Donna Blaber - Visions of the Central North Island (Visions of New Zealand series)

By Donna Blaber

10 outstanding travel articles highlighting theCentral North Island's places, people, lifestyle and food

Copyright 2012:

Text & Photographs - Donna Blaber

Maps - Rupert Shaw

This book is sold subject to the condition that itshall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hiredout, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consentin any form of binding, cover or format other than that in which itis published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, storedin a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,without the prior consent of the copyright owners.

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.All rights reserved.

Published by Lighthouse Media Group atSmashwords.

Lighthouse Ltd, 350 Pataua North Road,

RD5, Whangarei, 0175, New Zealand

www.lmg.co.nz

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoymentonly. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.If you would like to share this book with another person, pleasepurchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're readingthis book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for youruse only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase yourown copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of thisauthor.

Introduction

The Central North Island is the perfectdestination to take a road trip and this book provides you with acollection of 10 articles by award winning New Zealand journalist,Donna Blaber. As well as firmly grounding the reader in the CentralNorth Island by providing a real sense of place, she highlightssome of the best scenery, food and attractions to be found.

Join Donna and become inspired as sheexplores the beauty of the Central North Island, meeting quirkylocal characters, and revealing all her favourite places to eat andrest, both on and off the beaten track.

The content of this book provides idealbackground reading for anyone planning to visit the Central NorthIsland of New Zealand.

1.Firth of Thames

Coromandel township

I'd willingly wager that few cities aroundthe globe boast a world-renowned, 8500-hectare, intertidalsanctuary for migratory birds just an hour's drive from the CBD.Avoid the rush-hour crush, and the cruise south-east from Aucklandalong the stunning Seabird Coastline is spectacular, for here,flanked by the dark green forests of the Hunua Ranges, the tarmacbegins its U-shaped journey around the Firth of Thames. From Kaiauato Miranda it skims past startling-white shell banks, then zipsacross the pancake-flat Hauraki Plains to the Coromandel's westernshore, where it twists northward, fringed by gnarledpohutukawa.

But it is much more than a great scenicdrive: the Firth of Thames provides a temporary abode for thousandsof migrating shorebirds that navigate their way from EasternSiberia and the Alaskan tundra to summer in New Zealand. It's ahuge journey over 12,000 kilometres one way to the shell banksof Miranda for a little R&R. The bar-tailed godwit and lesserknot are the most commonly sighted tourists, but many others,including the ruddy turnstone and eastern curlew, are alsoseen.

Miranda also plays an important role in NewZealand shorebird migration. Every year over 20,000 piedoyster-catchers return after breeding down south, along with 3,000wrybill plover (over half the total species) and flocks of bandeddotterel.

High tide is the best time to spot birds, butfirst visit the Miranda Shorebird Centre, north of the oldtownship. Inside, display boards give details of migratorypatterns, and also explain about the birds that breed here, such asthe New Zealand dotterel, variable oyster-catcher and black-billedgull.

We pop in and meet centre manager, KeithWoodley. He is sitting by the window, sketching birds. There's notmuch he misses from this possie, he says, including all the Sundaydrivers that pass by every weekend. A "born-again birder", Keithtells me that Miranda is amongst the top sites in the world forshorebird viewing. "It's accessible and the birds are so easilyseen on the shell banks.

These shell banks comprise a series of 13active systems found along the coastline, which together form whatis known by geographers as the Miranda-Kaiaua Chenier Plain.Chenier forms when wave action pushes shell bars on the intertidalflats towards land, making high ridges. Sediment accumulates on thelandward side, providing a habitat for mangroves, and building upthe plain. It's a relatively rare formation worldwide, and naturalland reclamation is a result. In Miranda, the two kilometre widecoastal plains have been formed since the last Ice Age. Some of theshells in the ridges by the hills have been carbon dated at a mere3,900 years old. If you explore by foot, you'll find that theancient cheniers range in height from one to two metres, and thatsome are more than four kilometres in length.

Another popular attraction, located at thewestern head of the Firth of Thames, is Miranda Hot Springs. Thewaters of these once swamp-like natural springs were first used bythe Maori, then by Hauraki locals, but the site was transformed in1959 when the largest thermal pool in the Southern Hemisphere wasbuilt.

Today, people from the district and visitorsalike enjoy the pools, and temperatures range around 35-37 degreesCelsius. Families are catered for with ample picnic and BBQ areas,plus a toddlers' pool to build water confidence in the youngsters,but adults can retreat to a hotter 40-degree pool or one of fourprivate kauri spa tubs. It's a great way to wind up the day on thebeautiful Seabird Coast.

With its close proximity to Auckland, thereturn trip to Miranda makes a great day out, but for those whowish to linger, the region boasts several good lodges. The pick ofthe bunch is Rata Lodge, a luxurious retreat set on 35 acres atopMt Rataroa.

The drive to the summit is steep, but the topwe're greeted by our hosts and spectacular 360-degree views. Acreupon acre of rolling countryside surround the lodge, and the shellbanks of Miranda and the broad curve of the Firth of Thames areframed by the Coromandel Ranges.

It's hard to tear your eyes away from thepanorama, but once inside you find that every room makes the mostof the scenery; there are wonderful views to be had from theconservatory, dining room and comfortable guest lounge, whichoverlooks a lotus pond.

There are three guest suites, and we stayedin the larger accommodation, which came with its own private decks,lounge, dining room, separate bedroom, ensuite bathroom and aprospect of the Firth of Thames.

The next morning, fully refreshed and keen tocontinue exploring, we take our leave, whizzing through Miranda andonto Waitakaruru, where two one-way bridges pass over the sameriver. An old-timer informs me that the army, prior to a visit bythe Queen, built the second bridge. "Up in a day," he grumbles."Don't see that now."

We turn onto State Highway 25 and passthrough Pipiroa, Orongo and over a long bridge to Kopu. A shortside trip leads to Matatoki Cheese, a farmhouse business owned andoperated by Christine and Kelvin Haigh. The pair makes a variety oforganic and non-organic cheeses that are distributed countrywide,and passersby can view the cheese-making process, enjoy a platterand buy direct.