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Kyalami Estates Corporate Brand Bible Design 26
3.0 Folder (Inner)
TRAVEL
Hole in the Roxk. Bay of Islands

vegetation have flourished. The endemic NZ
Dotterel, an endangered species, can now
be seen on the brilliant white sands of the
sanctuary. Other birds seen included Bellbird,
Tui Grey Warbler and Eastern Rosella. Michael
and Sharon also took us to Shakespeare
Regional Park on the Whangaparaoa
peninsula just south of Orewa where we had
good sightings of Brown and California Quail,
Pied Oystercatcher and Spur-winged Plover.
Our sincere thanks once again to Jean and
Dennis and to Michael and Sharon for their
hospitality.
Alas after almost a month, our NZ holiday
came to an end. New Zealand offers something
for every visitor, from tranquil wine farms
and quaint towns to adventure sports for
the adrenalin junkies. With its 15 000km
coastline and hundreds of bays and inlets, it
is a paradise for water sports enthusiasts. NZ
separated from Australia some 80 million years
ago and consequently has a unique flora and
fauna and was the last major landmass to be
inhabited by humans.
rock’ which as the name suggests has a large between Paihia and Russell. The town has many
hole that boats often venture through, and historical buildings and the streets retain their
then on to Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island historical layout. We hiked up Flagstaff Hill,
where we disembarked and were served a late which was the scene of much conflict in the
lunch at the licensed café. We again enjoyed 1840s between the early settlers and the Maori.
the company of dolphins as we sped back to The flagstaff that now stands on the hill was
Paihia. erected in 1858 and is the 5th such flagstaff,
the 4 previous having been cut down by the
Just across the bay from Paihia lies the small Maori. We had a superb sighting on Flagstaff
town of Russell, which was the first permanent Hill of the Western Weka, one of NZ’s many
European settlement in NZ. Ferries run every flightless birds, which calmly strolled around
half hour crossing the 2,3km stretch of water unconcerned by our presence.

Other interesting places we visited in the
Northland region of North Island included the
Puketi Forest, Keri Keri and three wine farms. California Quail
The Puketi Forest is a remnant of the Kauri tree
forests that once covered much of North Island.
A boardwalk allows for easy access through the
forest and notices remind visitors that possums
and other undesirable mammals are still being
trapped. Indigenous birds are slowly returning to
the forest and we saw the North Island Tomtit,
the North Island Robin, NZ Kingfisher, Barbary
Dove and Kereru (NZ pigeon).

Grape vines were first planted in the Keri Keri
area in 1819 and now NZ has over
2 000 registered wine farms ranging from the
Northland area to as far south as Otago on
Bottlenosed dolphin South Island. Sauvignon Blanc dominates NZ’s
wine industry, accounting for over 80% of NZ’s
wine exports. We visited Cottle Hill Winery, Paradise Shellduck
Marsden Estate and Kainui Road Vineyard, all in
the vicinity of Keri Keri.
After departing from Pahia, our next stop was
Orewa some 35km north of Auckland, where
we met up with old Durban friends Michael and
Sharon Potgieter who moved there a few years
ago. Orewa is a popular holiday destination
with one of the longest and safest beaches
in NZ. Michael and Sharon invited Jean and
Dennis from Auckland to join us on a trip to
Tawharanui Sanctuary about an hour north of
Orewa. In 2004, a pest-proof fence was erected
on the Tawharanui peninsula and all mammal
predators were removed. As a result, birds and
Humpbacked whale Western Wekka

22 Kyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 4 • 2019