Across the water by ferry at Rawene, trunk lunch in Opononi, and finally a good stretch of the legs at a recreational area in Omapere. Another picturesque view with a little bit of everything we had seen in the north; the rugged shore, gigantic sand dunes, blue waters, and stunted plants on clifftops. It was a nice last goodbye and reminder to all the wondrous sights we had seen along the northern coastline over the last three days.
Not far from here were the Kauri forest we had come to see. Unlike the forests before, we were really here to see specific trees, whose promise of grandeur was completely fulfilled. The first of these was the aptly named Lord of the Forest or Tane Mahuta. This amazing tree is the largest living Kauri tree in New Zealand, reaching a staggering 51.5 metres towards the heavens and girth around the trunk of 13.8 metres. We stood among the other tourists in awe at the shear size of this tree, and amazed at the likely age of 2000 years. This was truly an ancient tree, having seen much of New Zealand's history first hand. Sitting among a grove of much younger trees it appears to have the forest growing around it rather than being part of the forest.
Still reveling in the majesty of our last encounter, we continued a short distance down the road to the next grove of trees. The journey in was a bit more scenic with some less familiar sights, including some fungus growing on the trunk of trees. We wandered through the forest trails in staggered groups, joking more than usual in our state of tiredness. Imagining kiwis snoring in hollowed out logs, Indiana Jones style rock traps chasing us down the sloping boardwalk, and of course the stomping of dinosaurs and marauding orcs.
The four sisters was a set of four trees, reasonably large, all growing in close proximity and made for a good portrait spot.
The last tree was at the extent of the trail and was known as Te Matua Ngahere or the Father of the forest. Like the Tane Mahuta, a certain majesty surrounded this tree. I bit farther off than the last trees, the scale was not as easy to see, but it was without a doubt, an enormous tree. The trunk alone was 10.21 metres and its girth was an enormous 16.41 metres! This was by far the "fattest" tree I had ever seen.
With our memory cards nearing full, we headed back to the car continuing the jokes and saying goodbye to the forest. In the back of our minds, this was the last of our road trip and thus close to the end of our vacation. A little further down the road we stopped in at this quaint gum shop that sold Kauri gum and wood carvings done by local Maori, all materials of course obtained from swamps where dead trees are dug up rather than cut down. Back in the car, we cruised the winding roads through the forest, back through Brynderwyn, and to the nearest Burgerfuel in Auckland. Home again with the countdown to 2015 on, we waited till late before we wandered up to the top of Mount Eden. We relaxed as we waited and in the back of my mind I was so happy to have been able to see so much with my Family but knew it was coming to a close. Midnight rolled around and the fireworks began all over the city. Blasts of light in the distance wherever you looked was something different for all of us. The main show, being shot off the sky tower, was unfortunately shrouded in smoke. We laughed at the irony of trying so hard to make it home in time to see the fireworks and in the end couldn't see them at all. Another year had now begun, and we got to see it in together, before most people in the world. A great end to a great road trip, and what more could you ask for but to have the people you love around you!
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