Tane Mahuta – New Zealand’s Oldest Living Tree

35.6009° S, 173.5272° E

There was a terrific thunderstorm in the early morning so we waited until the rain stopped before heading out. We just made the 11:00 ferry across Hokianga Harbour, a 15 minute trip.

We landed in Rawene, a picturesque town and had a coffee at No. 1 Parnell cafe in a former grocery store.

It was a short winding road along Hokianga Harbour on the way to Waipoua National Forest with some stellar views.

Once in the forest, we made our way to see Tane Mahuta, Lord of the Forest, the largest living kauri tree in New Zealand, estimated to be more than 2,000 years old. He is more than 50 feet in diameter!

The forest preserves other examples of these magnificent trees, which are under threat from kauri dieback disease. Visitors are not supposed to go off the board walks and have to clean their shoes before and after visiting the trees. Several trails have recently been closed to try and control the disease.

We drove for another 2 hours along the long and winding road to Whangarei

We are staying for the night at Lupton Lodge, a historic inn just outside of the city.

Tomorrow we go to Sheepworld! The guidebook says that the sheepdog demonstration is not too baaaaad!

Cheers!