Puketi Forest, Maori Marae & Kawakawa
-
port
Russell (Bay of Islands), New Zealand
-
activityLevel
Moderate Activity
-
excursionType
12,All
-
wheelchairAccessible
No
-
startingAtPrice
$210
-
minimumAge
Information Not Currently Available
-
duration
Approximately 4½ Hours
-
mealsIncluded
Meals not included
Transfer from Waitangi Wharf to the edge of the Puketi Forest. Join your guide for a short walk through a subtropical rain forest. If they could talk, the ancient kauri trees here would whisper tales of a millennium of standing sentinel over rich flora, fauna and colonial and Maori history in a forest that seems to burst with wildlife. Keep an eye out for New Zealand's endemic plants and noisy native birds.
In Otiria, you will visit a Maori marae or meeting place. Enjoy a traditional Maori welcome here.
Continue to Kawakawa, a slice of small-town New Zealand that would be unremarkable except for its much-celebrated public restroom designed by internationally renowned artist and architect Frederick Hundertwasser. The now-deceased Austrian artist made this remote Northland town his home, and took up the challenge of designing the privy here, attracting worldwide media coverage.
On your return to Waitangi, pass through Paihia, where one of New Zealand's earliest missionary stations was established in 1823.
Please note: Wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring a light jacket. In the event the marae is closed for a funeral, a similar experience will be substituted.