Kai Iwi Lakes

Walk #132, 4th May 2024

Kai Iwi Lakes are three freshwater dune lakes, Lake Taharoa, Lake Kaiiwi, and Lake Waikare. The walk is around Lake Taharoa, the largest lake, where water the colour of sapphire ringed with aquamarine laps at the beaches of fine white sand. It’s a popular place to camp. The jewel in the setting is the lake, while the surrounding land is a bit ho-hum. It was a lovely spot fringed with big trees, but the trees were removed for some reason. It now looks a bit barren.

We got there in late afternoon and it started raining so the lake isn’t shown at it’s best. We got half way around Lake Taharoa when we decided to call it a day and go to the Kaihu Tavern.

Here’s a photo taken on an earlier visit in early spring, 2020 which shows the amazing colour of the lake.

Lake Taharoa, the largest of Kai Iwi Lakes

Walk: Northland 28

Kai Iwi Lakes Coastal Track

I recommend this walk across paddocks to Ripiro Beach, which we did in September 2020. It was more interesting although it’s across farmland so you would have to watch for bulls, cows, bogs and electric fences. We came out at a little waterfall on the beach.

Ripiro Beach

Ripiro Beach is at 107 km (66 miles) long it is the longest driveable beach in New Zealand, longer than the more famous, but erroneously named Ninety Mile Beach further north.

It is called ‘the shipwreck highway.’ The difficulty early mariners had navigating the coastline and finding entrance to the Kaipara Harbour to the south are evident to any visitor; there are no landmarks, and there were no lighthouses until the one at Pouto was built. Studies of a confirmed 113 shipwrecks and other suspected wrecks have brought social information to light with potential impacts on the known history of New Zealand. Some are found in shallow water, some are buried in dunes which are now inland in an area known as ‘Valley of the wrecks’ and “The graveyard”. Vague stories of ships full of white men wrecked and then eaten on this coast before and after the time of Abel Tasman may yet be confirmed. Source: Places NZ, Ripiro Beach – Shipwreck Highway

Mystery 300-year-old shipwreck could rewrite history

Time to Find New Zealand’s Buried Spanish and Portuguese Treasure

Lake Ngaroto, Waikato

Walk #115, 31 January 2024

Lake Ngaroro is a peat lake in the Waipa district of Waikato. It’s ten minutes from Pirongia or Te Awamutu.

The lake is surrounded by farmland. When European farmers drained the swamps for pasture they pulled rata, kahikatea and totara logs out of the ground. The logs were all found lying in the same direction and it was quite likely the trees were knocked over by the Taupo eruption of 233 AD.

The path around the lake is easy and well maintained with some interesting info boards.

I liked the fish ladder and the planting that’s been done around the lake to improve water quality. It took me an hour and twenty minutes to walk around the lake.

Walk: Waikato 25

History

Battle of Hingakaka

This battle was the largest ever fought in NZ with an estimated 16,000 warriors involved. It took place between 1790 and 1807, before muskets. The war between Maori tribes was caused by a dispute over the fish harvest.

Episode 39: Hingakaka – the biggest battle in NZ Ever!

Uneuku

Maori buried their taonga (treasures) in swamps to protect them from being pillaged. Uenuku is one such treasure, found in the lake area and now cared for at the Te Awamutu Museum.

The Maori maintain Uenuku was a rainbow god and it was carried into battle before being buried in the swamp surrounding Lake Ngaroro. They claim it’s the only one of it’s kind. However, two such pou (poles) were said to be on Mount Pirongia, the home of the Patupairehe. They would have long rotted out, this one was preserved by the swamp.

Is the artifact Maori or did it belong to earlier people?

Is Te Uenuku really ‘unique’?

Links

Interestingly, for those who say the Moriori never were in NZ, the Moriori also have a god called Ouenuku. This confirms for me that the Moriori were in NZ first, which is what I was told as a child. Source: Tangata Whenua

Te Uenuku (Pt2)

Uenuku transferred to Te Awamutu Museum

Pā of Lake Ngāroto

Ebook, THE OLD FRONTIER

Virginia Lake, Wanganui

Walk 73, 15th November 2021

Virginia Lake is Wanganui’s jewel, a really pretty lake on St John’s Hill. You’ll pass it if you’re heading west-northwest to Taranaki. It only takes about 45 minutes to walk around.

