An evening at Te Araroa, #EastCape.

Mountains steep (πŸ“·1),
Meadows deep (πŸ“·2).
Seafaring souls (πŸ“·3),
Heavenly goals (πŸ“·4).

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Wakatiri | Lottin Point is the most northerly extent of #Gisborne District (πŸ“·1). Looking across Kawakawa Bay from Haupara Pt towards Te Araroa (πŸ“·2). In Te Araroa’s school grounds is NZ’s oldest (600+ yrs) & largest (21.2m high/ 40m wide) pōhutukawa, named Te Waha-o-Rerekohu (πŸ“·3). The name may relate to a Māori store house formerly on site; one has been reconstructed (πŸ“·4).

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Raukokore’s wooden Anglican church is a local landmark, built 1894, with free-range 🐎 horses minding the grass (πŸ“·1). It’s still in use & in immaculate condition (πŸ“·2). On the back wall are pencil drawings by a boy named Taika Waititi, who spent some of his childhood here (πŸ“·3). He would go on to become a well-known Kiwi πŸŽ₯ filmmaker; β€œBoy” was set in nearby Waihau Bay (πŸ“·4).

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Eastern BOP coastal scenery from SH35. Fishing from the long beach between Pehitairi & Hawai (πŸ“·1). Whituare Bay (πŸ“·2). Small settlement of Houpoto (πŸ“·3). Mouth of the MōtΕ« River (πŸ“·4).

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Tauranga Bridge (πŸ“·1) is south from Ōpōtiki on SH2, in Waioeka Gorge Scenic Reserve. Built in 1922 to replace an earlier one destroyed by flood in 1918, it spans the Waioeka River (πŸ“·2) & served settler farms in Tauranga Valley. A 1.5h loop track from here involves 2 stream crossings, incld. at mouth of Tauranga Stream (πŸ“·3). A symmetrical railing knot in No. 8 wire (πŸ“·4).

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Hukutaia Domain nr. Ōpōtiki contains many species of trees, birds & #fungi. A walk here is especially β€œfruitful” for spotting Favolaschia claudopus, the orange pore fungus. Viewed from the top you can appreciate why it’s sometimes likened to a ping-pong bat (πŸ“·1) with prominent pores on the underside (πŸ“·2). Also saw Cerrena zonata (πŸ“·3) & Auricularia cornea/ ear #fungus (πŸ“·4).

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Hukutaia Domain nr. Ōpōtiki is a 5ha reserve amidst farmland (πŸ“·1). Within is Taketakerau | The Burial Tree, a large 2,000+ yr old endemic Vitex lucens/ pΕ«riri into which the Upokorehe iwi set the bones of their distinguished dead, rendering it tapu | sacred (πŸ“·2). Although bones are gone the tree has guardian carvings (πŸ“·3). The pink pΕ«riri flowers were past their best (πŸ“·4).

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An advantage of being β€œon site” in a camper is witnessing changing light thru the day. Whakaari | White Is, seen from Ōpōtiki’s Hukuwai Beach Recreation Reserve, smoked shades of white, grey & blue (πŸ“·1). Light can also change our moodβ€”from irritation over fly-tipping (for which us freedom campers will be blamed) to joy at the reds & golds of sunset on Hukuwai Beach (πŸ“·2–4).

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The 11km-long Ōhope Beach on the ocean side of Ōhope Spit identifies as NZ’s β€œmost-loved beach” (πŸ“·1). Large shallow estuary of Ōhiwa Harbour on the landward side (πŸ“·2). A wildlife refuge at the Spit’s tip allows endangered #birds to nest safely, overlooked by Onekawa Pā across harbour entrance (πŸ“·3). A Sterna striata/ white-fronted tern returns with shoal fish in beak (πŸ“·4).

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β€œKiwi Boy” #art on Whakatāne riverfront (πŸ“·1) shares whakapapa with a bench-sitting bird in Auckland Botanical Gardens; several less anthropomorphic #kiwi sculptures also decorate bank. According to AI species classifier app, this painted gull-like local is probably Homo sapiens (πŸ“·2). Stern of ceremonial waka housed nr. river mouth (πŸ“·3), which is hazardous to navigate (πŸ“·4).

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