Ohaeawai and the Wonderful Acorn

Since leaving Leigh, BF and I spent a few days relaxing in Paihia before heading to our next hosts. Paihia is another beautiful coastal town, great for any and all sorts of water activities. It was pretty quite while we were there because it's off season, but I can imagine it gets pretty busy here when the sun is shining and the waters are warmer.

About 30 minutes away is the teeny tiny rural "town" of Ohaeawai, where our next stay would be. The farm is a really beautiful 22 acre bit of green run by the wonderful Lloyd and Laura. They let us stay in a cute little cottage called The Acorn. It came with a fully equipped kitchen (baking!) and a little wooden stove.

Excuse the mess, we were making lemonade!

The porch

Lloyd and Laura knew nothing about farming when they first moved to New Zealand from Glasgow almost 10 years ago. But now their little piece of heaven is thriving and green.

Alpacas are so funny looking, in a cute kind of way.

Rachel, the donkey. She's 46!

And their chooks lay the best eggs I have ever had! So creamy and rich!

They sleep in trees!

It's winter, but that doesn't mean you can't have lunch on the porch in the sun!

Only 20 minutes away is the town of Kerikeri, which has a few free touristy spots worth visiting. One is Rewa's Village, a recreation of a Maori fishing village and botanical garden. A village like this one was temporary and set up near resources. However, when war broke out, the inhabitants would abandon it and flee back to the fortified village.

Chief's hut

Cooking house

Earth oven

Across the bridge from Rewa's village is the Stone Store and Kemp House. The Stone store claims to be the oldest stone building in New Zealand and the Kemp House was built 20 years before the Waitangi treaty. (The Treaty of Waitangi is the foundation of New Zealand as we know it today.)

Just before crossing the bridge, there is a great trail walk to Wharepuke Falls and Rainbow Falls. I loved this walk. The greenery is beautiful (more tall trees than bush and shrubbery), great for all ages and fitness levels, and the waterfalls are totally worth it.

I wish it was summer!

The first automated powerhouse of Northland

Is this "where puke falls"? :P Despite how it's spelt, Maori's pronounce "wh" as an "f", so the falls are actually "fah-reh-poo-keh". 

Wharepuke falls

Rainbow Falls

Another great walk is Waihoanga Gorge Kauri walk at Puketi forest. It is a bit of a drive from Ohaeawai but if you want to see kauri, this is one of the best walks we've done so far. The kauri in the walk aren't as grande as the Tane Mahuta (largest kauri tree), but there are a lot of them and you can get up close to them. I think we were also dazzled by the golden sun beams shining through the trees. Just a word of caution, it won't look like a path at first. You have to walk across a large grass field, down a steep-ish hill riddled with holes (be careful!) and cross an electric fence. But don't worry, the fence has a little bit of plastic covering where you can cross. :P

There's a trail out there, trust me

Make sure not to touch the bare wire!

Kauri bark falls off in unusual shaped pieces

In a few days, BF and I are off to Ahipara, a small town at the bottom end of 90 mile beach. If you should ever decide to visit the Bay of Plenty, I highly recommend renting Lloyd and Laura's Acorn. You can find it on bookabach.com. I'll be sad to leave this wonderful paradise behind, but I am glad I had the chance to experience it and all it had to offer. Cheerio!