Back to the travelogue: Rawene and points south west

Mid February: After Waitangi, and based on looking after my neck and shoulders we decided not to head further up into Northland - it is a long way and the additional driving is a bit of pain - literally.

So we headed for the west coast, with our day due to finish at Rawene. We have never been there but we know of it as friends used to live there. 

They never told us it was comprised of hills, hills and more hills!

And the holiday park is at the top of what felt like the highest one. The GPS said turn left, turn right, turn left and the entrance is 200 metres on the left. What it didn't say is that I would need to get down into 1st gear to get around the right-angled corners that involved continuous increases in altitude! And it didn't say that the entrance was also around a corner with an altitude increase!

The office was at the top of the hill, and our powered sites were part of the way down the other side - and around a right angled corner (on a downhill this time) just before the swimming pool... David got out of the motorhome and walked down - a man of no courage. But I did feel the need to engage the lowest gear that's only for use on steep downhill pieces.

But the view was wonderful! 

Natali, who lives in Parkwood, tells me that she lived one bay over from where we were, and this was her view too!

We were the first ones there and could choose whichever sites we wanted; so naturally we chose the ones with the best views - looking out over part of the Hokianga Harbour. The harbour is huge!!

The Hokianga Harbour covers a total intertidal and water area of 11,065 hectares, making it New Zealand's fourth-largest harbour. The massive tidal inlet spans a navigable length of roughly 30 km inland from the Tasman Sea, splitting into the Waihou and Mangamuka Rivers near Kohukohu. 

Intertidal Composition: The harbour hosts over 2,371 hectares of mangrove forest and roughly 850 hectares of pristine saltmarsh.

 Geographic Feature: The inlet is a classic drowned river valley system, formed approximately 12,000 years ago as the last ice age receded and sea levels rose. 

Anyway, back to the motorcamp:

 

You can see by the fact that the Holiday Park is in a white section of the map that it is very high up!

 We were joined later by about 4 other vehicles who didn't have such a lovely view - we three agreed that it pays to be early!

While I did a bit of work, Julia and David took a walk down (and I mean down: right down to sea level) to the town with a short list of things to purchase from any grocery store they could find. They came back looking remarkably fresh considering they had been playing the part of mountain goats, and declared that before we left the following day we needed to go down so I could see it for myself. 

 We were off to bed early, and when I woke the next morning, I found Julia sitting on the outer deck at the bench - she was happy to receive her coffee there while she caught up on line with her UK-based entourage.

Leaving the site was just as spectacular as arriving - down down down through the bushclad driveway, with caravans and campers dotted in between the trees. And then down down down to the town where I successfully parallel parked on a slope. Handbrake firmly on, reverse gear selected - there is no Park option in a Fiat Ducato.

We checked out the shops and the one I was particularly keen to see was the Puzzle Shop that Natali from Parkwood had told me about. What a beaut place - small and very full. I bought two jigsaws - one for my sister Dee who loves jigsaws. This one was quite diabolical as it has a picture on both sides, so every piece needs to be sorted and determined for its up or downside! Mean, eh? And the front and back pictures were very similar ... The other puzzle was for the Lodge residents here at Parkwood. It had tulips and looked beautiful.

The couple who own the shop have been there for many years, and they remembered Natali, as well as remembering our friends who taught there way back in the late 60s and 70s. 

We bought some fruit and veg at a very Julia-type shop and then headed away. 

Natali had also told me we needed to stop at Omapere and at the entrance to Hokianga Harbour, and also at Manea Footsteps of Kupe... So we did sightseeing and the countryside is beautiful. Roads are narrow and winding so you need to take care.

We stopped at Omapere School and saw the pou carved by the children. Very impressive and after our visit to Ruapekapeka, we are very keen on pou!  

The pou at Omapere School

This korowai was made and donated to the school. It is displayed in the admin area. I had gone in just to let them know we were admiring at the pou. FYI, most schools in NZ are wide open to visitors. None of the high fences and locked gates!

