Kaikohe is named after Kohekohe trees, when Ngapuhi survivors at Pakinga Pa subsisted on Kohekohe berries after a raid by a Ngati Whatua war party.
At the back of the park there’s a memorial to Hone Heke Ngapua, a great-grand nephew of Hone Heke, the warrior who chopped down the flagpole at Russell. Ngapua backed the Kotahitanga movement which aimed at Maori separatism.
Walk: Northland 20
Walk 38, Cornwall Park, 22nd August 2020
Cornwall Park in late winter / early spring. The daffodils are out and the lambs are here. This is a working farm that surrounds One Tree Hill in Auckland City. It was gifted to the people of NZ by Sir Logan Campbell who is buried by the obelisk on the hill. This walk is with my husband and friend when we went to Auckland ciity during level 3 lock down.
The park was only half open, and the only vehicle we saw was security.
While in the park I went to see the Rongo Stone which originally came from Te Arai and belonged to an earlier race of Maori or Mauriori. It had been abandoned and Sir Logan Campbell rescued it.
History of the park: John Logan Campbell, Auckland resident since 1840 gave the park’s 230 acres to a private trust on 10 June 1901. The adjoining Park Maungakiekie had been purchased by the national government in 1845 and since 2012 belongs to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective. Source: Cornwall Park, Auckland
One Tree Hill‘ featured in a song by the band U2. The song was written in memory of NZ roadie Greg Carroll who became very close friends with lead singer Bono. Carroll was killed in July 1986 in a motorcycle accident in Dublin.
There are lava caves under Maungakiekie, One Tree Hill.
Auckland’s Volcanic Caves :
In June 1907 the One Tree Hill Domain Board gave newspapermen an opportunity to visit the lava caves under Maungakiekie, One Tree Hill. Accompanied by the benefactor who gave the parkland to Auckland, Sir John Logan Campbell, officials and the reporters went first to the southern (Onehunga) side of Cornwall Park reserve near where today Sorrento is situated.
The historic homestead is beautiful. My favourite feature is the stained glass window in the entrance foyer. I’ve been there several times before but it was the first visit for my husband and sister-in-law.
Highlights of the visit: the historic house and beautiful forest with it’s massive trees and bird-life. It’s not often you can walk through virgin bush with huge, ancient trees like Ratanui (photo on the left) and see incredibly rare forest birds like the Saddleback and the Hihi.
My own video – it’s nowhere near as good as above, but it shows the stables, and a bellbird feasting on nectar from red hot poker plants bordering the lawn.
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Picture: The Twin Ponga path, a saddleback foraging on the forest floor, and a bellbird eating nectar by the lawn.
Walk: Wanganui 16
History
James Moore from the Shetland Islands arrived in New Zealand in June 1863. He and future brother-in-law James Currie founded the Bushy Park farm around 1865.
During the 1880’s the Moore/Currie partnership ended. The farm was prosperous and by 1890 it had become a significant property. Sadly during the 11 years from 1891 to 1902 the family perished, and the sole survivor was the youngest son, George Francis (Frank) Maitland Moore.
Frank commissioned C.Tilleard Natusch to design the Bushy Park Homestead and it was completed in 1906. He never married, and passed away in 1962 aged 85. He gifted his house and the attached forest to the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society.
“The seemingly never-ending maintenance of the old house was handled by teams of volunteers while further teams looked after the extensive grounds including lawns, hedges and tracks.
Frank Moore’s handyman, Ernie Paulger was the first custodian and retired in 1964. There were a number of custodians and managers in the thirty years following.”
Source: BUSHY PARK HISTORIC HOMESTEAD
Links
Saddleback at Bushy Park Wildlife Sanctuary, Wanganui
7th Dec 2024 I went for another walk where we saw the rare hihi and saddleback birds. We also saw a bellbird. This video is of the birds encountered on our walk: Bushy Park birds, Dec 2024
Walk 33, Cornwall Park, 16th May 2020
Cornwall Park is a working farm that surrounds One Tree Hill in Auckland City. It was gifted to the people of NZ by Sir Logan Campbell who is buried by the obelisk on the hill. This walk is with my friend Meredith on the first weekend after lock down.
