeling very hot and hungry after a few hours of wandering around the township, but couldn't quite bring myself to eat in a trendy tourist eatery. I was pleased then to find that the 'local' hotel had a family bar and restaurant area, and I had a long cool drink with lots of ice, then ate an excellent meal there.  

 

And finally, replete after that meal, I had to climb slowly back up the hill to the camping ground- noticing the bland, modern 'gendarmerie' building as I passed. 

8: Akaroa

Street sign in Akaroa 

Akaroa is one of the towns in New Zealand that most clearly shows our colonial history, with its many reminders that we very nearly became a French-speaking colony.

Taken 5.07pm 8.01.2011;       Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Shutter: 1/320     Aperture: f/4.0      Focal length: 12.61mm     ISO: 80

Okains Bay- Jan 4th

For my first morning at Okains I decided to just take it easy and take the 'low road' along to the remains of the Old Wharf. The waves were crashing in a little, so you could easily see why the track/cliffs were being eroded away.

 There was lots of evidence of the volcanic origin of this area, with many rock outcrops that seemed to have once been lava outflows, as well as these much softer red rocks that were perhaps originally more ash-like.

 You can see the remains of the Old Wharf in the distance. I didn't quite go all the way: the seas were a bit high and the track a bit narrow while I walked on my own.

 Later that morning, since the tide was low, I opted for a walk up the river estuary, a popular place for parents with young children. You can see it is quite overcast by now... a promise of even more cloud to come.

This white-faced heron was one of the birds feeding in the mud of the estuary.

 Following the estuary upstream for several kilometres, I eventually came to the village. Here you can see sheep grazing quite close to the local cemetery.

 The village garage had an array of interesting signs, but was 'out of petrol'.

Last time I was here, I visited inside the village church, but that wasn't an option this time. Even though Okains Bay is quite a distance from the Darfield earthquake epicentre, there was obvious damage to the old stone structure. Like so many historic stone and brick buildings in Canterbury, it has borne the brunt of the shaking.

Porangahau

Today I took a wee post-exam 'tiki tour' over Tararua way, exploring a few places I had never been before- like Porangahau, Herbertville and Pongaroa. I have a few(!) photos I'd like to share: I'll split them into five posts, that will appear in 'chronological order'. Hope you enjoy the tiki tour!

I travelled all the way north to Waipukurau first, before heading off the main road to drive south-east on Route 52. I was quite surprised to see how much wetland was in the area, and I guess I was seeing it at its wettest after all the spring rains we had.

I arrived at Porangahau and chose to see the beach first, a few kilometres past the village. The weather couldn't quite decide on its mood, and the easterly winds had whipped the sea up, making the northern hills look very misty in the distance.

 Fortunately the drizzle decided to finish its playtime, and the sun came out, bringing out all the colours in the southern headland.

 After some dawdling along the beach, I drove back to the village, and decided to have a look at the pioneer church, St Michael and All Angel's Anglican Church, built in 1880.

And in a far corner of the church cemetery was this very rural memorial to soldiers in WW2.