We’ll finish off with a view of the hamlet and the surrounding countryside from Rangikapiti Pa. A Pa is an ancient Maori hill fort. This one in the middle of Doubtless Bay, is very strategic indeed.
Aside from fishing, Mangonui Harbour and Doubtless Bay is a great place for sailing, and there were quite a few sailing boats moored too.
That’s all from NZ for now. The next post will be from much closer to home.
Near the wharf was this oddity of a house on stilts. It might have absolute waterfrontage, but one hopes that the sea levels don’t rise too much in the future.
I might not be too steady on the water (I get seasick very, very easily), but I do like to look at boats. These dinghies may be stock-standard, but whitewashed and upturned by the blue water they are absolutely picturesque.
Given that Mangonui has thriving fishery, one would expect to find great fish and chips there. Enter the Mangonui Fish Shop, which I’m told is the best fish shop in town. Unfortunately it was rather too early for fish and chips, although the congregating seagulls have different ideas.
Mangonui itself is located on an inlet north of the Bay of Islands. Being on the coast and blessed with a harbour, it’s home to what seemed to be a sizeable fishing community. A trawler or two were moored, and a few fisher-folk were about too.
I’m going to continue with my New Zealand wanderings with another place in Northland. Mangonui is 140km north of Whangarei, and a significantly smaller place. Its white weatherboard buildings, typical to Northland, are very cute, and unlike a lot of smaller Northland villages this one is very well-kempt and slightly gentrified for holidaying Aucklanders.
The rainforest reappeared, and eventually I could hear the sound of rushing water. It is Whangarei Falls – not a particularly large waterfall, but a rather picturesque one.
There was a picnic area close by, so I was able to sit quietly for awhile and get my breath back, before heading all the way back.
After meandering for a time amongst Kauri trees, I emerged upstream to find that the Hatea a lot more calmer. Here, it was banked by green, green meadows (with a few more cows, of course), and mature oak trees whose boughs provided some delicious shade.
It is so very idyllic and green that I wish I could have sit under that tree forever – but I have a destination that is just as special.
I left the farmland and the road, and entered the park. Here, the Hatea flowed swiftly through large tracts of preserved rainforest. The air is cool, the light dampened, my ears filled with the sound of rushing water.
I walked for a couple of k’s along a one-laned country road, firstly past some larger properties, and then past one acre blocks. Along the roadside these distinctive flowers grew. I’d never seen them before, or thought I hadn’t. Upon returning home, I began to notice them all over the place, but none were as vibrant as the ones in Whangarei.
Static and Silence 