History: John Logan Campbell, Auckland resident since 1840 gave the park’s 230 acres to a private trust on 10 June 1901. The adjoining Park Maungakiekie had been purchased by the national government in 1845 and since 2012 belongs to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective. Source: Cornwall Park, Auckland
Walk: Auckland 30
Links
Maungakiekie was the stronghold of Kiwi Tāmaki, paramount chief of the Waihua iwi, or tribe, which dominated the area in the early 18th century. His pā housed about 4,000 warriors. You can still see the terracing and kumara pits from the pā today.
Kiwi Tāmaki and his iwi lived in relative peace until tensions with the neighbouring Te Taoū iwi erupted when he and his warriors killed members of Te Taoū at a funeral feast. This led to a battle at Paruroa, now known as Big Muddy Creek, on the Manukau Harbour. Kiwi Tāmaki was killed in the battle, which occurred around 1740.
By the time Europeans came to New Zealand, Maungakiekie pā had been abandoned and the mountain had also become known as Te Tōtara i Āhua, because of the single native tōtara tree that stood at the top.
Maungakiekie – One Tree Hill – Roadside Stories
Maungakiekie is the site of what is claimed to be the world’s largest prehistoric and neolithic earth fort, given that prehistoric and neolithic refer to Pre-European contact in New Zealand. It is located in the Auckland suburb of One Tree Hill.
There are lava caves under Maungakiekie, One Tree Hill.
Auckland’s Volcanic Caves :
In June 1907 the One Tree Hill Domain Board gave newspapermen an opportunity to visit the lava caves under Maungakiekie, One Tree Hill. Accompanied by the benefactor who gave the parkland to Auckland, Sir John Logan Campbell, officials and the reporters went first to the southern (Onehunga) side of Cornwall Park reserve near where today Sorrento is situated.
‘One Tree Hill‘ featured in a song by the band U2. The song was written in memory of NZ roadie Greg Carroll who became very close friends with lead singer Bono. Carroll was killed in July 1986 in a motorcycle accident in Dublin.
The last walk for 2019, and the most interesting yet. There’s so much to see.
Local residents banded together and formed a beautiful garden park interspered with sculpture, some of which can be “played” on. What they’ve created out of a disused quarry is amazing.
History: In 1864 the land was confiscated from the Maori in the land wars, and in 1911 it was turned into a quarry for the next 60+ years.
We met legendary local volunteer Jo Dawkins at work in the succulent garden. She explained that after hearing the council might reopen the quarry, the community decided they didn’t want the noise and heavy traffic and so they repurposed the land into a park and sculpture garden.
In 1993 the Te Puna Quarry Park Society was formed and in 2000 the park was officially opened.
Walk: Bay of Plenty 4
Links
Boosting butterflies at Te Puna Quarry Park
Te Puna Quarry Park celebrates 20th anniversary
I’m happy to see that they got their 20th celebration in the nick of time, just before the Covid-19 shutdown.
Every New Zealand town has it’s ‘thing’ and for the Bay of Plenty town of Katikati it is haiku.
A quiet walk alongside the Uretara River in Katikati, behind the main street, features thirty boulders engraved with haiku. It is the largest collection of “haiku stones” in English in the world.
There were some murals I liked as well. This one was my favourite as I’m a descendant of settlers who, in coming to New Zealand from Europe, Scotland and England, made the longest journey.
Finally, there’s a small scale replica of a kauri driving dam in the main street on the left as you’re heading for Tauranga. To see a working model, join us on our walk to the Kauaeranga Valley model dam near Thames.
Walk: Bay of Plenty 3
Walk 4: McClaren Falls Park, 25 May 2018 and 7th May 2022
Above video 7th May 2022
This spot has got everything. The road to the park is stunning, it’s up the hill from an old power station and the rushing, boulder strewn Wairoa river.
Autumn was a great time to visit this park not far from the city of Tauranga. It’s home to one of the best botanical collections of trees in NZ.
There’s a beautiful lake.
The track to the waterfall is adjacent to a glow worm walk.
The waterfall is small but pretty.
Walk 8: Bay of Plenty
Related walk:
Links:
Waikato electrical engineer Lloyd Mandeno gave the falls its name in 1921 when he began building the adjoining power station. He rejected the name Waiora Falls and opted to name to call it McLaren in honour of his neighbour who lost his only son in World War I. Source: Ghosts of a Waterfall’s Past: The stigma of Tauranga’s McLaren Falls
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