North Island Musings

This blog is now going to turn into more of a travel blog. I feel I have exhausted the topic of how we live in this caravan. After five months travelling around I think I am now ready to look outside myself and discuss the places which we travel through and stop in.

The North Island is not an unknown place to me but I have not really stayed over the north side of Cooks Strait for over twenty years. The ground is not unknown but slightly strange. To clarify what I mean by ground I really mean the terrain. The North Island is an island of hills. The brothers of Maui certainly ate a lot of chunks out of the giant fish he pulled up and the thrashing of this giant fish certainly resulted in many ups and downs. Time has seen roads built around these chunks and over the ups and downs. 

The brothers actions have ensured that in every town there is a lookout hill to climb. I don’t begrudge the time it takes out of my day to puff to the pinnacle. Views from the top of these hills always firstly, give a sense of achievement, then wonderings about the lives lived there, as many of these modern day lookouts were once pa sites. It is understandable the situation of the pa when looking out over the bays and bush clad hills. The sites allow panoramic views. Any hostile canoe would be easily spotted. 

 Thankfully what wanders up the path behind me today is only my weary husband and not a  tattooed warrior.