The central west coastal areas to the north of Mt Taranaki are referred to as the "King Country". After a brief mid-19th Century movement to resist the European settlers in the land wars, the Maori king withdrew southward to this region. Although hostilities ended long ago and the king (actually a queen) is now largely symbolic, this is an area that takes preservation of Maori stewardship seriously. The caves of the Waitomo district, although managed by the state, have been returned to the descendants of those who revered them as sacred places for centuries. These are the famous "glow worm" caves. The Maori word for glow-worm translates to "stars over water", and this is an apt description. The pictures below are all taken from this magnificent region, which stretches from mountains to the Tasman sea.
In Marokopa (below), we observed dozens of intrepid locals wading through the incoming tide to net some "whitebait", which refers to the juvenile of several species of coastal fish that are about an inch long, translucent and quite a delicacy here. They cost over $100 NZ a kilo, and are served in omelettes, "fritters" and other styles. It is illegal to harvest them commercially, so thousands of Kiwis (the people, not the birds) patrol the coastal inlets and estuaries during the season, which lasts from August to November. The sand is ash-black.
Between Waitomo caves and the cosat, we stopped at Marokopa Falls. Kristen took this amazing picture of the falls and mist-rainbow.
We probably take too many "bush" pics on our walks. Hey look, here's another one! (sorry)
Many places we visit, like the caves or Mangapohue Natural Bridge, are essentially impossible to photograph.
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