9th November (3)

The other highlight of the day was a garden, or series of gardens which have been created in a huge disused quarry by a group of volunteers. It is stunning and just amazing to think of the amount of work that’s been put into it. There is an arid section and a water-loving section, long areas where wild flowers have taken over and others where trees have been planted to stabilise the slopes. Bright colours were in evidence throughout which were brilliant and diverse.

Jean

9th November (2)

Mount Maneia was close to our next stop at Mcleod Bay and the profile, as with the other highland in the vicinity, was very strangely shaped. All of the volcanoes have long been extinct and have been massively eroded, leaving the more resistant pipes standing out from the rest.

Jean

Sunday 9th November 2008

Our Bed and Breakfast is located on the shores of Whangarei Harbour in a beautiful setting. We set off this morning to drive around a series of small bays to the headland south of Urquart Bay. All of the scenery was wonderful, like the views over the Parau Bay.

Jean

Waterfalls

Whangarei Falls (left) were billed as the most photogenic in New Zealand but turned out to be less so, in my view at least. Not bad but not all that large and in pleasant rather than spectacular surroundings (only about 200 metres away from the main road, in fact.)

In comparison, the one in the Quarry Gardens on the other side of town was much more interesting, slithering down the side of the old quarry into a still pool, one of the many excellent features in a real haven. Dave