Kerikeri to Opononi

Went further north today toward the 90 mile beach peninsula that is the top of New Zealand. There are a lot of tours that take you in buses for a full day up the beach (driving on the beach itself) but skipped that. We got up as far as Pukenui where we had lunch. Took a bit off a gravel road detour to the Gumdigger’s Forest.

At one time NZ most valuable export was the dried gum of the Kauri tree. The really interesting part is that most of the gum was from trees that had been dead for about 45,000 years. Kauri trees grow for thousands of years and, for various reasons, vast forests of them have been blown down and preserved in the bogs that formed on top of them.

In life the trees bleed large quantities of the gum which congeal on the truck and them fall off. The gumdiggers would probe these bogs for lumps of gum and then sell them to companies who made varnish and paints. The term gumboots came from the boots that they used at the time.

It looked like brutal work and the area of the park was covered in holes that were being dug as late as the 1930s. Reminded me of the holes around the Australian opal fields except it was in a bog and not a desert. By the way these trees were not petrified but are still valuable as lumber today.

We saw the stump of a tree bigger than any living Kuari now know. It was just a little older by say 45,000 years or so.

The ninety mile beach was pretty amazing. You could walk for over 50 miles and still have room to roam. Didn't like the dirt bikers who were roaring up and down our stretch but I can't say the beach was crowded. It was as uncrowded as it gets.

Crossed at a nice little car ferry to get over a big bay. Reminded me of the ferries in the Yukon but this wasn't free. Oh well.

Stayed at a farm hostel in the hills over Opononi where we had to drive through the sheep on the steep gravel road. Very quiet at the top of the hills especially as the hostel was almost empty. Had crackers and pate for dinner as the flies buzzed and sheep baaed.

Thats the view from the hostel at right.