New Zealand

Bay Of Islands

Cape Brett is the cape on the southern entrance to the bay of islands. It is teaming with life. The hole in the rock is large enough to take a 60 ft. ferry through. The ceiling is 63 ft. high and that left us 2 ft. short of clearing with Libby.

We drove to the Kauri forest on the west coast of the north island by Opononi. They are incredible trees. No limbs or taper for 80-100= ft. then they are like an oak tree on top. Most of them were logged off earlier in the century. Only a few pockets of them have been preserved. For many years the gum (pitch) was also  gathered and exported to be used for making resin. The new age of plastics and epoxy replaced the need for kauri gum early in the last century.