nzflag(1).gif (9615 bytes)        S/V TETHYS

Touring New Zealand by Car
December 2000, February, March 2001
Karikari Peninsula

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Matai Bay. A tranquil corner at one end, and a pounding surf at the other.
The Karikari Peninsula is a nature reserve and a wonderful place to tramp around the beaches and dunes.

A Variable oystercatchers. This is the nesting season for many birds and as we walked on the beach we found a pair who obviously had a nest very close by. They were very nervous and first tried to lead us away, then moved towards us aggressively. Finally as we tried to pass by, one flew and dived at Vlad. We scurried away quickly and avoided that section of their beach on our way back.

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Cabbage Tree (Cordyline Australis, Ti Kouka), so named by James Cook and Joseph Banks because the shoots, when cooked, taste like cabbage. The dunes are covered by a variety of grasses. Eventually this growth stabilizes a dune enough for larger shrubs and trees to take over. Dunes forming the narrow peninsula between Kaitaia and Rienga were deposited by the sea over the last 3 million years.
We decided to stop at a campground at Houhora Harbour right next door to the Wagener Museum and Subritzki Homestead. Houhora is also a good central location for a day trip to Cape Reinga.
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