Northland Highlights

 

The Stone Store, New Zealand's oldest undamaged stone building (1836).

 

 

 My souvenir from Northland: a rolling pin made of Kauri wood, from The Kauri Workshop, Kerikeri.

 

A crimson helmet (Mycena ura) mushroom I found near where we stayed.

 

 

 Some curious sheep living at the farm we stayed at.

180-190 year-old olive trees at the Russell cemetery. These would be among the first trees brought to New Zealand by European settlers, which brought to my mind an Italian proverb:  

Vigna piantata da me; moro da mio padre. Olivo da mi nonno. 

('I planted the vine; the mulberry, my father. But my grandfather planted the olive tree').

We visited the oldest church in all of Aotearoa while up North, Christ Church (Anglican). It still holds services on Sundays at 10:30 a.m.!

I love seashells, so these two pearl oysters in the Russell Museum caught my eye.

A crayfish (Jasus hugelii) at the Russell Museum. When a commercial fisherman caught it in 1973, it weighed in at about 7 kilograms!

 

 

One of the 144 islands that can be found in the Bay of Islands. I photographed it while on the Happy Ferry going from Paihia to Russell.

 

 

One of Paihia's landmarks: a swordfish statue. Swordfish can be found in the Bay of Islands, and the first fishing club in NZ is the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club (est. 1910).

A Nīkau palm (Rhopalostylis sapida) in the Puketi Forest.

 

 

Ancient Kauri trees (Agathis australis) growing in the Puketi Forest, seen on the beautiful Manginangina Kauri Walk.

Lastly, we saw one of the oyster farms in Northland. I took this photo on the way back from having lunch with an oyster farmer who assists at the Totara North Bible Chapel.