“Visit stunning coastal scenery ….” said our itinerary, but rain and wind put an end to that! This was New Year’s Day and the first of some very wet weather to come on this trip. We had booked a day’s activities with Kiwi Dundee Adventures, but we barely left the car and certainly failed to see any scenery. So, Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach will have to wait for another time! Thankfully, Doug (Kiwi Dundee) was such a fascinating chap so we learnt a lot about his role in nature conservation and some of the issues facing New Zealanders today. It was a real pleasure to be in the company of someone who clearly enjoyed his work!
Many of the roads around here were named after characters from Captain Cook’s expeditions, and the photo on the left shows Cook’s landing spot (Cook’s beach), near Whitianga (pronounced Fitianga).
New Zealand is famous for its kiwi fruit, most of which is grown well protected behind high bushes. So, if you see vines growing vertically, then its kiwi, and if you see vines growing horizontally, then they are grapes.
This region was heavily mined for gold and remnants of the equipment are still to be found in the bush. And, in the caves left behind by the miners, you can now find glow worms.
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