We wanted to visit the Footsteps of Kupe exhibition but there was a one hour wait and we needed to keep going so we could visit Tane Mahuta and the Kauri Shop at Kaihu. We did stop at the Arai Te Uru Reserve and walked to the Signal Station Lookout at the southern entrance to Hokianga Harbour.

 

Our intention was to go and see Tane Mahuta in the Waipoua Forest. It's amazing how the terrain changes suddenly from hilly and farmland to kauri forest - and that is just beautiful. Intense, deep and amazing. What is terribly sad is that most of the countryside was formerly kauri forest - but such a huge amount of it was chopped down. 

The forest floor here in NZ is very different from English woods. The undergrowth is dense here.

Not the best shot. However that is Tane Mahuta from about 100 metres away. It is enormous. It is not the largest kauri in the forest, but it is the tallest.

 

As we drove away I got David to take this photo of two kauri, one either side of the road. This forest used to be full of them, as did a significant portion of the countryside around here. It was ruthlessly cut down and milled in the mid to late 1800s. There is a Kauri Museum in Matakohe - David and I visited it last time we were up here and I cried at the loss.

We stayed a couple of nights at a motorcamp in Dargaville. It was a lovely place - very clean and the sites were spacious. And we got all the laundry done while we were there! There were very few people in the place which is a shame. The problem is, I think, that Dargaville is not a tourist place so people tend to stop off to shop and then drive on. We wanted to stop because we needed to pace ourselves and not be driving such long days. While I did some work one day, David and Julia went to visit the Dargaville Museum - apparently it was pretty special. But quite a long way away from the centre of town - up on top of a hill. It was a museum of machinery, farm and forestry, I think. Julia said that our mutual friend John would have loved it.

We headed then for Matakohe, the township with the Kauri Museum that David and I went to last time we were up in the north. This time, I just would not go. We told Julia about it, but she turned it down too.

However we met Leslye there. Leslye is Melita's mum and we had lunch together in the cafe before she headed back to Tinopai. I have a feeling we blobbed that afternoon... It turned out that the man who now runs the motorcamp also owns the one David and I used to stay at in Tauranga when we visited Barry and Pauline.

We had decided that we would cut short our trip north of Auckland - having not gone further north than Waitangi, we had cut a fair few days of travelling. So we organised to return Julia's camper (Bessie) a few days before the due date.

So that we could deliver Bessie back to Whitford, we needed to find somewhere to stay that was north of Auckland city and within easy reach for a Sunday return across the Harbour Bridge and with no rush hour traffic. Do you know how hard it is to find a place that meets those criteria - almost everywhere seemed to be a regional council property and they were closed for reservations over the weekend and inaccessible by phone.

Definitely worth staying here, even though it looks a bit dodgy when you go in.

 

David who has much more patience than me, surprise surprise, took over the search. He found the Auckland North Shore Motels and Holiday Park, between Hillcrest and Northcote. I phoned and booked and thought it sounded rather casual. When we arrived we thought it was a strange looking place, crowded entrance, lots of terraced cabins/motel units around the outside and caravan/motorhome sites in the middle.  There were lots of permanents living in the cabins and a number of them in caravans too. It looked like a place that people came to live if there was no social housing available and rents out in the private market were out of their reach. They were all very friendly and while it was a bit spooky at first, we soon got over ourselves and had a very peaceful night. Cleanest bathrooms we saw all trip, Julia declared.

The next day was Sunday and we headed across the Harbour Bridge - no trouble with staying in the correct lanes this time... and on to Whitford where we emptied Bessie of all Julia's guff plus the bedding we had provided. Somehow while David was putting stuff in my clothes locker  he knocked the wiring for the rear vision camera so it stopped working - aaarrrggghhh! We had a fiddle with the wiring and the connections to the monitor in case it was either one of those moving parts that aren't meant to, and hey presto, it started up again! Phew! I can drive without the rear vision monitor, but it is much more comfortable to have it working!

So then it was on to Hamilton. and definitely away from the Northland and Auckland regions. 

More later. But hopefully not such a long break next time.

 

  

 

There's a lot of travel stuff to catch you up on, but ...

