McCrain's
in Middle Earth
A travel dialogue of our adventures
in New Zealand
In February 2004, Jim and Kathy McCrain began a five month oddessy in New Zealand. Kathy was transferred to Auckland for a temporary work assignment, and Jim followed her for moral support. (Isn't he just the greatest husband?) What follows is Jim's account of this adventure.
Celebrating the Queen's Birthday
June 6, 2004
Howdy Folks! After a short two weeks back home in the USA, I have returned to New Zealand for more fun and adventure. (Kathy stayed in New Zealand while I went home to look after the house and work for a few days.) It is good to be back with Kathy, and we are ready to "hit the road" again. We didn't get to celebrate the American Memorial Day, but Kathy did get the Queen's Birthday as a holiday.
So,
shortly after arriving in-country, we headed north from Auckland to
see the giant New Zealand Kauri forests. These forests are immensely
thick and dense, sporting a wide variety of plant life. However, the
central attraction in these forests are the giant Kauri trees. These
trees can grow to be as old as the California Giant Sequoia's, and almost
as big. In fact, the girth of several of these trees rivaled that of
the Sequoia's, although the Kauri are not quite as tall. Still, the
Kauri trees have several interesting traits. The bark of the tree, according
to ancient Maori legend, comes from the Whale God that wanted to live
on the land. The trees and the whales traded skins. The bark of the
Kauri actually does resemble the skin of a whale! Another trait is that
high in the branches of the trees grows a separate eco-system. A type
of "spider plant" grows in the hollows of the branches and
gives life to a myriad of birds and insects. These trees are absolutely
amazing. Standing under them and breathing the fresh air they provide
makes a man feel very insignificant, and yet I also feel very special
for having visited these magnificent forests.
After
our walk through the forests, we needed a place to stay. With this being
a National Holiday, room space was at a premium. With a little creative
searching, Kathy came up with a "caravan stay." We rented
a very cute camper for the evening! The host even invited us to share
dinner with them. It was a great price for the "room," but
an even better deal on the hospitality. Kiwi's are such nice people!
The next day we traveled
through some fantastic sheep farm areas. New Zealand is a very large
sheep and wool producing country. There is 
supposedly
four sheep for every person in the country. One of the strangest things
that we have seen, though, were several goats! It seems that there is
a local custom in New Zealand that allows people to tie goats to posts
alongside the roadways! We don't know why they do this, but we have
seen it all over the country. Kathy liked this goat because he had his
own little house!
One
of the last sights we were heading for was the Piroa Water Falls. We
had not planned to go to the falls, but as Kathy loves water falls so
much, we decided to go when we saw the signs for it. The signs did not
prepare us for the sheer majesty of this place. The falls are about
50 feet high, and pour down into a beautiful little pool. It was a nice
hike to the bottom of the falls, and the view was worth all of the effort.
I hope you enjoy this picture!
More pictures and more adventures are on the way!
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