Paihia and the Kauri forest

---

Hey everyone. It has been a while. Mainly because we haven't done a whole heck of a lot due to some rain, but more likely it is because I have gotten lazy.... But do not fret, I'm sure Australia will make me want to post more often.
So where did I leave off last. I believe the last you heard from me was in Orewha after I stuffed myself with a plethora of honey. We then continued up the coast the following day, stopping in a small town to view some 80 native fern species and a bunch of different types of flowers, as you can see from the pics. We arrived in Paihia that day, after driving through a torrential downpour that required my full focus in order to make sure we did not skid out of control. Once in Paihia we pretty much just relaxed, watched a few movies, and read. We were planning on doing a night cruise of the bay, which would have included a night sleep, dolphin viewing, kyaking, snorkelling, and even shooting targets off the back of the boat, but alass our dreams were crushed by nature and its unrelenting rain.
It was ok though because it allowed me to finish my book and read up on Australia and Cambodia. Australia has 10 of the worlds 15 deadliest snakes! Plus there are plants that when touched leave a painful burning sensation. I will have to make sure not to touch all the plants as I do here.
In Paihia we did manage to do some short hikes when the rain let up. The couple short hikes we did were to waterfalls that were gushing because of the rain. One of the falls was about 80ft high!
We spent three nights in Paihia before continuing directly west to Omara. Omara and the town directly next to it had a total of 630 people so we did not find a cheap place to eat that night besides spending a decent amount for a pizza at a local hotel. It was delicious though. That day we did a short hike through a forest to a waterfall and some kauri trees, and had a nice stroll along the ocean.
We met a very nice guy from Amsterdam in our hostel that day who has been tagging along with us for the remainder of our time here. Coincidentally enough he recently graduated with a psychology degree and is travelling to Thailand and Laos after another two months in New Zealand. Small world 😊 As with the girls we met from Vermont, it was nice to get to know someone a little better. He was an interesting guy to talk to and we told him he had an open invitation to stay with us in California if he so happened to make it there.
The following day we continued further south to Dargaville, but not before stopping to see the oldest and largest kauri trees in New Zealand. I thought that the trees at Big Trees were large, but they don't even compare to the kauri. One of the trees was around 150 ft tall with a circumference of 40 ft! Another had a circumference of 50 ft! These giants are estimated to be around 2000 years old. You can kind of see from the pic, but it is very difficult to capture them. I did get a lot of film though so that might give a better understanding of their size.
We stayed the night in Dargaville, which is the sweet potato capital of New Zealand and besides that....there is, well, not too much.
After an uneventful night we headed out this morning to Auckland which is where I am writing to you from now. It is our last night here! I can't believe it! It seems so long ago that we smelled Rotorua's sulfur, pulled up the weeds from hell at our WWOOF hosts house, ate chocolate and drank beer in Dunedin, stood in awe of Milford Sound, basked on the golden beaches of Abel Tasman, starred in wonder at the little green lights of the glow worm, and all the other amazing experiences we have had here. The time has gone by so fast, but the experience of this place will live in me forever. I have to give a shout out to my parents for making this all possible. Thank you 😊
Alright time to load some pics and prepare to leave tomorrow for our next country, Australia! Bring on the Aussies!

Daniel

---