Touring N. Island
21 November 2009 | New Zealand
Scott
We drove the wheels off Dad's rental car and managed to see much of the North Island before he left. Small towns quickly give way to rolling green hills with wandering two lane roads and the ever present sheep. North Island is beautiful and we were told that there are no points more than 120 kilometers from the ocean. Around every corner was a beautiful vista out over lush green valleys with the blue South Pacific waves crashing against the rocky coast, or tiny fishing villages nestled into the head of a quiet bay. We visited the Kauri tree forests and learned that these 500 year old trees are considered youthful by Kauri tree standards. The Kauri wood is spiritually important for the Maori people who arrived in NZ 1000 years ago, finding groves of Kauri with trees up to 2500 years old. Pretty amazing!
After 3 days in the car, the hills did start to look like green hills. Beautiful with a touch of the exotic as we drove past Jurassic looking fern trees, but still green hills and sheep. It is time for a bit of exploring by water now.