Paihia, Bay of Islands

Try saying this name 3 times fast












Behind me is Hokianga Harbor that runs into the Tasman sea, I went on a tour through the forest and around the harbor on my way to the next wwoofing home









Paihia in the Bay of Islands, 144 islands total, and where the Treaty between the Whites and the Maori took place











Tane Mahuta, a 2,000 year old tree, known as the Lord of the Forest. Over 30 species of trees and plants live at the top and creates its own ecosystem






I had a night layover here (bum place to have a layover 'eh?) :) where I stayed in a Backpackers but unfortunately didn't have a lot of time to explore. It was okay because my bus the next day, which I thought was just a 2-hour bus ride to the next location, was actually a TOUR bus that went for half the day! The tour bus had 3 guides and only 3 passengers including myself. We went through the forest and saw Tane Mahuta (pictured above) and learned a lot about Maori Culture. If you'd like to see a good movie on some Maori culture, I just watched Whale Rider and it's a very good film.