There’s also a bird aviary and the Winter Gardens, an art deco hot house. My favourite thing is the Higginbottom Fountain, installed in 1971, the year my family arrived in the Wanganui area. The copper fountain is in the shape of a lily. A 40-minute lighting display occurs every evening, coinciding with when the streetlights are switched on. The display can be activated at any other time by placing a gold coin into the slot.

The aquatic bird life is prolific, with lots of chicks to be seen on our walk.

The video features my young cousin, and a goose who remembered her from last time …

Walk: Wanganui 17

Links

Rotokawau Virginia Lake

Birds of Rotokawau, Virginia Lake

Tainui Statue, Virginia Lake

Virginia Lake Reserve Management Plan

Medical discrimination begins in NZ:

This is my first walk from Wanganui, my new / old hometown. Sadly we had to relocate and there will be no more Auckland / Northland walks for the forseeable future. We arrived back on the 7th November 2021, after enduring 82 days of lockdown in Auckland over one Covid case. Auckland is NZ’s largest city, and it’s still locked down, 112 days later.

There’s more freedom in the regions but discrimination as well.

I would have happily put a link for the cafe in the old caretaker’s cottage next to the Winter Gardens, but not after seeing their sign.

I’m not able to go in. I’ve been having cancer treatment since November 2020, and for safety reasons have elected to wait until 2023 before even considering the so-called “vaccine.” So people like me are discriminated against.

We came back and had a picnic on the lawn in front of that cafe a few days later. I thought there’d be three friends but 30 people turned up. How much business are cafes like this going to lose?

Things are not going back to normal, but even if they did, I wouldn’t go back in there. I understand the cafes are between a rock and a hard place, but the sign excluding me was there before the 2nd December when NZ adopted the medical aparteid system.

We are also barred from DOC (Dept of Conservation) huts and camping sites. “For our health.”

You’ll hear us mention the NZ government on the walk. I wish the lion on the plinth at the gate would turn into Aslan and boot the witch out of Narnia.

***

Note: the above cafe has appeared in the local paper since I wrote about this on the 7th December:

Owner of the Funky Duck Cafe Dave Hill said increased costs across the board alongside very low numbers of customers has them in a tough spot. Photo / Bevan Conley
Wanganui Chronicle, 12 Feb, 2022 Covid-19 Omicron: Whanganui hospitality businesses say life under red is unsustainable

This is what happens when you discriminate.

Lake Okareka

Walk 68, 24th July 2021

There are some beautiful lakes in the Rotorua lakes district, and Lake Okareka is my favourite. This lake is in the same area as Lake Tarawera and the Blue and Green Lakes. I’ve canoed on it and ridden on the hills above. If you like bird watching there are lots of noisy water birds to see.

I like the Black Swans the most because they weren’t believed to exist. New Zealand’s Black swan was hunted to extinction by the Maori but black swans were brought over from Australia in the 1860s and there’s a population of approximately 50,000 today.

Walk: Rotorua 25

Links

History of Lake Okareka

Patupaiarehe : The very rugged badlands of the central North Island became the sanctuary for early Patu-paiarehe tribes fleeing from the Eastern coastline of New Zealand over in the Hawkes Bay District or from the western coastline around Taranaki. The Ngati-Hotu of Hawkes Bay, first fled to the inland lakes. In the Rotorua District this included lakes Rotorua, Okataina, Okareka, Tikitapu, Tarawera, Rotomarama, Rerewhakaaitu, Rotoehu, and Rotama. The Patu-paiarehe tribes seemingly subsisted well in the district and their underground dwellings or other structures can be found throughout the area to this day. On the Western side of Lake Rotorua they occupied the high ground of Ngongataha. Source: Whakahoro

Lake Okareka : “Ōkareka means “the lake of sweet food”. In early times, Māori grew sweet potatoes or kumara around the outside of the lake.

Black Swans

Motuoapa Lookout

Walk 29, Motuoapa Lookout, 9th Feb 2020

I don’t know how many times I’ve driven through this village between Taupo and Turangi and gone past a marina I never knew existed!

Walk: Taupo-Central North Island 38

Lake Okataina

Walk 17 – Lake Okataina, 17 May 2019

From the boards: Okataina means the lake of laughter. It was an important link in pre-European times where canoes were carried from Tarawera to Okataina, and from Okataina to Rotoiti. Okataina road follows one of these ancient portage routes.

In 1823 Te Koutu Pa was attacked by Hongi Hika using a portage route.

