Bay of Islands New Zealand

Thanks to cyclone Jasmine our port of call is the Bay of Islands New Zealand versus Tonga. The region is often called "the land of a thousand beaches" and it is a region I would love to come back to and explore some more.  After 26 years we made it back to NZ.  Originally we were going to go sea kayaking in an estuary to some falls, but when we went to the port lecture the other day, we learned that we would be kayaking through a mangrove forest, but after recalling our Mangrove experiences in Cuba and Florida and remembering the bugs we opted for a tour that took us to the Kawiti Glowworm caves and Puketi Kauri Forest.  Our tour lasted most of the day and showed us a great deal of the New Zealand countryside, lots of sheep and cattle.  We did a short hike in the Puketi Kauri forest which is one of the few remaining Kauri forests in New Zealand.  The trees are up to 1200 years old and have a 12 to 15-foot diameter.  Ten houses can be built from one tree.  After the Kauri forest, we stopped in a small town of Kaikohe which has some of the most unique public washrooms I have ever seen.  Then we headed to the Kawiti Glow-worm caves.  Fantastic.  Glow worms can only be found in New Zealand and Australia and reside in caves.  Glow-worms live up to 11 months and grow up to a maximum of 40mm.  They are as thin as sewing needles and have a blue/green tail light that increases in luminosity when they are hungry.    When the guides turn off the lanterns, the roof of the cave is lit up like the night sky with seemingly millions of lights everywhere.   The glow-worms do such a respectable impression of the night sky that they call one cavern the Milky Way cave.   After the caves we headed back to Paihia to gather local supplies of Waikato Draught beer and Tui east India pale ale.   Nice to have when you are thirsty but not any beers that I would repurchase.  Looking forward to Aussie beer.


Cruise tip:  if you land in Paihia the town offers a free shuttle from the ship.  See the countryside it is well worth it.  The town is more of a beach resort town.