One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill is the largest and most imposing of the many Maori pa (fortifications) which formerly existed on the Auckland Isthmus.
Characteristic of most pa is the terraces that shape the sides of the hills.  These were formed and provided suitable structures for Maori lodgings built into the sides of one or more terraces.  This particular pa had terraces all the way to the bottom of the hill  (unlike most others) suggesting it was a home to thousands of Maori. Forty five of these terraces are still visible.

One Tree Hill is Auckland's most resplendent park and this because of the trees.  The tree plantings date back over 100 years. Some are native to New Zealand, others from Australia and a few from the northern hemisphere. Kauri of course is NZ largest tree.  California Redwoods are here as well. Eucalyptus with over 30 species present are highly favored.  Moretown Fig, mentioned in an earlier blog, Oak, Gingko and Cypress are just of few of the varieties.  Overall it leaves quite an impression upon visitors.  It sure did for me!


This site is also referred to as Maungakiekie which literally means mountain of the kiekie.  Kiekie is  a strong climbing plant used by the Maori for baskets and weaving.  This was the head pa of the region with a powerful chief control this enviable position.

Maungakiekie is one of the 48 small volcanoes that have erupted in the last 250,000 years in the Auckland area; tt is well preserved  and the second largest.  Its lava fields cover more than 20 square kilometres and rise to 182 metres above sea level.

On the hillside cattle and sheep can be seen. It is an active farm. Historically, Sir John  Logan Campbell in partnership purchased the land and named it One Tree Hill in recognition of a singular tree that had grown on the summit.  Through his efforts and others the obelisk at the top commemorates the Maori and war veterans.

Three main vents are visible and the
formation indicates it was not an explosive volcano. Scoria are pieces of solidified basalt lava froth, usually red brown in colour and irregularly shaped.  The scoria is wind sorted so that fine particles are separated from larger particles. This  plus the fine grained volcanic ash formed the rich sediment which provided an agricultural land base on which to construct the fortified settlement.

To the right is a small museum and Visitors Centre.  I thought it worthy of a picture.

The Pinnacles

It is one thing to explore prime tourist spots of New Zealand, yet quite another to venture off the beaten track and find the lesser known sites frequented by the Kiwis.  One such place described as a "must do" by the Kiwis is the Pinnancles on the Coromandel Peninsula. I made the trek with the young men from our ward. 

Thames is a small community which is the gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula and the staging point and access to a narrow road tucked behind the town leading to the start of it.  It follows the Kauaeranga river, up the Kauaeranga valley to the Department of Conservation  Visitors Centre.  The Centre houses a number of small exhibits depicting the flora and fauna of the area.   Particularly interesting were the small  animals depicted as "pests" including possums, and stoats. There is ongoing efforts to eradicate these as they prey on the endemic flightless birds. We acquired our hut pass here before carrying on another 15 kilometres up the narrow winding road to several parking areas to leave the car. 

The Pinnacles Track follows the old pack horse trails along the river, starting off with a gentle climb and gradually turning into a calorie burning continuous stepping stone exercise.  Rocks are laid out in steps reminding weary trekkers of the man hours required to lay this trail out in such steep conditions.  We had managed the trip in just over 2 hours with breaks every ten minutes on the steeper inclines.  In times past supplies were packed up to the millers and tree fellers, who cleared out hundreds of acres of kauri trees in the valleys. The track was upgraded and reinforced with steel spikes to stabilize the rocks.  It still follows the original route of early loggers a century ago.

As challenging as the uphill climb was I found the repetitive pounding of stepping down even more exhausting.  Of course the rigorous trek up the day before did not help the cause.  At 65 I was beginning to question how many more of these jaunts I am going to take on. My early morning jogs were paying off as I not only kept pace, but found myself ahead of the pack reminding myself to stop before getting to far ahead of the group.

A fun part is the swing-bridges.  These were installed to traverse the river during higher water periods.  Two are located at the lower levels and after that the work really begins. The last seemed a little further up as I recall.

With the quick rise in elevation also comes the reward and justification for a short break.  The views become more expansive with a number of sites offering splendid vantage points.  The difficult terrain required some ingenuity to avoid water trailing down the paths.  Pipes were laid across the path at intervals to allow water to drain laterally.

The hut at the top is a functional arrangement designed to accommodate 80 trekkers with kitchen facilities, ample raised decks and quite comfortable hostile type sleeping conditions. The Pinnacles themselves can be seen from the hut.  At first it looks like a daunting process to get to them, but we were assured it could be done in as little as 30 minutes. Whilst not dangerous, it's not for those who have issues with heights.   There were  some steep rock faces, several steel ladders, large rocks to clamber over and a narrow ledge to sit upon at the very top.  From the top, you can see both sides of the Coromandel – Tairua / Pauanui on one side, The firth of Thames and Hauraki Plains on the other. The view made it worth the challenge!

Beaches

Long Bay ( a Marine Reserve)

New Zealand is long and narrow (over 1,600 kilometres or 990 miles) along its north-north-east axis with a maximum width of 400 km (250 mi)), with about 15,000 km (9,300 mi) of coastline, making it the 10th longest coastline in the world.  Incidentally, Canada is Number 1 with 265,000 km.  The eastern coast of the North Island tends to have the better swimming beaches, but both islands have gorgeous beaches.

90 Mile Beach

The west coasts of both islands are rugged and contain many cliffs that are more wind swept and has more black sand, which is noticeably hotter to walk on. The longest beach in New Zealand is the 90 Mile Beach, which is really about 60 miles long. This beach is famous for its huge sand dunes that are vast enough to resemble the Sahara Desert. This beach occupies the north western coastline of the North Island.  

Tauranga  Beach

The most famous surf  break is situated west of Hamilton  in a small town called Raglan. Raglan is known for its unusually long surf rides and is a part of surfing's world circuit. 

The number 1 beach as rated by Trip Advisor is Tauranga Beach on the Bay of Plenty.  I think the high rating is because it is a major tourist destination, and these are mostly tourists who make the rankings, but in reality see very little of New Zealand.  The city maintains the beach, keeping it free of debris. The sand has an almost pinkish hue and for collectors of sea shells it is a collector's paradise.  It is a wide beach with Mount Mauganui dominating one end.  I took this picture from the top of Mount Muanganui on Easter weekend.  It certainly has appeal for the plentiful amenities, hotels and resorts available, yet when other important considerations are factored in this beach is worth visiting, but certainly does not deserve the number 1 ranking.

Deep Sea Harbor of Tauranga

Wherever we have gone during the warmer months, we have observed Kiwi's taking in what New Zealand has in abundance.  They love their beaches and take full advantage of the surf, sand and sun to to enjoy their precious vacation time.  It is not hard to extrapolate the reason for Kiwi's happy, friendly, easy going dispositions when one sees where and how they spend their leisure time.

Sailing, surfing, swimming or just lounging, the beaches represent a favorite pastime and deservedly so with  a beach within a few kilometres of almost every village, town or city on the island.