 In the last week I have just been diagnosed with neuropathy and it bloody hurts! I've had the numbness in my feet for a while but thought it was plantar fasciitis.

 Stabbing pains in the metatarsals have set in and they are definitely not fun; and they are severely limiting my life in that just dashing off on foot to see x or y or z or to do a or b or c now requires taking a stick and being prepared to be knifed in the foot if I move awkwardly or walk too far.

 NOT HAPPY!!!

I am seriously considering getting a mobility scooter ...  It'll be dual purpose: A hedge against needing petrol for the car if I can go to the village to do the shopping on my scooter, and it'll mean I can still dash around to see x or y or z or to do a or b or c.

One saving grace is that I can still do Aquamove - being in the pool exercising seems to be pain-free. Thankfully I am doing that twice a week and will continue to do so.

Send chocolate! 

Waitangi

Well, Waitangi did not disappoint in more ways than one!

We stayed at Waitangi Holiday Park where we have stayed before - it's not fancy, but it's clean, sites are spacious and the people are friendly. And it's about 800 metres away from the Treaty Grounds and Waitangi Museum So definitely the place to stay.

Julia is always clear that she doesn't mind a walk to the toilets in the middle of the night, but that was not needed at Waitangi - we were just across the path from the facilities so we couldn't have been closer! 

I got chatting with the woman on Reception and discovered, as you do in this land of 2 degrees of separation, that we had people in common. Marianne's children are cousins of my friend Shona in Waitara. How cool is that?!

Marianne Lucas and me

 The day we arrived we told Julia we were taking her to the Treaty Grounds and to the Museums there. She moaned like a recalcitrant teenager and said she didn't like museums.

The day after we arrived, we told her we were going there after breakfast. She moaned again and we just ignored her complaints (all for the sake of effect...) all the way to and across the bridge. She moaned at the entrance and complained about the cost and told the staff she was there under duress. They laughed and we told her to behave.

And then in we went. The first thing was the powhiri (welcome) at the wharenui. I watched Julia and she was entranced and engaged. Thank you to Thelma and Arapeta for planting the seed at Ruapekapeka.

We then went through Busby's house and watched and read the displays.  Very instructive about how the British saw Māori as less human than them and a people to be exploited, subjugated because white was definitely more right than brown. They mistook lack of a written language for ignorance and lack of their brand of education with no recognition or knowledge of oral traditions of learning.

The place that captured Julia though was Te Rau Aroha, the Māori Battalion House. The museum commemorates the Price of Citizenship (Te Utu o Te Kiriraraunga), honoring the 28th Māori Battalion's sacrifice. 

After going around the displays, while I was still reading descriptions, Julia sat and watched the photo display of former members of the Māori Battalion as old men. And just watched.

This whole place never fails to move me. And obviously it moved her too.

There are posters which speak volumes. 

Dame Joan Metge in 2015

Gary McCormick 6 Feb 2007

Michael King 'Being Pakeha Now' 1999

Tze Ming Mok, 2005

 

On the way back to the camp, she and David walked part of the way to the passenger ferry wharf as the next day they were heading to Russell while I was due to attend part of a committee meeting by phone. But later that evening, Julia declared she didn't want to go to Russell, she wanted to go back to Waitangi as she hadn't seen all of it. Much quiet rejoicing by David and me ... I emailed Thelma and Arapeta to let them know and to thank them!

Altogether a very successful trip there. And a beautiful sunset.

 

 

 

Ruapekapeka Pā before Waitangi

Our next overnight was to be at Waitangi - a fair way north - on through Whangarei and bypassing a lot of lovely bays and beaches, but time was limited!

However, David and I decided that Julia MUST visit Ruapekapeka Pā, the site of the last of the battles between the British and the Māori of Te Tai Tokerau. It is an amazing pā site and I am sure it is where the British learned from Māori about trench warfare. We have been before and it was very emotional for us both.

