From Kohukohu to Thames
Trip Start
Jul 11, 2009
1
15
63
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Thames, North Island, New Zealand
Saturday, October 17, 2009
with Rene
Kohukohu once was a busy town when there was kauri timber and gum exported. Boasting with banks, shops and two newspapers! Nowadays it's a quiet little hideaway with no more than 220 inhabitants.
Refreshed but still a bit sleepy I get up early and are drawn by the homely atmosphere of the Tree House first. Through massiv windows you can view the crowns of trees and feel amidst and part of the forest. Lots of light is seeping in and enlightening all corners under the roof beams that have been dark the night before. To me it resembles a Montessori-play field, with wooden crates, woven baskets where various games and natural items like shells, ZAPFENn are kept to keep people entertained.
After an enormous breakfast we hop on the car to set over the Hokianga Harbour to Rawene by ferry. Once there we look out for a nice place to get some coffee and end up in the deli-style café with art on the walls and heartwarming, friendly service. Always on the hunt for a “real” coffee!
In the snug warm car I enjoy the scenery passing by again, it makes me feel very relaxed, it´s almost meditative. There I silently invented the admiring-technique by only saying: aaa, ooo, uuu which I will teach Rene later on...
It seems not too far to the Kauri-Forest. Soon we hit the sign to the largest kauri tree of New Zealand: Tane Mahuta, named for the Maori god of the forests. This tree is 51,5 m high, but the following Father of the Forest (Te Matua Ngahere) is much more impressive because of the widest girth . Its diameter is 5m and with about 2000 years believed to be the oldest tree of NZL. Think of it, he could've witnessed Jesus birth! The street through the forest area stretches for 18km.
Afterr all this lush abundance we hit Brynderwyn Intersection and find the most breathtaking Swinging-Cow-Café there-cafés obviously always attract me... The swinging cow – kuuuuhl Muuhhh! Of course I got some shots for you!
For another two or tree hours the twin coastal discovery street leads through hilly, green landscape, someplace scattered with cows, elsewhere with sheep. The odd Takahe bird dangerously repeats to cross the street but won´t hurry up to much. Once in Dargaville civilisation seems to creep back into our lives and going through Aukland gives me a sensational feeling. As peaceful and adorable it`s been on the countryside I love the sight of the city!
On the coastal highway we cruise towards Coromandel Penisula where loads of Holiday makers turn up from Christmas to February. In Thames we stay in a former hotel, a remnant of the Goldrush of the 19th century. Than, the place counted 80 hotels which was even more than in Aukland!
