I joined a group to take a tour of Auckland’s wild and
rugged West Coast. The small bus took us
through the Waitakere Mountain Range (these are dormant volcanoes). We visited the welcome center with its framed
view. We traveled to the black sand
beaches and wild surf of the Tasman Sea that separates New Zealand from
Australia (maybe 2000 miles or so across the ocean). We traveled to a home donated to the
government with sweeping views of both the East and West coasts at the shortest
distance. There was a little rain today,
and we were reminded that is is a rain forest that doesn’t reside in the
tropics. It was a great day!
We set sail later this evening for Waitangi, which is a bay
of islands north of Auckland, New Zealand.
We’ll then leave New Zealand for Sydney, Australia.
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| The "framed" view of the Waitakere Mountain Range (New Zealand). |
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| The view from the Information Center of Waitakere National Forest. That's the Tasman Sea in the distance. |
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| The black sand beaches of the Tasman Sea. |
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| There were a few surfers who climbed these rocks to make it to the surf. |
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| Kauri trees were used for lumber when settlers arrived. This is the stump of a 2000 year old tree. They now work to protect these trees in the forests of New Zealand. |
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| Ferns grow up to become trees only in New Zealand! |
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| The view of both the East and West Coast. About 11km separate the two coasts at this point. |
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| The area is beautiful even on a hazy day. |
