New Zealand Part 5 - Otanewainuku

    There are countless things that I still haven't mentioned on the trip (and may never get around to) - for instance, going to a concert on New Years Eve (NZ is one of the first countries in the world to celebrate new years!) with J's cousins. There was also a sailing adventure, in which I, along with J and his brother and dad, got to sail around the Bay for a few hours - it was my first time on a sailboat, and a LOT of fun! There were also a few quiet days in-between, one of which was spent getting family portraits taken, and another with a trip to the movies to see The Hobbit. The adventure I will be sharing today is that of our hike up Otanewainuku.
     Otanewainuku scenic reserve is just a hop skip and a jump from Tauranga, and a place where J and his family have often hiked, so it made sense for us to visit here. On the drive there, we passed a pick-your-own fruit place called Somerfields.

 
    We came primarily to pick up some strawberries for later consumption, but I was more interested in the kiwis. Along the drive to Rotorua, we had seen numerous kiwi orchards, but most are surrounded by huge hedges to protect them from the wind, which made them difficult to see. Here, I got to see them up close and personal (and take a few pictures). For those of you who didn't know (I didn't before this trip), kiwifruit grow on vines, much like grapes in a vineyard. In fact, if you didn't know any better, you might think it a vineyard of very large non-bunched grapes.

    The rest of the drive took us down a winding dirt road (occasionally very bumpy), through rolling fields and pastures and into the bush. After climbing out of the car, and applying copious amounts of sunscreen, we made our way to the trail head. 

    Before we trekked, I stopped to take in the literature - which involves a lot of warnings and no dog signs (as dogs are known to eat kiwi), as well as some fun facts about the kiwi. It also includes a little legend summary, which reads as follows:

    "In Maori legend Otanewainuku is a chiefly mountain, powerful and proud. The beautiful mountain Puwhenua chose Otanewainuku over Mauao (Mt Maunganui). The bereft Mauao asked the patupaiarehe (fairies) to drag him out to sea, but was caught by the daylight and remains stranded on the edge of the ocean."

At the trail head... let the hiking commence!

    The trail we took is the Summit Loop, and trails up and along the mountain (which is yet another extinct volcano) up to its peak and then back down the other side. The path is pretty rough at times, and since it isn't always clear which way to go, there are these handy neon arrows to point the way!

     Above are two examples of the trail on the way up the mountain. The ground was very rough, and, at times, very steep. I particularly loved this one natural staircase made entirely of tree roots (left). As you can see, the trail is almost completely covered by the canopy of trees and climbing vines, with only small rays of light finding their way through to the ground to the reach the ferns below. The shade kept us cool as we trekked up and up. Though the trail doesn't gain a whole lot of height, there are a lot of dips and steep hills along the way, which made me feel as though I'd climbed a much higher peak.

    These two are great examples of just how wild and overgrown this bush trail is. On the left is a photo taken directly to the side of the path, showing the net of vines growing up and around us. On the right, is just one great example of just how interesting and unique some of these trees are - the way it bends and twists, as well as the covering of vines, ferns, and other plant life. It truly felt as though we were in the middle of a jungle wilderness - with the canopy above, the fern-coated ground below, and the happy chatter of birds all around us.  (check out the video below to hear a sampling of NZ bird songs)

    As with most peaks in New Zealand, you know you've found one when you find it's marker. In this case, there is a surveyor marker on the ground as well as a large wooden platform. A short trip up the stairs and onto this platform, is an amazing 360 degree view of the Bay of Plenty. J tells me, that on a really clear day, you can see all the way to Mt Maunganui. Unfortunately, this day turned out to be cloudy and a bit hazy, but the view was still pretty fantastic - it was as if we were on top of the world.. or, at least, above the forest canopy.

And now I give you... the view from the top of Otanewainuku!

 
    The path down was much faster, although slightly treacherous, especially for someone with short legs, like me. I put my camera away until we reached the base, where there is an incredibly large tree (one of the tallest in NZ according to it's little sign).

J in front of the tree we thought was
THE tree, but which turned out to be
only another rather large tree. 

    From here, it was a short (and relatively flat) journey back to the trailhead, where the rest of the party were waiting. Several bottles of water later, it was time to make the journey back home. Back home to the sunset view from the balcony, dinner and drinks, and a basket or two of fresh picked strawberries.