This time, as we pulled up into the carpark, I saw a Māori woman about to get into her ute so I went over to say hello. As we chatted she told me she is a trustee of this site and asked if we would like her to show us around as they have just recently opened the approach to the pā with 12 new pou that have been carved, constructed and positioned. I accepted her kind offer and off we went with Thelma explaining the history of the battle and how the pou reflected that. She explained each pou, which hapu had responsibility for carving it, what each one represented, the significance of the various colours of them, and the hapu's role in the whenua and the battle. Thema explained that her husband Arapeta had designed and constructed the plinths that each carving stood on, as well as overseeing the whole project from start to finish - including seeking and acquiring funding. A huge job!

 We approached through a short bush walk and then through the entrance.

David was asking Thelma about a feature in the distance, I think. He is holding our Parkwood umbrella.

 

As we proceeded up towards the pā, Arapeta arrived to greet us.

He spoke about his journey to taking on this mahi for his people.

He is an orator of mana

 

Here are our photos of the pou as we made our way up to and back from the pā: 

This is Whiti, the rangatira - the chief. His is the first pou seen as you approach from the entrance.

 

This wahine is the rangatira's sister - she was a seer. She foresaw the cannon balls being fired. They are shown at her feet.

 

Julia and Thelma near the watercarrier wahine - you can see the gourd at her feet.

 

This wahine was mourning the loss of her husband, and still assisted the warriors as a water carrier while also carrying her baby on her back. She was shot in the back as she ran and both she and her baby were killed.

 

This symbolises two brothers, one of whom fought for the British (holding a musket and wearing a red cap) and the other who fought with his iwi and is holding a taiaha

 

This carving was carried out by a 16 year old boy. Amazing talent and such an honour to be entrusted with the task.

 

 

Julia was particularly taken with this pou. The carving uses Oamaru stone, I think. The wind going through the stainless steel insets whistles eerily.

A waka - I need to check with Thelma about the provenance of this carving.

 

Thelma sees this one as quite cheeky - as you approach him from below, he is hiding behind the trees and just peeking over!

The stainless steel birds represent the white flags that looked like birds rising in flight.

 

Julia was deeply engaged with Thelma

The stainless steel birds are huia - not seen at Ruapekapeka but symbolic to Māori.

 

I do not remember the significance of this except that the white eel at the back is a symbol of the wiliness and untrustworthiness of the British soldiers.

At the pā, we saw how impossible it was for the British to approach with any degree of stealth. And we saw what Māori taught the British about trench warfare. The name Ruapekapeka mean's bats' nest in Māori - while in the pā, Māori lived as bats - underground in caves they had dug as a key part of the fortifications.

The pā is on top of the hill with 360 degrees visibility outwards and downwards. Māori could see the British approaching for many days, towing their cannon over the hills.

David and I with Thelma. She had admired David's Toitū to Tiriti sweatshirt. 

Julia is looking in the direction the British approached from - as you can see, even in this picture, they would have been visible for miles.

 

Thelma talked with us about how this was her whenua (land) - her parents live nearby, her tūpuna are here. I had an overwhelming urge to give her a gift from our whenua. So I gave her the Parkwood umbrella - Parkwood is our home, our whenua, and I wanted her to have something from a place that is special to us. It was a small gift but symbolic of how much her gift of hospitality and guidance meant to us.

And then, as we were coming back down from the pā, David suddenly disappeared. When we arrived back at the carpark, David came out of the motorhome carrying his Toitū to Tiriti T-shirt and gave it as koha (gift) to Thelma. She was thrilled. And immediately went to the ute and brought out two items she had just made and gave them to us a koha. One was a kākahu - a short cloak - the other a necklace made of flax. What an honour! It made me cry.
 

Arapeta, Thelma and me, wearing the kākahu.

David with Arapeta and Thelma in front of the interp at the carpark.

 

Arapeta had taught David to hongi - the traditional Māori greeting where you press your noses together, lower your eyes and share your breath. And Thelma put the kākahu on David in the way that men wear it.

What a hugely special experience for all three of us. Such a gift, in all ways.

