A QUIET FOREST FULL OF MAGICAL TOADSTOOLS
23 AUGUST 2022
Cosmo, Stud and Mocca - our furry little friends at the resort
Just Less Than 100m From Our House Was This AMAZING Forest
During our stay at the Kai Iwi Lakes Resort, we were always thinking about things we could be doing as a family. We love exploring new areas and discovering new things and we had been researching all the cool things to do in the area. Before we got to the resort, we had no idea there was a forest just at the back of the property. Naturally curious we thought... hmmm... not sure if that's really our thing.... just kidding, of course we wanted to explore it!
Julie was incredibly kind and showed us the grass path that led to the back of the resort (with Sienna leading the way), past the big steel barn at the back of the property, down a fence line and onto the start of the forest walk.
Julie was incredibly kind and showed us the grass path that led to the back of the resort (with Sienna leading the way), past the big steel barn at the back of the property, down a fence line and onto the start of the forest walk.
Sienna leading the way, as she always tends to do
Yep! It's a LONGGGG WAY DOWN THERE!
Looks like something straight out of Harry Potter (the tree, not us)
One Of Those Tracks That Looks So Inviting
At the entrance of the forest walk, we were instantly struck by millions upon millions of pine needles on the ground, which made the path so soft to walk on. There were pine trees towering over us on both sides of the track, which took us down gradually until we reached the end of the forest where you can turn back or keep going to Ripiro Beach (we had an AMAZING time there and we were blown away by the views!)
On each side of the track is a fairly steep drop, so it was a great time to educate the kids around making sure they were walking safely, keeping their distance and being mindful that even though it might feel like we were walking on a mattress (the soft pine needles), the mattress only really applied to the top of the track, not so much on the sides if we slip!
The forest was super quiet, there was barely any wildlife around, just the occasional piwakawaka (fantail) and every so often you could hear the roar of the ocean at Ripiro Beach. The forest was so peaceful to be in and it was great to sit and enjoy the silence.
On each side of the track is a fairly steep drop, so it was a great time to educate the kids around making sure they were walking safely, keeping their distance and being mindful that even though it might feel like we were walking on a mattress (the soft pine needles), the mattress only really applied to the top of the track, not so much on the sides if we slip!
The forest was super quiet, there was barely any wildlife around, just the occasional piwakawaka (fantail) and every so often you could hear the roar of the ocean at Ripiro Beach. The forest was so peaceful to be in and it was great to sit and enjoy the silence.
The first view as you enter into the forest
It's a pretty big drop..... ohhh, nice shoes!
The start of the Ripiro Beach walk
We Were Stumped Trying To Figure Out What Dug This Hole
As we made our way to the bottom of the pine needle track, we came across this really unusual hole. Not just any old hole in a hill but this hole had been dug out by something significant. It couldn't have been a rat or a rabbit - the hole was huge! We listened carefully, sneaking our ears in a little closer. Could we hear any breathing? Any movement from whatever could be lurking down below? We couldn't see anything, but the hole was really deep. I'm not sure we wanted to hang around long enough to see what would go in or go out of there! Maybe it's a fairy house? Let's go with that! (We found out later on that it was actually a rabbit burrow, but we're still going with the fairy thing).
Every forest and bush walk we go on, is an opportunity for the girls to seek out fairy houses. Arabella found quite a few fairy houses on our walk and even a fairy door, out in the open! It certainly was a fairy door shape and even had a little window at the top!
In other blogs, we've written about taking time to enjoy the journey, it's amazing how many of nature's incredible gifts you come across when you take the time to look around and we love getting the kids imaginations involved. I think we've told the fairy stories so much now that even Tash and I now believe it's actually true. Fairies are real!!! We've seen our fair share of cool fairy houses, including those at Hobsonville Point in Auckland.
Every forest and bush walk we go on, is an opportunity for the girls to seek out fairy houses. Arabella found quite a few fairy houses on our walk and even a fairy door, out in the open! It certainly was a fairy door shape and even had a little window at the top!
In other blogs, we've written about taking time to enjoy the journey, it's amazing how many of nature's incredible gifts you come across when you take the time to look around and we love getting the kids imaginations involved. I think we've told the fairy stories so much now that even Tash and I now believe it's actually true. Fairies are real!!! We've seen our fair share of cool fairy houses, including those at Hobsonville Point in Auckland.
The bottom of the forest pine needle track
What on earth dug this?
