One of New Zealand’s prehistoric trees is the kauri tree, which live to be a couple thousand years old and grow to diameters of 16 feet or more – smaller than redwoods and sequoias, but still very impressive. Unfortunately the vast majority of them were cut down for timber, but a few remain, particularly along the “Kauri Coast” on the northwest side of the North Island, which just so happens to be my current location. The weather has been a bit uncooperative, so while I got to do one short hike in a small kauri grove, wind and rain resulted in a new plan to get up early tomorrow to revisit the big trees before I have to check out of my Airbnb at 10am.
Somehow I’ve only got five nights left in New Zealand after tonight. Thinking back, the day of many hikes at Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park exactly one month ago feels like a lifetime has passed, but at the same time this trip has flown by. Thankfully the next five nights should be a good ending to the time here, with weather forecasts suggesting that the sun will return for a couple of days of scuba diving in what’s supposed to be one of the world’s most impressive dive sites.