 

I wrote to Thelma and Arapeta later that evening: 

Kia ora, Thelma and Arapeta,

It was such a privilege to meet you both today. Thank you so much for your warmth and hospitality, and your kindness in showing us Ruapekapeka. Your passion for the mahi that adorns the space was moving and it was so very wonderful to have you share it with us.

David and I have visited the site before and really wanted to show it to Julia. We were not sure she would get its significance to us as Tangata Tiriti for whom Te Tiriti is key, and for whom colonisation is a stain while also bestowing us with huge privilege here in Aotearoa.

However, meeting both of you and hearing you speak was a gift she could never have got from us. So thank you for that. I know it will deepen her understanding of our visit to Waitangi tomorrow.

Now please do remember that our invitation to you to come and visit us at our home was serious. We would be honoured to welcome you - and I will make sure to have baked plenty of cheese scones as part of that welcome.

Nga mihi,

Marilyn and David McDonald 

Here is the link to a Te Ao Māori news item about the unveiling of the pou for you to read 

 And our next stop is Waitangi...

 

It rained in Ruakaka

 At Ruakaka, which is a fairly long drive from Takapuna, it rained a lot and hard, with very exciting thunder and lightning.

We knew the weather was going to be pants so had opted for sites below the wind line. The disadvantage was that Julia's trek to the toilet block necessitated a hill climb in the dark without a formed path. She wasn't concerned but I was, on her behalf!

At one point I was sitting out under the awning while it was raining very hard - it was still very hot and being inside was stifling. But at a crack of lightning followed closely by very loud clap of thunder right overhead, David said  in a very quiet and imploring voice 'Please come inside, love.' So I did.

But before the heavy rain, Julia and I went out for a walk around the camp. 

We explored the whole camp which is very large; we wandered around the different sections and then headed up to look over the beach, congratulating ourselves on having saved some money...

 

Julia leaving one of the kitchen/laundry/bathroom areas - I think there are 3 in the camp - it's big!

Out across part of the wildlife area to the sea, the headlands and beyond. 

A back view of Julia which is the only one we get as she hates having her photo taken...

While we were standing admiring the islands or headlands across the bay (not sure which), there was a rapping on the window of a nearby bus. We had been careful not to stare into anyone's vehicle. But apparently, the same rule does not apply in reverse! We looked up, and who should it be but the Vanninis: Bernice and Roy, fellow bloggers and friends through that! Such a lovely surprise. We first met them in 2019 when they came to stay with us at Alvechurch Marina (near Birmingham) when David was hors de combat waiting for his eye operation. While we went in to stay at the hotel in Edgbaston, Bernice and Roy stayed on the boat for a couple of days. 

So in went Julia and I, and chatted and then phoned David to come and find us all. 

The next day, after we had moved up to a higher camp site to avoid any chance of getting stuck in the rain-soaked ground of the lower one and to make Julia's walk to the toilet block in the middle of the night less fraught, we met up with the Vanninis for 5 Crowns - in the kitchen/dining area of one of the camp's facilities blocks. I know I didn't win and I cannot remember who did - probably Bernice, as it is her habit to do so!

Julia and I did have a walk across the wildlife (birds) reserve between the camp and the shore. We didn't see much in the way of birds but it was a good walk in a stiff but warm breeze. We did however see a local who was collecting rubbish - keeping his whenua tidy he said and another holiday park temporary resident out taking the air.

Not sure which bird made these. Maybe a gull given the prints are webbed.

Interp - I love interp, ever since I worked at DOC in Hokitika, interp has been one of my favourite things to read when I am out and about!

I think these might be dotterel prints or oystercatcher prints.

These lovely creatures nest at Tongaporutu too - I love listening to them chatter as they range over the mudflats almost always in pairs.

And instead of sightseeing in Ruakaka and heading for the Waipu Museum and other places, we blobbed a fair bit - not a bad pastime given Julia's possible jet lag and my committee work and newsletter tasks that seemed to continue unabated. And I did lots of washing in their excellent laundry - always good to get the washing done, dried, folded and put away, isn't it?

We headed north after 2 nights at Ruakaka. But more later...