You’re not likely to find yourself in Kawhia by accident. It lies at the end of a long and winding road that leads nowhere else and the cost of the curves can be carsickness. Arriving at the end of a long day travelling north into worsening weather we were relieved to finally reach our destination.
The calm waters of the receding tide were soothing and I spend some time watching the kingfishers, gulls and herons feeding on the mudflats and margins while the returning fishing boats offloaded their crew and catch.
Kawhia has a strong Maori history with the resting place of the Tainui ancestral waka being marked by bow and stem stones. The harbour was an important part of early maritime trading with regular sailings from Onehunga. With the advent of rail this dropped away and has left Kawhia a bit of a time capsule locked into the past by the landscape. There is a definite old world feel that makes it feel as though you have been teleported back to a childhood decade. A remnant of the maritime history are the unique racing whaleboats. Five were built in Auckland in 1880’s to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi. They were moved to Kawhia in 1910 and four still survive with three still racing along with modern replicas in the annual New Year’s Day regatta.
A trip along Ocean Beach Road takes you through some scenic pine forest before stopping at the base of the dunes. A climb over the black ironsand dunes is rewarded with views out to sea, stands of flourishing Toetoe waving in the wind and, if you’ve come prepared with a shovel, the opportunity to dig a natural hot pool in the receding tide.
Kawhia would be a great destination for a holiday but I would recommend staying a few days to make the journey worthwhile. Judging from the catches I saw being offloaded, a fishing trip would be well worth the effort.
Photos with the Fuji X100s apart from Kawhia Harbour with Nikon D810 and Nikon 24-120mm f4 lens and Kingfisher with Nikon D500 and Nikon 300mm f4 PF lens + Nikon TC14 – 1.4x teleconverter. Black and White conversions with Macphun Tonality which has become my preferred plugin since Nik Silver Efex was made free by Google signalling the recent predictable announcement that the Nik Suite will no longer be supported or updated.
