Sanctuary Mountain

I have wanted to go to look at Sanctuary Mountain for a while. Its a very long drive. The first time I went to go I try to go through Cambridge and we found that this way was longer than we thought. The second time we went but it was too hot in the summer. However, I finally made it last Thursday.

Sanctuary Mountain is part of Mount Maungatautari. It’s in the Waikato region and it takes 4 hours driving south from Auckland to get there. We go through a small country town, Te Awamutu. The birds are the main attraction, but it has a lot more than just bird life.

I got a pass and went through the gate to look at this magnificent place. It is protected from pests by a huge rabbit fence. You must pay a fee to go and you can walk through it for hours. I intended one hour but ended up by walking for 2 hours. Then I drove half the way home and Warwick took over from there.

This is one of the gates and I crossed a bridge. You do need to be very fit to walk this mountain. I go to a gym and that really helps a lot. Some of it is in part darkness as you are surrounded by huge Rimu trees and other vegetation.

Here is a trail, when you go, the people give you a map and it pays to stick to it, you can easily get lost here. Keep to the trails, its safer.

Now there are no Kauri trees as there are in Northland and in Auckland, but tall majestic Rimu trees. Its very high up and much colder. It pays to wear suitable comfortable footwear.

Here is a flower that has nectar that the Stitch bird or Hihi enjoys. I regret I don’t know the name of this beautiful New Zealand plant. The scent is wonderful, its a very nice smell. The Stitch bird is called a Stitch bird because of its Stitch like sound. Here is the very flower it likes, I took that photo right here in Sanctuary Mountain.

I did not see birds in Sanctuary Mountain except the Stitch bird. I heard a lot of birds, they were very high up in the trees. Sometimes people see them.

In the middle of this photo is a box with nectar-sugar or honey water freshly put out for the Stitch birds. I sat and waited for one to arrive.

Well, with poor lighting this is the best I could do in the circumstances.

Next time I go I will book a guided tour, and see the Takahe and other native New Zealand Species. However, I have no regrets walking through this Sacred Mountain, it has an awesome majestic presence, Im glad of this experience. I went to find birds and found something else.

Looking up to the sky, the tops of the Rimu tree.

The roots of the Rimu tree, often inhabited by Kiwi. They are nocturnal and rarely does anyone ever see them. They live in holes in the tree roots here.

The walk ways go up and down.

A seat looking over a stream inside the foliage

Looking upwards, a ponga tree.

New Zealand Bush. Totally different from Auckland and Northland. This is the Waikato region.

More of the paths. You really have to be sure of where you are going an it pays to read the map really well.

Being in this forrest has a cleansing smell, it is the lungs of civilisation.  Trees and vegetation cleans the air. It pays to be kind to nature and in turn it will be kind to you.

I took for the play of light on the vegetation on this tree unique to New Zealand.

The exit and my journey is almost at it’s end. After 2 hours.A very Cheeky Fantail outside the inner gates of Sanctuary Mountain.

Flowering Kowhai flowers to welcome spring, well it’s almost over now.

Here are some views from Sanctuary Mountain

Above you can see the Rabbit fence keeping out pests from Sanctuary Mountain I took this from the Visitor centre. This concludes our tour of Sanctuary Mountain. Hopefully will go again in the near future.

The nearest largest village is Arapuni, where the Arapuni Dam is.