Wairere Boulders, Horeke, Hokianga, Northland
A surprise geological find on a farm in Northland is drawing tourists from around the world.
The stunning rock formation at Horeke - the Wairere boulders - lay hidden for more than 100 years until a Swiss couple stumbled across it, thanks to their goat.
Felix and Rita Schaad bought the overgrown land in 1983 on arriving in New Zealand, not knowing it had a hidden secret.
It was four years after they had moved into their remote valley farm when the couple stumbled over the ancient treasure trove, while out catching wild goats with their dog.
Approaching the goat, Rita says they found rocks piled on each other looking like a river of stones.
After discovering their humble home was hiding a geological piece of paradise, it was always their intention to show it off to the world. But their dream was only realised six years ago when the determined couple began building pathways by hand through their jungle oasis.
It is one of the most awesome activities and an exciting adventure to explore this unique Tourism Attraction. The valley, formed by basalt boulders, features an easy walk and tracks and the unique walking possibilities make it an outstanding site of eco-tourism or nature tourism.
We are open every day during daylight hours !!
The length of the basalt rock amassments on the valley floor is 1 1/2 km. There are thousands of boulders stacked on top of each other, some around 30 m high. They look like a stream of rocks and boulders flowing down towards the Hokianga Harbour.
At a first look, everybody thinks the rocks are a limestone formations because of their deep cuts called fluting, but it is actually basalt.
Photo: fluted rocks
The markings on the boulders are called fluting, karst, clints, lapiez or solution pits. Often it is referred to it as pseudocarst Fluting can be the cause by stream and water erosion or by pyroclastic flows. In our case however it is caused by acidity. It is the result of chemical leaching by acids generated by the Kauri forests that used to exist in the area.
Read about the Cause of the Fluting
In the early days of New Zealand settlement, parts of the valley were logged and mainly Rimu (type of timber) was extracted. The river was dammed to flush logs down through the canyon. Some logs from that time are still stuck between rocks, and old stumps can still be found in the bush near the upper part of the boulder area.
Log from logging time of early settlers stuck between rocks
The site of the saw mill (the first water driven mill in New Zealand owned by William Webster is still to be seen. New Zealand's first steam mill, imported as well by William Webster was initially built at the Hokianga Heads but later moved to Wairere. Remnants of the loading facilities to ship timber down the Wairere river to the Hokianga Harbour are still to be seen.
In the early days there was a complete village, called Wairere, on the left valley side. It is to be found on older maps and was mainly for housing of timber mill workers. Some of the locations of dwellings can still be detected and some bits and pieces of old china prove that there were people living here in the early settlers' days. The first written report about the boulders, we are aware of, is in the Maori Journal, written by John Webster, the younger brother of William Webster.
Later the interest in the valley faded. We know that on the bottom end there was some livestock farming to produce cream at the beginning of last century and in 1946 the old milking shed on the right valley side was abandoned. A new milking shed was then erected on the left valley side. The old cottage was transformed into a hay barn, but we later restored it to its original beauty. (For more detail see the Schaad Homepage)
When we (Rita & Felix) purchased the valley in 1983, nobody had an interest in the area. It was considered to be too tough to live in that valley and neither livestock farming nor growing timber seemed to be a valuable option.
Day 4 - Opononi To Muriwai: Macadamia Nuts, Puzzles, Tāne Mahuta, Blah Blah Blah
Day 4 - Opononi to Muriwai
Transcript, credits + links
On day 4 we had a tour of a macadamia nut farm, visited a puzzle museum and a kauri tree called Tāne Mahuta - the god of the forest.
The Daily English Show NZ Summer Tour 2011
Thanks to:
United Campervans
Note about YouTube subtitles: Some of the Māori words are supposed to have macrons - but this transcript function currently doesn't support letters with macrons. It's also automatically matched to the audio - so it's not always perfectly matched.