A fairy door that goes to the land of unknown
Mmmm Mushrooms, But Not The Kind To Touch Or Eat
The forest has great photo ops, we spent ages taking photos of the girls, the fly agaric (yes, magic mushrooms) and the forest itself. In a forest full of brown and green, it was really obvious to spot vibrant coloured mushrooms, toadstools and fungi. They were mainly down in the gully so of course because of the vibrancy, we had to go down and check them out and we're so glad we did.
Fly agaric are enchanting, yet deadly. They are incredibly pretty, just like in the fairy tale books, but can be deadly, so these ones are just to look at. Fly agaric mushrooms are probably the easiest to identify with the bright red cap. We noticed a lot of mosquitoes sitting on the mushrooms and it would be interesting to know if they die after being on there as most things that eat them end up dying.
In Alice in Wonderland, Alice actually took some fly agaric to change her size as fly agaric has hallucinogenic effects. It is used in Asia for religious ceremonies, as a scared and hallucinogenic ritual drink in India and Iran called soma and it was given as a gift in late December, but Siberian shamans.
They are considered a problem species in New Zealand because it's thought that they are displacing some indigenous fungal species.
We found an awesome video on Youtube, showing a time lapse of the Fly agaric which was pretty cool to see! Check that out below
Fly agaric are enchanting, yet deadly. They are incredibly pretty, just like in the fairy tale books, but can be deadly, so these ones are just to look at. Fly agaric mushrooms are probably the easiest to identify with the bright red cap. We noticed a lot of mosquitoes sitting on the mushrooms and it would be interesting to know if they die after being on there as most things that eat them end up dying.
In Alice in Wonderland, Alice actually took some fly agaric to change her size as fly agaric has hallucinogenic effects. It is used in Asia for religious ceremonies, as a scared and hallucinogenic ritual drink in India and Iran called soma and it was given as a gift in late December, but Siberian shamans.
They are considered a problem species in New Zealand because it's thought that they are displacing some indigenous fungal species.
We found an awesome video on Youtube, showing a time lapse of the Fly agaric which was pretty cool to see! Check that out below
The fly agaric are easy to spot
A little slug makes its way up the toadstool
Fly agaric mushroom
Exploring The Forest
There was so much to explore down in the forest. We found more mushrooms, bugs and flowers - the colours are so vibrant down there. We found heaps of wild strawberries and even an abandoned bird's nest as well.
There was one section of the gully that was super lush and full of native bush and we think it's the section that gets a lot more water than other parts, due to how green it is.
The forest is almost full completely of pine trees, but there's one random tree up on the hill, that looks like something out of Harry Potter! It was bare, with comical looking branches and we swear we saw a face on the road near it. Oooooh!
There was one section of the gully that was super lush and full of native bush and we think it's the section that gets a lot more water than other parts, due to how green it is.
The forest is almost full completely of pine trees, but there's one random tree up on the hill, that looks like something out of Harry Potter! It was bare, with comical looking branches and we swear we saw a face on the road near it. Oooooh!
There are great photo ops in the forest
The lush part of the forest
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
Know Before You Go
- The forest is on private land, so you'll need to stay at the Kai Iwi Lakes Resort to access it
- The mushrooms are dangerous, so remember not to taste, touch or tickle them
- There is a steep drop off both sides of the track as you head down
- You can access Ripiro Beach through the forest and you can read more about that here
- Take your camera!
- Keep an eye out for fairies
- It's only 100m away from the accommodation at the resort
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
When you are staying at Kai Iwi Lakes Resort, Julie or Rod (the owners) can point you in the right direction. It's on about 100m from the accommodation where you will be staying, to the start of the forest walk.
Conclusion
We absolutely loved this walk and we highly recommend it, without a doubt! We did not to expect even half of what we discovered on this walk and it was so cool to know that there's a private paper road that leads down to Ripiro Beach! This is just one of the many gems you can expect when staying at the Kai Iwi Lakes Resort.
Whether it’s sunny and hot or cold and drizzling, the forest is a MUST to explore.
Whether it’s sunny and hot or cold and drizzling, the forest is a MUST to explore.
Gallery of the forest
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to do in Northland
MAUNGANUI BLUFF
NORTHLAND A rugged and wild west coast beach you can drive your 4x4 on and see seals, collect mussels and explore rock pools.
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TANE MAHUTA
NORTHLAND A completely underwhelming tree... until you turn around and look the right way then WOW! New Zealand's largest and oldest kauri tree.
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KAI IWI LAKES
NORTHLAND These are the clearest lakes we have seen in the North Island. Perfect place to relax in summer or take the boat out and catch some trout.
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