Day 26 Matakohe, Muriwai Beach and the Gannet Colony

Shorts and t-shirts.  Right from the beginning that was the mode of dress.  It's a beautiful day which made it hard for us to get going.  We had to fill and drain which also delayed us but we finally got on the road.  I think we have officially joined the getaway late and stop early club.

We left Matakohe by following Hwy 12 over to Hwy 1 which is the main Hwy in the North Island.  We followed it until we came to Wellsford where we turned onto Hwy 16 which would keep us on the West side.  We stopped in Wellsford for gas, a few groceries and lunch.  We also discovered that most of the Cafes and Bakeries do a soup for lunch.  It is a meal size bowl plus it is homemade and really good.  Today we had pumpkin. 

After lunch we continued southwest on Hwy 16 until we came to one of the very few scenic turnouts so I had to stop.  Wow, what a view.  It was a sea of green and more green until you could see the Kaipara Harbor.  I took photos but nothing can equal just sitting there and enjoying the view.



Green, Green and more Green



Our next stop was a few miles down the road when we took a small side road up to the Mt. Auckland walkway.  It was a 3 mile (one way) hike up to the mountain peak but we only went part way.  We climbed up to the second highest part and the view was pretty good from here.



View from Mt. Auckland walk




View from Mt. Auckland Walk



Part of the area was logged at one time, it is hard to tell when but the felled stuff left behind looks aged.  They have replanted a portion of the area but some of it still looks pretty devastating.

More burnt out area

Once back on the highway we headed straight for Helensville and the Information center.  They call them I Sites here.  We decided that based on what we heard we were going to continue south until we got to Muriwai Road. It would take us to the coast, Muriwai Beach and the campsite.

After we got set up I walked down to the beach. Muriwai Beach is known for two things.  One, the black sand beaches.  This is caused by the iron content derived from the ancient volcanoes in the area.  The majority of the black mineral sand is carried up the west coast from Mt. Taranaki.



Muriwai Beach




Black Volcanic Rock



The second is the Gannet Colony that comes here every year to breed. They started coming here in the late seventies and forced the white-fronted terns that were already here unto the lower ledges.  The  gannets breed in early October and the chicks are born 45 days later.  The chicks then leave for Australia at 15 weeks old returning to breed when they are between three and seven years old.

I walked down the beach to the cliffs and followed the paths up and over until I came to the colony.  I sat and watched the birds fly and float around in the wind currents for awhile.  They are perfect flying machines.



Gannet Colony




More in the same colony



I also took a few pictures of the coast line before heading back to the camper to get ready for dinner.

Coastline at Muriwai Beach



Cave eroded into Cliff





Waves on Muriwai Beach



It was a beautiful, hot summer day. The first of many more to come.