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Northland and the Far North
Since we wanted to visit both the Northernmost and the Southernmost point on mainland New Zealand, we decided to head Northwards first.
Our first stop on the way northward was Tutukaka, which is the starting point for expeditions to the Poor Knights Islands. The Poor Knights Islands are said to be the Galapagos of New Zealand. The reason for this is, that it lies on the East Australian Current (known from the documentary Finding Nemo), which in summertime regularly brings warm water and fish eggs. This means that around these islands one can encounter tropical fish, which are normally not found at this latitude. On the other hand the rich water flow attracts large pelagics such as huge swarms of Eagle Rays and in very rare circumstances even a Whale Shark.
We were too early for this, but the diving was still very exciting. In cold 16° Celsius water we found lots of Kelp, small Anemones, some corral, Morays, Angelfish, Scorpionfish, Kingfish, Nudibranches, an Octopus and much more. Since Scuba Diving was not the main focus of this vacation, I left my underwater camera at home, so unfortunately, I can only share the pictures that our dive guide took. You can see some pictures in this Facebook post.
During the surface interval we saw a couple of New Zealand Fur Seals on the rocks and could enter the largest Sea Cave in the World (our whole ship fitted inside!).
All in all we had an excellent day.
From Tutukaka we headed Northwards through the region called Northland. We stopped in Mangonui for the night. On the way to dinner we spotted a "Caution Penguin Crossing" sign, but saw no Penguins. However, we did encounter a very friendly Pied Shag (who, according to some people, nearly looks like a pinguin).
From Mangonui we headed to Cape Reinga, the Northernmost light house in New Zealand and the Northernmost point that can easily be accessed. It is located in the region called Far North (the New Zealanders were very innovative when giving names ;) ).
Cape Reinga was extremely busy with tourists, so we headed to Spirits Bay, which only featured a campground, and spent a quiet evening with almost no one around.
Heading back South we stopped at the Kai Iwi Lakes. The largest of which, Lake Taharoa, featured a white sandy beach and a water colour that would put the South Pacific to shame. There is an easy 2 hour walk around it on which we saw the full beauty of the surrounding landscape.
Our last stop in Northland was the very informative Kauri Museum, which features lot of displays depicting rooms and houses from the early settlement and especially everything that had to do with the Kauri tree industry (heavy machinery, a sawmill, lots of samples from different trees).Labels: diving, new zealand, pictures, traveling
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