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| Māori carving at the Visitor Centre |
While in Auckland I wanted to get out of the city and explore the natural soundings so I chose to take a half day Wilderness Experience tour with Bush and Beach, Auckland’s premier small group eco-tour and sightseeing company. I was so happy to leave urbanisation as for the previous three weeks I had been travelling from city to city in North America.
The tour guide, Dawn, was very knowledgeable and informative. She had gone out to New Zealand on a working holiday from the UK and never left. I learnt that her parents live just 25 miles from my home in Kent. It really is a small world. We had a really comfy mini coach and the group consisted of just 7 people, including me. I was the youngest by at least 20 years but that didn’t bother me in the slightest.
The first stop on the tour was the Arataki Visitor Centre, in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park above the lush, green rainforest only 30km from downtown Auckland. There were fabulous, wide-reaching views from the centre. A great photo opportunity was created by an empty frame, the view serving as the ever changing picture. Unfortunately, the day I visited was a little overcast but the views were still stunning. For more information on the Visitor Centre visit
http://www.arc.govt.nz/parks/our-parks/arataki-visitor-centre/.
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| The real-life photograph |
The volcanic coast line was our next destination. We drove through the Waitakere Ranges via a beautiful waterfall, to Piha Beach. The black sand is volcanic in origin and apparently magnetic. The sand was littered with dead sea kelp that looked like aliens washed up on the shore. Really weird! I picked up a beautiful shell that I learnt from Dawn was a floatation device for a mini squid. Lion Rock stands proudly above the beach, it’s as if there is a giant lion guarding the beach and looking out to sea. We were so lucky with the weather. It only rained while we were in the coach and was dry when we ventured outside. I was determined to walk barefoot in the sand and did so, which I slightly regretted once I got back to the coach and remembered that I hadn’t brought a towel so had no way to clean the sand off my feet. Doh! The beach was beautiful but the sea ferocious. Just a few hardy surfer dudes braved the waves under the careful supervision of the lifeguards.
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| Lion Rock at Piha Beach |
Our penultimate stop was the cool, temperate rainforest. After a well-needed warming cup of tea, biscuits and a sample of delicious Manuka honey (both included in the price) we followed Dawn in to the forest to discover a multitude of trees and ferns. Our walk was accompanied by the sound of chirping wetas. We came across loads of spider’s webs but luckily no spiders! We were reassured that New Zealand does not have any poisonous spiders or plants and no snakes at all, nor does it have any indigenous mammals. This was certainly news to me. Any mammals in New Zealand originated elsewhere and were brought to the islands by its many emigrants. The rainforest floor was interspersed with streams. It was such an amazing place and I felt so happy while there. Before re-boarding the coach I experienced a non-smelly drop toilet. Proof that they do exist. There was definitely something up with the one in Death Valley!
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| Northland Rainforest |
Our final destination before heading back to the city was to see an 800 year old Kauri tree. It was massive. These tall, gnarly trees are native of the Northland and are now quite rare. The Māori used them for canoes, houses and carvings. Later, settlers used them to make ships’ masts.
I arrived back in to the city grateful of the excursion and the fresh air. At NZ$140 this tour is not cheap, however the knowledgeable guides and small numbers more than make up for this. At current exchange rates this works out at about £72 or less than £15 per hour, which I think is very reasonable. As someone who tends to spend most of my trips pounding pavements this tour certainly made a welcome change and I can recommend it highly.
The Wilderness Experience tour is just one of the 6 tours currently on offer from Beach and Bush. Next time you’re in Auckland be sure to look them up.
www.bushandbeach.co.nz
By Rachel Birchley
