Heading towards the Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands (Bay of Islands) counts approximately 144 islands that for the most part are uninhabited. The large sandy beaches, secluded coves or hiking trails are for tourists a real paradise and above all a vast "playground" to sail between each island.
December 2019
The island of Motuarohia is only a few miles northeast of Paihia. We anchor in the bay of Roberton where a small walk of 20 minutes awaits us.
The climb to the viewpoint is done by a path lined with fern pines and shrubs.
Once up there the neighboring islands are drawn on the horizon as well
than the vertiginous cliffs of Motuarohia.
Oyster Catchers are endemic birds that feed on mussels, oysters or shells that they break without difficulty with their long orange beak. This one nests quietly away from the beach while observing us from the "corner of the eye"!
Moturua Island
The island next door is Moturua which is part of the DOC as Motuarohia (one loses his Latin with all these names "Maori") and of course it is forbidden to camp, make fire, walking your dog etc ... All these reserves have a common project called "Island Song" which consists of reintroducing species native to New Zealand and eradicating predators by installing traps scattered away from the trails..
We go around the island (4 Kms) passing by white sand beaches,
then crossing vast expanses of grass already yellowed by the sun.
We descend by the path lined with acacia trees and white-flowered manuka (trees native to New Zealand),
from which we extract the oil that is used to make cosmetic products and especially honey known for its exceptional flavor ... we haven't tasted it yet!
Urupukapuka Island is the largest in the Bay of Islands, the hikes are varied and
she is also part of the "Island Song" project.
We anchor in the south of the island facing the campsite
and join as an annex the nearby bay of Otehei. We visit the conservation museum and then do one of the 2-hour hikes under a blazing sun.
On the return of our excursion the dock is crowded and the only snack on the island where we stop