Up, fed, watered and washed we set off at 8.30am for Waipoua Forest. The 18km road route passed through the heart of the forest and had several points where visitors could park up and walk a short distance to view the mighty Kauri trees.

Below is some information I have plagiarised which explains in detail about the forest:

Kauri are among the world's mightiest trees, growing to more than 50 metres tall, with trunk girths of up to 16 metres and living for more than 2000 years. Kauri forests once covered 1.2 million hectares from the Far North of Northland to Te Kauri, near Kawhia and were common when the first people arrived around 1000 years ago. The arrival of European settlers in the 17-1800's saw the decimation of these magnificent forests. Sailors quickly realised the trunks of young kauri were ideal for ships' masts and spars, and the settlers who followed felled the mature trees to yielded huge quantities of sawn timber of unsurpassed quality for building.

The gum too, became essential in the manufacture of varnishes and other resin-based products. The gum was obtained through digging, fossicking in treetops, or more drastically, by bleeding live trees.

More forest was cleared as demand for farmland and timber increased in the early and mid 20th century.

In 1952 the 9105 hectare Waipoua Sanctuary was finally declared, with all remaining kauri forests in Crown lands coming under the protection of the Department of Conservation by 1987. Kauri trees on private land are now also largely protected.

I couldn't have written it better myself. The forest was spectacular although a little cold first thing in the morning. The trees were truly massive - I am not sure the photos will do them justice. We stopped off for lunch and sat in the sun disappointed that the hilltop view point was shrouded in shrubs and we couldn't see anything from the ground. We tried to have lunch in the lookout tower but it didn't have any space where we could sit. After a short stop for lunch we drove back down highway 12 to hook up with highway 1. The scenery along the way reminded us of back home. We could see friesian cows (black & white ones) dotted around the hillsides and in fields. Also dotted around were homes which looked small and modest. Most homes we saw were bungalows and from a distance they seemed to be made of wood and corrugated tin. The roofs painted either green or red, probably with an oxide. There is a mix of new and old in New Zealand. You drive through some towns and it's like stepping back 30 years in time. It will be interesting to see how much different South Island is and whether we will step further back in time?

The afternoon continued pretty much the same way it started... driving, taking in the scenery and stopping for refreshments until we reached Auckland. Takapuna in Auckland was very modern and clean. We took an evening stroll down the beach before getting a Chinese take-away. With full bellies and burning lips we headed back to the camp site to crash ready for the Glow Worm caves the following day. I was feeling the effects of jet lag and by 8.30pm I was exhausted and more than ready for bed!