New Zealand – Kiwi Kung Fu

It was raining today, that fine rain that gets into everything. Undaunted I packed a lunch and set off walking to Hururu Falls. I walked along the coast towards to the Waitangi treaty grounds, on the way there was a woman selling Fejoa. I really like this fruit and for 3 dollar I bought a huge bagful.I don’t know what I was thinking because they weigh a tonne and you really need a spoon or a knife to eat them so, I’d be lugging them about the whole day. All that said I hefted them into my backpack and carried on to the Treaty Grounds. I didn’t go in as it was expensive and I’d already seen many of the same sort of things with Lee.
If you recall my potted history of the Maori this is where all the tribes sent their representatives to witness the signing of the treaty between the Crown and the Maori which was then translated differently by each party and started unrest and violence in the 1800’s.
The track to the falls is 5k from that point and an easy walk. Along to way there were a number of stoat traps. They each had a Kiwi fact written on the top. I hope this is correct;40 Kiwis killed by stoats every day (presumably across NZ), 95% of chicks killed by stoats, Kiwis use whiskers as a barometer, the females are promiscuous and a Kiwi can live up to 60 years.
The last one made me laugh out loud. It reads ‘Please do not touch or Kiwi Kung Fu you’. That’s a vision I couldn’t get out of my head the whole day.

The rain gradually stopped and I entered part of the walk that goes through Mangrove. This was much taller than in Auckland, a proper forest and I have since discovered this is a different species that cannot tolerate frost so that shows you the kind of climate there is here in the north.

It was dead silent apart from the of bird calls and odd popping noises from the mud. This is caused by a snapping shrimp that inhabits the swamp. I didn’t see any but I knew this was an animal because walking along the board walk it was as if I was being greeted by party poppers! Hurray! Debbie has arrived in the swamp! No steamers of course.I think the season up here is about a month behind the south island and the reason I say this is because I saw the end of this fungus (or very similar) at Washpen Falls on the South islandI could have driven to Haruru falls and I must say although they are beautiful, they have the most ugly bridge spanning the river behind them.I sat and ate my lunch overlooking the falls and was joined by a cockerel of all things! Its funny to think they are a descendant of a Tyrannosaurus Rex although the way it was eyeing up my bagel, made me a bit anxious!I walked back the way I’d come, the sun came out and dried me off.
I saw this of part of a dead tree fern on the path, I thought it so amazing, just like a carving and perhaps the inspiration for maori art.I met a Maori woman fishing from the bridge at Waitangi, she showed me her catch of 3 decent sized fish in a bucket. Here it’s not unusual to see people walking along the road with fish dangling from lines over their arms.I had walked about 7 miles in total. Time for a cuppa and a feast of Fejoa!