Another relaxing morning in the rain. The kids were up at 7am like usual. So we gave them some school work on the iPad and phone while Ty and I read in bed. Vacation luxuries! Ty did some chores on the RV before we left camp. (The grey water was starting to flood our bathroom floor. 🤢) So all things gross got dumped. Then we were on our way to see the big Kauri trees in person!
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We stopped in Dargaville for a snack and a ship playground, Ty had read about. The wood was really slick and of course L cracked himself a few times.
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We drove another hour or so to the site of the Four Sisters and Te Matua Ngahere (The Father of the Forest) The Four Sisters is a grouping of 4 large Kauri trees. The Father of the Forest is one of the widest base Kauri at 53ft 10in in girth! It’s incredible and doesn’t come across in the photos.
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We then stopped at Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest), which is over 2,000 years old. Trunk girth is 45ft 3in and a total height of 169 ft.
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Had to include the last one even though it’s blurry! It was such a privilege to be able to witness these amazing trees. Even as we were walking these jungle paths in the rain. I hope my kids remember these moments.
We plugged them into another audiobook, (The Fancy Nancy 4 hour collection!) and headed off down the road for Paihai. We arrived late afternoon at a cheap but great RV site with unlimited WiFi. After talking with a few five companies, the loose plan is to go out on a boat on Thursday. Ty will scuba. The kids and I will hopefully snorkel.
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We walked down to the beach. The kids collected innumerable precious shells. Played on yet another playground. Before we headed back to the RV at sunset to make dinner.
We like this spot and have a few free days in our schedule. So we may actually stay put for a few days. We shall see…
