Heading North
Whangārei - a whistle-stop tour
‘Wow, Mike, look at that building!’ I exclaimed as the bus drew to a halt. A higgledy-piggledy black and white chequerboard adorned the façade, striped with midnight blue columns, all created from crazy tiling.
‘Concentrate, Julia, we need to find our hosts.’ It was a good reminder to look out for the Rotarian and his wife, who were putting us up over the next couple of nights.
‘Hi, Julia. I’m Mike.’ ‘And I’m Liz. Welcome to Whangārei1.’
We were hoping to learn about Rotary projects in Whangārei while there, but the first focus was on fun – a Rotary charity quiz night. A hundred or more people were sitting around tables, chatting noisily. These included representatives from a couple of Rotary clubs and both beneficiary charities.
Our other team members, Briar and Des, could not have made us more welcome. And we were delighted to find that we even knew some of the answers – most unusual for us.
Mike presented a Llanelli Rotary Club banner to both Rotary presidents and marginally avoided a lynching for mentioning that the Llanelli rugby team once beat the All Blacks. (And we’re still proud of it, 50 years later!)
Mike and Liz are seasoned hosts with Rotary’s International Travel and Hosting Fellowship and worked hard to show us a good time during our stay. The first stop was a community garden built in a disused quarry. Liz knew the area when it was used as an unofficial dump for old cars and other rubbish. We walked up the narrow valley through a riot of tree ferns, frangipani trees, bromeliads and other exotic plants (exotic to us Brits, at least). After a while, the view suddenly opened up to the quarry lake. The sage green water extended to a craggy rock face. Two ephemeral ribbons of water plunged down the rocks in the distance, feeding the lake.
The Rotary Club has supported the gardens over the years with grants and fundraising. Sadly, the Rotary Bridge was washed away in a recent cyclone, which has also caused some damage in landslips. Nevertheless, the undamaged parts of the gardens were full of well-placed colour and verdant growth.
Unfortunately, we could not visit the Māori pā (hill fort) because of cyclone damage to the footpaths and road. This is the highest hill in the area, which allowed a good view of approaching enemies, and the local Māori used to meet here to discuss war strategies.
Instead, we travelled downstream along the river, past the distinctive Whangārei Heads peaks and on to Ocean Beach.
We leant on the car park railing and watched the sun sparkle off the ocean, but there was no time to dally; we had more to see yet.
Although the estuary is wide at points, it narrows just as it meets the sea, and the water scours the neck, creating a deep channel suitable for large ships. The former oil refinery that stands on the far side used to service the whole of New Zealand, but the wharf is now being used to export timber.
Our final stop for the day was the Whangārei Waterfalls. These are in a park close to the town centre and easily accessible, with platforms and bridges positioned to give the best views. Water thundered over them and dropped down the vertical cliff to the plunge pool below before continuing its journey downstream.
Back in the city the following day, we finally saw more of the chequerboard building. It was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an Austrian architect who lived in the area. He spent his childhood in Nazi Germany, and his paintings and buildings reflect his desire to move away from the restrictions of that regime. The building is an outburst of creativity and joyful design. A small mermaid statue sits in a grassy inlet, surrounded by walls of wavy bricks. A toy car protrudes from the mortar. A gold dome rises above a lush roof garden that contains specimens of the world’s rarest tree2. Tiled rivulets meander down the slope from the roof. If you ever find yourself on North Island, it’s worth a trip to Whangārei just to see this building.
Do you have any iconic buildings where you live that draw people to the area?
Inside, we explored an exhibition of Hundertwasser’s paintings, some of which were used to advance social and environmental causes, and almost all of which are a little bit crazy and very colourful. In the Māori gallery, Nomads of the Sea was showing, a powerful video installation by Lisa Reihana, who is of mixed Māori and Welsh descent. This compelling film depicts the challenging relationship between Māori and European settlers and the juxtaposition of warrior-like tendencies with a love of and respect for nature.
We just had time to dash to see the rolling ball clock, which I could have stood and watched for hours. A robot cycles a chain, which lifts balls and releases them into the clock. Gravity and clever engineering then do the rest, whizzing the balls around and ultimately landing them in a groove that tells the time accurately to within 15 seconds.
I dragged myself away to join our hosts for our final visit – to the bird rescue centre, another charity supported by the Rotary Club. I’m not a fan of taxidermy, but the stuffed gannets and albatrosses flying overhead in reception helped me understand just how gigantic these birds are. I wouldn’t fancy my chances in a fight! The real stars of the show, though, were – of course – the live birds.
A petrel with a poorly leg was sitting on the ground, with its head hanging low. It must have been quite a shock to find itself in an aviary, away from the sea and unable to fly back. Of course, it didn’t know it was being helped – just that it was somewhere new.
In another aviary, two New Zealand pigeons – bigger than our own, with an emerald bib and white belly – sat on perches, looking out. Each had one grey wing intact and the other hanging at an odd angle. They will never be able to fly again, so they will be cared for here until they die.
Inside the building, in a small cage, a little morepork owl stood on its perch, waiting for its wings to heal so it could fly again. And in a shady corner of another cage, with feathers like long, straight fur, a kiwi looked dolefully in our direction, its long, straight beak pointing down. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be free later today!’ This tough bird was hit by a truck but has quickly bounced back and is ready to return home – one of the rescue centre’s many success stories. I hope we’ll see a kiwi in the wild, but whether or not we do, I’ll hold this one in my heart – a wild bird soon to be back where it belongs.
Whangārei has suffered in the past from people driving straight through the town on the way to the Bay of Islands, similar to how Llanelli is passed on the way to the Gower or Pembrokeshire. The Rotary Club of Whangārei has supported projects like the rolling ball clock, and the council has supported the Hundertwasser building to give people a reason to stop in the town instead of just passing by.
Now we’re wondering – what could we do in Llanelli to encourage tourists to visit? Please let me know what you think in the comments below.
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It took us three days of practice to learn how to pronounce the name of this town. It’s something like Fang-uh-ray, with a very slightly rolled r.
Pennantia baylisiana. To reproduce, it needs male and female trees, and only one has been found left in the wild – a female. Cuttings have been taken, but it will never be able to reproduce again in the wild unless a male is found.
Easier to pronounce than Llanelli then??