Limestone Island

Thanks to my friend, Chris, I had the opportunity to go on a boat trip to Matakohe-Limestone Island, which sits in the Whangarei Harbour.  

 

 The M.V Waipapa docked at the island

All the boat day trippers were senior folk so the trip wasn't planned for physical activity. I would have liked to have a bit more time to wander around but I enjoyed the talk by the ranger and the time we had amongst the ruins of the old cement works. Also on the island are a couple of shipwrecks, the remains of an old school and cement works manager's home.

Originally the island was a strategic Maori Pa (Maori village defensive settlement). The little island (37 ha, just over 90 acres) has an interesting history. It lays claim to the first cement made in the Southern Hemisphere being produced there 1881 and being a thriving cement works until around 1918, when most of the buildings and equipment were moved to nearby Portland on the mainland. The island was then farmed before passing into the ownership of the Northland Harbour Board.  Portland Cement, which can be easily seen from the island, is still a major sponsor for ongoing rehabilitation on the island.

The old and the new - Portland Cement in the distance, on the left.

At one stage there were 250 workers at the cement works, 200 residents on the island.   The only human resident now are the ranger and her partner who kayaks back and forth across the harbour daily to his job off the island.  There is a flock of half a dozen sheep which keep the grass down around the ruins.

 

All that industry and later neglect left the island much worse for wear - in 1960s the island was in a degraded state with only a handful of trees remaining. Its main visitors were ships coming into port who dropped off their rubbish to be burnt in the quarantine incinerator located on the island!

Luckily a group of passionate members of the local community came along with a vision of seeing Matakohe-Limestone returned to its former glory. They became Friends of Matakohe–Limestone Island Society and have transformed the island into a regenerating forest habitat. They have planted 155,000 native trees to date and their work continues. Mammalian predators have been eradicated from the island, meaning this ‘new’ forest is now a safe home for a growing variety of threatened native fauna that have been re-introduced.

 

Pataua south

One of my grand-daughters is adventuring in Thailand at the moment and constantly in my thoughts. My thoughts of her today lead me to drive out to Pataua South, where she once (or maybe twice) holidayed when she was younger, and a total contrast to the hustle and bustle she is currently experiencing.  

Today I chatted briefly to a lady and her elderly mother who were enjoying a picnic by the quiet, gentle waters of the inlet.  I crossed the footbridge to Pataua North on the other side, to the wild ocean beach.  No surfers to be found on this sunny but cool day.  

 Whangarei Harbour

The perfect day for fishing in the harbour

 Pataua South

 taken from Pataua North side of footbridge

 North side entry

The grass is greener ...

on the other side of the fence.  I don't think these three agree.  Having successfully escaped to the other side, all they wanted to do was get back.

In three more sleeps I'll leave winter behind and head off to see if the grass is greener in the northern hemisphere.  I'll see if the locals I meet are as accepting of differences as my neighbours are. 

I had time to fill late one afternoon during the week and stopped to take a photo of a church I've never photographed before.  Probably because I don't pass that way very often.   It's beside the Pehiaweri Marae beside the road to Ngunguru. It looks to be recently painted. 

The next day I had time for a few shots of the Whangarei Harbour.  I'm glad I enjoyed those few minutes of tranquility as shortly after the doctor was jabbing a needle that looked like it was intended for a horse into the bottom of my heal with the promise it would help me walk in foreign lands without limping.
 

 As I've been writing this I've had a visitor.  She could have been sent to remind me to count my blessings, she has lost the lower part of a leg.  Heather found her while out horse riding when she was very young and brought her home to feed her and treat the wounded leg.  I thought her chances of survival were slim but here she is today, quite healthy and managing very well.  Well enough to sneak into my garden!

I probably won't post again before I leave and don't expect to much while I'm away.  I simply don't have the patience for entering text on the tablet.  I will visit other blogs if I can.    

See you on the other side.

With an hour to kill around lunch time I decided to have my lunch at a favourite look-out spot and see what Whangarei harbour looked like on this dreary, dull day.  At the end of the road is wasteland.  Or that's what I thought until today.  Now, someone cares enough about it to erect a fence around it. 

My first thought was they couldn't possibly be trying to keep something in there, it's certainly not grazing land.  So, the obvious conclusion is that its there to keep me out.  And I admit to a few minutes of childish, resentful thoughts. 

It hadn't always been easy fighting my way through the scrub and thistles to get a photo from up here, so no more will I ruin a good pair of tights trying. 

Even walking down an access road a bit, this was the closest I could get.  And judging by the twitching curtains in a nearby house, my presence wasn't without suspicion. 

The family have returned from their holiday in Oz.  I've missed them so it's lovely having them home.  And they didn't chastise me for letting two little quail escape from the bird cage.  It happened on the eve of their return - I'd been doing so well until then.  On Sunday I realized there was a strong wind but didn't really notice it all that much at my house.  Not, that is, until I went up to the house on the hill and I sure noticed it there.  I'd fed the guinea pigs and then turned to the bird cage.  A few words children shouldn't hear slipped out and I guiltily looked around before realizing they weren't there.  The bird cage door had rattled itself loose and was flapping in the wind.  Thankfully, the budgies knew where they were well off and were sheltered up high in the cage, out of the wind.  I suspect one of the cats had taken advantage and jumped in to grab a tasty feast of quail.  (There's a lip about 9 inches high below the door and I don't think the quail would have made it over that by themselves.)

So it's back to normal here.  Georgia came running in off the school bus yesterday afternoon, her broken arm not slowing her down one little bit.  When I commented that she could run well with a broken arm she replied, "It's a broken arm, Granny, not a broken leg!"

The arm wasn't much of a  hindrance in the kitchen either. 

Ahh, it's good to be back to normal.  As normal as it gets around here anyway.

A look with fresh eyes

It's definitely a good idea to pause sometimes and look at your local area through the eyes of someone who hasn't seen it before.

That's what I did last weekend when I acted as tour guide to a guest.

It helped that guest arrival day, Friday, was clear and bright. Saturday was overcast and grim and the walk around the beach at Waipu to the Pancake Rocks had to be abandoned.

These photos are taking from our first stop, very close to Whangarei airport, looking down the harbour. The first of many, many photos that weekend!!