The Daily English Show NZ Summer Tour 2011 Playlist
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Credit to: studio tdes | thedailyenglishshow.com
The Daily English Show
Day 2 - Paihia To Taputaputa Bay: Waitangi Treaty Grounds, NZ History, Keeping Safe And Eating Well
Day 2 - Paihia to Taputaputa Bay
Transcript, credits + links
Today we talk to a police officer, visit the place where The Treaty of Waitangi was signed, see New Zealand's oldest building and do some cooking in our motorhome.
The Daily English Show NZ Summer Tour 2011
Thanks to:
United Campervans
The Daily English Show NZ Summer Tour 2011 Playlist
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Credit to: studio tdes | thedailyenglishshow.com
The Daily English Show
Manukau Heads Lighthouse, Auckland, New Zealand
Manukau Heads Lighthouse
Phillip has two weeks school holidays, we went the small town Waiuku, and explored the popular places in this region, such as Manukau Heads Lighthouse, and Awhitu regional park
The Manakau Heads Lighthouse is only a 20 minute drive from the Waiuku town centre. The drive to the lighthouse features a lot of amazing scenery and is very peaceful. There is a carpark and bathroom facilities down at the foot of the hill and we climbed along the wooden staircases to reach the top. The lighthouse opens at 9:00 am and we got there early so that there wouldn't be many visitors. We climbed to the top of the lighthouse and explored other lookouts in the area.
The information below is from the website
Top of the list is a trip to the historical Manukau Heads Lighthouse, jutting out from the tip of the peninsula, located in the Franklin district. The lighthouse is one of only a few in New Zealand that are open to the public and the views are amazing. The wind and salt spray will clear out the cobwebs too. On your way to the peninsula, stop by Waiuku, a historic town on the Sunset Coast. Don't miss The Kentish Hotel, New Zealand's Longest Running Hotel for a drink or dinner and enjoy a view of the estuary.
The information below from the website
Stroll around the Lightkeeper’s balcony just as he would have done nearly 140 years ago. Few other New Zealand lighthouses reward visitors with such an authentic experience. Lighthouse and adjacent Signal Station command wide views of the mighty Manukau Bar, Paratutae (site of the first signal station), Auckland’s sub-tropical Waitakere Ranges, Auckland City and the whole of lake-like Manukau Harbour. Mount Taranaki (2518 m) frequently clears clouds to the south.
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Travels With Phillip
Auckland New Zealand
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Queenstown - Skyline Gondola and Luge Thegiants's photos around Queenstown, New Zealand
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Wacky Stays, Kaikoura, New Zealand, HD Review
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The town centre has a variety of bars, restaurants and a tourist information centre.
Huka Falls Resort, Taupo, New Zealand
BE INSPIRED BY A TRULY UNIQUE VENUE FOR ALL OCCASIONS
Peaceful, private, relaxed and situated just minutes from Great Lake Taupo; discover Huka Falls Resort for your next conference or event, your wedding day, or a relaxing family getaway.
Nestled amongst 7 hectares of landscaped gardens and a vineyard, sit our spacious stand-alone villas. Travelling alone on business or a family visiting the region for a holiday? Choose one of our three room types to suit your requirements; a two bedroom villa, one bedroom suite or a studio room.
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Dargaville - from kauri gum to kūmara - Roadside Stories
In the late 19th century Auckland's main export was kauri gum. One rich source of the gum was the swampy land around Dargaville where kauri forests had been cleared. Gum-digging was tough work, often done by Dalmatian immigrants and by Māori. Today the Dargaville area is known for growing kūmara (sweet potato).
Dargaville and the Northern Wairoa,
Kauri gum and gum digging,
Scraping gum,
Dalmatians,
Draining a swamp,
Kūmara,
Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number 27604).
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Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides that follow major road trips in New Zealand. The stories cover the places you'll pass along the way - their people, their history, their cultural and natural significance. For more information about Roadside Stories visit
Lake Rotorua Hotel, Rotorua, New Zealand, HD Review
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