New Zealand - Kai Iwi Lakes, Kauris, and Goodbyes

April 02, 2018

Our last week in New Zealand was a house sit in the middle of a dairy farm about 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside of Dargaville in the Northland section of the North Island. We had nothing to do with the dairy itself, but we looked after the house and pets of the dairy’s owners. The pets included Frankie, a female dog who was kept outside (which killed Deborah), and Diddy, a male gray cat the owners described as “a bit nutty.” Somehow Frankie’s bed made its way just inside the sliding glass door and received a comfy new cover that Deborah sewed together out of bath towels. Thus was reached a compromise between or desire to have the dog join us in the house and the owner’s desire to keep her outside. Diddy the cat got his wet food in the morning and all the crunchies he wanted the rest of the day. But if he wanted more wet food (which was always) he would let out his high-pitched cry if you were in the kitchen anywhere near his bowl, and swat at your legs if you were foolish enough to pass by without meeting his demands. His claws weren’t out so the swatting was not painful, just alarming if you didn’t know he was there. And outside the kitchen he was pretty affectionate. So yes, a bit nutty.

We weren’t far off the highway at this house but we were surrounded by acres of pastureland (and cows) so it was peaceful and quiet. Not far away were the Kai Iwi Lakes, which featured nice walking tracks, and the Trounson Kiwi and Kauri Reserve. The Trounson has as its mission the preservation of a stand of the giant native Kauri trees that once covered the island, and also the preservation of the kiwi, the flightless native bird and national symbol that has suffered greatly from predation by introduced species. Kiwis are nocturnal so we didn’t manage any sightings, but the trees were more cooperative. One particularly large tree was said to be 1200 years old. Further north in the Waipoua Forest are even bigger kauri trees like Yakas and Tane Mahuta. You know a tree is big when it has a name.

But the named tree giants will have to wait. We had to cut our New Zealand trip a week short due to a family illness that had me rushing back to Olympia. But we will return one day. This is an amazing country – one which manages to pack a lot of natural wonders into a relatively small area. We’ve seen glacier-covered mountains, dramatic fjords, picturesque bays, temperate rainforests, volcanoes, waterfalls, rolling green hills, stands of soaring trees, long sandy beaches, sea stack strewn rocky beaches, steaming geothermal areas, glowworm caves, and brilliantly colored turquoise lakes and streams. Add to that the sea lions, penguins, albatrosses, seal colonies, and exotic flightless birds – not to mention some nice cities – and you have one remarkable place.

Could we live here? Yes, we can’t help fantasizing about it. The beautiful landscapes are reminiscent of my Pacific Northwest roots, and they do speak English here, which makes it easier. So you could say it is a bit like the US but with less gun violence and more lawn bowling. Or really it is more like England but with better weather. But there are drawbacks; namely, it is expensive to immigrate here as a retiree, and the cost of living is high (gas is $6/gallon and housing is quite pricey), plus New Zealand is just a long way from everywhere, except maybe Australia and a few South Pacific islands. That isolation could be viewed as an asset in today’s world, but we still have to think about family visits and our desire to see as much of the rest of the planet as we can manage. So we’ll keep it on the list, but also keep looking.

Kai Iwi Lakes

The fluffy plants are called toi toi.

(photo by Deborah)

Towering Kauri Trees at Trounson Park. I couldn't get Deborah to stand next to these for scale because they are trying to keep people a certain distance away to protect the tree's roots.