A few local tips took us on a trail of the local area today. Our first stop was the famous village know as Waitangi! Waitangi is where the treaty was signed between the British and the Maori people back in 1840.
A short distance away was the town of Piahia. This quaint little place was packed with boutique gift shops and is the main access point for boats that tour the Bay of Islands ... or helicopters!
We grabbed some lunch before leaving but stopped again soon after at a the beautiful Haruru waterfall. We continued driving into rural NZ in search of a kauri forest. Eventually, we came to a boardwalk area that lead into the forest. It was only a 5 minute walk and you were deep in the ancient forest, surrounded by Kauri trees. They are huge and really, really old! Hopefully when we travel back along the west coast, we will see one tree that is 2000 years old. That sounds pretty impressive!
Finally, we headed into Keri Keri to explore. A little larger than the places we had visited in the morning but still a nice little town to investigate.
A short distance away was the town of Piahia. This quaint little place was packed with boutique gift shops and is the main access point for boats that tour the Bay of Islands ... or helicopters!
We grabbed some lunch before leaving but stopped again soon after at a the beautiful Haruru waterfall. We continued driving into rural NZ in search of a kauri forest. Eventually, we came to a boardwalk area that lead into the forest. It was only a 5 minute walk and you were deep in the ancient forest, surrounded by Kauri trees. They are huge and really, really old! Hopefully when we travel back along the west coast, we will see one tree that is 2000 years old. That sounds pretty impressive!
Finally, we headed into Keri Keri to explore. A little larger than the places we had visited in the morning but still a nice little town to investigate.
