Mish took me to our local island for my 66th.
We had a big solid tent on a wooden floor - glamping. Kept the sides open all night, once we got the mozzies out, and listened to birds and rain. It's my birthday and I'll lie on the bed with my tramping boots on if I want to.
Tent with our composting toilet. We left the door open as the space was all ours.
The dawn chorus came and went fairly quietly and we slept in til 7:50 - breakfast at eight, get cracking.
The island is a 10 minute boat ride from the mainland and we had a few day trippers and about 10 others staying the night. They all set off to the highest point (we've done that walk) and we sailed on to the north of the island where we were staying that night. We had a guide and a Maori cultural advisor who gave us some info about natural history and birds and geology and settlements and battle sites and whaling and farming and how the island became a bird sanctuary over 100 years ago.
It's been a big success as a sanctuary, with 20,000 Australian possums removed and no rats, stoats, etc. 1200 little spotted kiwi live there and we did a night walk but only heard them. Plenty of weka around though - they look like kiwi and will stick their beak in your pack and nick your sandwiches if you're not vigilant.
North Island robin, with the longest legs and no fear of galumping walkers. Waiting here for a bug feast from the leaf mulch we're stirring up as we walk by.
We walked out to the coast, giving the nesting gulls some space, and then did a 6km loop walk up to the second highest point on the island. That's the most I've walked since October with this dopey hip/tendon/glute leg injury thing - and I was pretty slow but okay. Mish very patient.
Walking up through bush regeneration, mainly kanuka and manuka. We scored some manuka honey from one of locals who has hives. These small trees will give way to big trees as the years go by.
It was a gentle climb through native bush with birds and we had a packed lunch on the clifftop with an ocean outlook to conical Mt Taranaki, seemingly sitting out in the sea due to the curve of the South Taranaki Bight, and chunky Mt Ruapehu in the middle of the North Island. A bright and very warm day and we had the place to ourselves.
There's a lagoon at the northern end, sea bird nesting area. This area was planted with kumara (sweet potato) by early Maori settlers and was a golf course late 19th century. Crazy.
Back at sea level, we went for a swim with some of the other guests before dinner. The island's beaches are quite different to the mainland beaches, only 5km across the channel. It's just stones on the island, no sand, so the water was crystal clear and cooler. No waves.
It was sensational in the water, like being in a lake, only surpassed by a swim the next day in soft mizzle, with low cloud obscuring the mainland and again, just us. Such a lovely experience, even Mish stayed in longer than usual.
The island has about four people who live there and a few baches owned by other iwi (tribal) folks who have managed to hang onto a bit of land at the northern and southern tips. They run the only accommodation on the island and it is really relaxed and hospitable.
At pre dinner drinks at the lodge we had to dodge a cheeky kaka that kept diving on the cheese and biscuits (it got some). Began talking to a couple about our age from Auckland and discovered they are the parents of the woman who bought our house in Newlands. OMG. They sent a pic of us to her and her husband with a 'guess who we just met' message and back came the reply: Carol and Michelle! It was a year to the day that we moved out and they moved in. Coincidence is a weird phenomena. They still love our little warm house with its upmarket specs and amazing views and we were chuffed to see a pic of their baby crawling on our polished floorboards. It was really interesting to hear what they'd been doing and what they plan to do (perhaps a small unit below the house where the big shed is, for the grandparents to stay in when they visit).
In other coincidences, another guest couple own a bach a few doors down from the old Thomas bach in Waitarere, and the oldest resident on the island used to live in Balgowlah close to where Mish's bro Jason lived. Small world indeed.
Next day we pottered on the coast for hours and had another swim in the rain before lunch. Looking back at the settlement.
Then we just hung out in the lodge with books and cups of tea and some more island history.
Late afternoon, headed home slightly damp and that night went out to local Italian for birthday dinner.
Excellent couple of days.
Who'd like to go over to the island when travel is back on?!
We enjoyed this very much! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear!😁
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