A walk among the ancients

Another mostly travelling day had us journeying from Paihia to Ahipara in the far north. Two rest stops were planned for today, the first was the Puketi Forest, home to some centuries old trees. This was one of the few large stands of Kauri trees, once prized for their large size and the gum they produced. Today they are threatened by disease and we were diligent to utilize the washing stations to clean our shoes. We took two walks, one which focused on a dense grouping of Kauri trees and the other highlighting the diversity of plants throughout the forest. Stepping onto the trails, we were again amazed at the predominant shades of green and brown as the eyes wandered from the forest floor up to the sunlit canopy.

Fallen trees, massive ferns, and blankets of moss covered much of the floor as we walked around the overgrowing trails and peered over the sides of the boardwalks.

The understory of the forest was filled with epiphytes and vines twisting around each other and up the trunks of trees, each vying for space in an attempt to out-compete one another for the bright light filtering down through the canopy.

And into the canopy were the fanned leaves of tree ferns, pom pom configuration of the cabbage trees, and the native nikau palm. For an amateur photographer it was difficult to pick a subject, each step, each angle held a new and unique view.

On the first walk we were treated to the tall, ancient Kauri trees that bordered the walkway. Dwarfing every other tree in the forest in both size and girth, they truly were ancients standing among green. The grayish bark often covered in small epiphytes enjoying the secure and large pieces of real estate. We wandered among them once again awed by the grandeur of these endangered trees, taking photos and memories and being sure to leave nothing behind but clean footprints.

The second walk was far greener than the first and Derek and I found ourselves lagged behind pointing out all the minute detail that many would likely miss in the over abundance of green. Each tree, each rock, each fallen log was it's own micro-environment, home to a wide diversity of moss, ferns, plants, and even a few visible fungi. We had a great time wandering around humming the Jurassic park theme song and discussing the biological differences to the forests of home.

This wonderful interlude was followed up with another trunk buffet of...you guessed it, PB and J.

On the road again, the forests eventually gave way to ocean views. Our second pit stop was Doubtless Bay, although we were starting to run out of time and needed to get to our campsite, so the stop was brief. The view however, was spectacular. The wind swept beach of crushed shell was broken only by the crashing of white waters and the occasional black outcropping of volcanic rock. Unlike the diluted light of the forest, the sun shone with full intensity which we basked in as ocean spray cooled us down. Dad's second beach on his list did not disappoint. The tropical feel of it was reminiscent of Caribbean beaches, and almost made you forget that we were in a temperate climate.

It was the perfect place for pictures, lots of light and colour. We stretched our legs before getting on the road again. Back in our campsite, we pitched our tent while the others settled into their cabin. We had dinner at a sea food restaurant and then relaxed back at the campground till we were ready for bed. Despite so much travelling, today had been an exceptional day, full of laughs and vivid views in both the forest and on the beach. Late at night, we were also fortunate to get a great show from the cosmos as well. We didn't stay up long given that our next day would be the last big full day, with the promise of lots of sand!