Whangarei Falls

The falls scenic reserve is right in Whangarei, a port city of some size, and the reserve includes a nice trail along a creek leading to a small Kauri park.

Whangarei Falls

Ditto, from below

Basaltic columns on which the thing rests...Fingal's Cave...

Pretty creek

More bush

More medium-sized Kauris, and a short
canopy walk

Thus

Whangaruru To Whangarei

It was a day of leisurely scenic driving, coastal views and beaches, cliffs, weird trees, terraced hills, the Tutukaka scenic loop, the Whangarei Falls scenic reserve (next post), finally ending up in a cabin in Whangarei.

Beneath The Southern Cross

Finally, at Whangaruru, I got a decent picture of the famed Southern Cross...

Russell South To Whangaruru

From Russell we drove south to a beautiful DOC campground, right on the beach, at Whangaruru. The seascapes all along were marvelous.

Russell

We visited Russell in 2008, stayed overnight, did a sailboat cruise on the Bay of Islands, had a memorable meal, and really liked the place. It is the oldest European settlement in New Zealand, dating to the whaling ships of the early 19th century when Russell was the "hell-hole of the South Pacific." It's rather sedate and respectable now, classy and scenic. We took the ferry over and drove to a few of the major viewpoints to confirm our recollections.

Hundertwasser Toilets, Kawakawa

Students of this blog know that we first became acquainted with the art of Friendenreich Hundertwasser (not his real name, of course) in Vienna a few years ago. It is a name and also an artistic vision that one does not forget. (No straight lines, reconciliation with nature, etc., ...). We were surprised initially to learn that Hundertwasser had come to New Zealand in the 1970s, become a Kiwi national, and lived out the last couple decades of his life on a self-sufficient farm near Kawakawa. The more one learns about New Zealand and about Hundertwasser, the less surprising it is, really. In any case, he designed a public toilet building in Kawakawa that we had to see. It is small but typical of his work, particularly his New Zealand bottle period. In nearby Whangarei, they are creating a full museum to showcase his work and that of New Zealanders, particularly Maori, whom he admired. At the end, below, are pictured a few other Hundertwasser-inspired buildings and other stuff in Kawakawa.