Met at the Te Koutu pa site, Lake Okataina

The lake has no surface outlet – it drains by seepage through fissured lava towards Lake Tarawera which is about 20 metres lower in elevation. Because of this, the lake levels fluctuate dramatically with the rainfall.

In 1883 the area was covered in volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Tarawera.

There are small caves at the pa site. Tarawera ash has made it appear that caves were dug below ground level when in reality you had to step up to enter them. Some caves are characterised by a slightly domed ceiling. Some are L shaped with straight walls and a perfect gable ceiling, the outside is characterised by an extra recess for the door.

Ngati Tarawhai, a sub-tribe of Te Arawa are the principal iwi associated with the Okataina district. In 1921 they gifted the foreshores of Lake Okataina to the crown to be set aside as reserves.

♦

Lake Okataina panorama

Toitu te whenua – leave the land undisturbed.

New Zealand – Ancient Carved Maori Gateway or Waharoa – 20ft high – Te Koutou Pah (or Pa – a village of more commonly, a hill fort), Rotorua – now in the Auckland Museum. Date: 1920s

Walk: Rotorua 29

★★★★★

History

In previous times this area was settled by different iwi (tribes) who either pre-dated or derived from Te Arawa Waka. According to Ngati Tarawhai history, the first people to settle in the area was an iwi called Te Tini o Maruiwi (the myriads of Maruiwi.) They were followed by Te Tini o Ruatomore (the myriads of Ruatomore) who were to later adopt the name Ngati Kahupungapunga. Source: Lake Okataina Scenic Reserve history

The last stand of Ngāti Kahupungapunga was at Pohaturoa Rock.

THE MARUIWI FOLK OF THE BAY OF PLENTY DISTRICT: Volume 37 1928 > Volume 37, No. 146 > The Maruiwi folk of the Bay of Plenty District, by Elsdon Best, p 194-225

Hinehopu / Hongi’s Track

Links

Entrance to storage Rua – Te Koutu pa

Maruiwi

Carved gateway Lake Okataina Koutu Pa taken about 1904

Te Koutu Pā

Click to access lake-okataina-scenic-reserve-cultural-history-p10-19.pdf

Lake Taupo

Walk 13: Lake Taupo, 27 Jan 2019

Lake Taupo is New Zealand’s largest lake. The whole basin is an old caldera. The last eruption around 180AD, believed to be the largest in recorded history, blew Taupo dust to Java. There are still active thermal areas, especially at Waireki in the northeast and Tokaanu in the southwest.

This walk is in sections: one from Taupo to Five Mile Bay, and another section from Wharewaka Point to Five Mile Bay, which I walked on New Year’s Day the year before.

The official walk begins in town where the lake empties into the Waikato river and goes for 7kms to Wharewaka Point.

Here are some of the Lake’s measurements:

Wharewaka Point

Wharewaka Point to 5 Mile Bay

I did this walk on 1st Jan 2018.

Taupo nui a Tia walk

This walk is from Wharewaka to the Yacht Club by the Waikato River. I did it with Meredith, Colleen and Lyn on Easter weekend 2021.

Walk: Taupo 36

Stone Alignments, Wharewaka

There were stone alignments at Waipoua Forest, Maunganui Bluff, Northland and Koru Pa, Taranaki. This appears to be another site. Many of the rocks are in an unnatural standing position. If these were boulders spewed-forth from a violently erupting volcano, then they would neither look so regularly shark’s-fin shaped nor would they sit so perfectly upright.

Fortunately these boulders haven’t been lost to the bulldozers, they are sitting in plain sight at the Lake Taupo Scenic lookout reserve.

Links

The power of Taupo

History:

Lake Taupo is named after the explorer Tia, a chief from the Arawa canoe. The full name of the lake is Te Taupō-nui-a-Tia. When the people of the Te Arawa landed at Maketū, Tia travelled up the Kaituna River to Rotorua. Tia continued west until he came to the Waikato River. He noted the murkiness of the water and reasoned that someone was ahead of him. This place was named Ātiamuri (Tia who follows behind). Determined to meet those responsible for the muddy water, Tia hurried after them. At a place near Wairākei he came to some river rapids whose tiered form fascinated him. Today they are called Aratiatia (the stairway of Tia). Journeying on to present-day Lake Taupō, he was disappointed to find a large tribe, *Ngāti Hotu, already living there.

Sourced from Te Ara.govt.nz, Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

*Ngato Hotu: see The First People.