One of the best walks near Auckland — views of the Kaipara Harbour, ancient kauri forest, and nearly 20,000 steps. Now permanently closed due to kauri dieback disease. This is what it was like.
Over the Christmas break, we set out on a tiki tour and headed North of Auckland. Our plan was to put the kayak in the water for the first time in 2017 and paddle around the Kai Iwi lakes. But plans changed – between the crowds and the wind at Kai Iwi, we instead consulted…
We pulled off State Highway 3 on a whim and found one of the most dramatic coastlines I’ve ever walked. The formations are only accessible at low tide — and they’re disappearing. When I visited there were three sisters. Now there are two.
The earthquake earlier this month caused the seabed to raise up around Kaikoura and exposed a lot of paua which is likely to kill them. There’s been quite a bit of controversy over volunteer efforts to save the paua and return them to the sea – over 300 volunteers showed up to help but the…
In New Zealand, wild pigs are called Captain Cookers, hunted for sport, and apparently make excellent school fundraisers. Just another Tuesday on the road.
A nine-foot wingspan. A 50-year lifespan. One mate for life. The Royal Albatross is remarkable — and the only place in the world you can see them nesting on a mainland is a short drive from Dunedin.
New Zealand has a sandfly problem — and according to Māori legend, it’s entirely intentional. The god Tu-te-raki-whanoa carved out the breathtaking landscape of Fiordland, and the scenery was so stunning that people just stopped working and stood around staring. The goddess Hinenuitepo, unimpressed with this level of productivity, released sandflies to get people moving again. After our trip to Milford Sound, I have nothing but respect for her strategy.
In one of my first posts I commented on the high number of birds that are endemic to New Zealand. Insects have an even higher endemic percentage with more than 90% of insects found in New Zealand being endemic. For every type of land bird in the country, there are more than 200 kinds of…
Manta rays in Fiji. Whale sharks in Western Australia. Manatees in Florida. And two of the top ten? Right here in New Zealand.
600 people came to pay their respects when Atu the kiwi passed away. I wasn’t surprised. She was tiny, fearless, and absolutely unforgettable.