Day 09: Things to do in Whanganui, New Zealand (Part 2)

..so we left Durie Hill and onwards to our next destination. 


Another recommendation by the folks from i-Site was Bushy Park Sanctuary, located slightly off Whanganui. It's a "245 acre remnant of some of New Zealand's finest lowland native rain forest". A great place to enjoy the flora and fauna that we probably won't get to see back in Singapore. What attracted us to there is the thousand year old tree! How often you get the chance to see that?! Entrance fee was at NZ$6.00 per person, redeemable with a bottle of Tui Beer each. Not sure if they have adjusted the entrance fee since 2013. 


The view that greeted us right after we drove in.. looks kinda like the kind of woods that will appear in our Disney's fairytales. 

"To open gates press button and drive to the next gate which will not open until the gate behind you has closed."

..and finally we were out of the woods! 

***
***
The legendary silver fern, the icon of New Zealand. 

There is a captivating Maori legend behind the silver fern. It was said that the silver fern once lived in the sea but it was asked to come and live in the forest to play the important role of guiding the marry people. Maori hunters and warriors would use the silver underside of the fern leaves to find their way home. When bent over, the fronds would catch the moonlight and illuminate a path through the forest. (Source: New Zealand Tourism)

***
Here's the thousands-year-old tree! It's known to be the largest Rata tree in the world.  

***
***
..and after a short walk in the New Zealand bush, we left Bushy Park in the late afternoon. 


Meh meh sheep are not an unusual sight in New Zealand. You literally see them everywhere! No kidding. This curious me to find out how many meh meh are there exactly in the country. My findings? Apparently, sheep farming is a huge part of the country. According of Statistic of New Zealand (2012), the highest number of sheep was back in 1982 with a total of 70.3 million sheep with a population of 3.18 million people. The latest figure released by the Statistics of New Zealand is 29.8 million sheep (June 2014).


***
Spotted Mount Taranaki (also known as Mount Egmont) along the way. Some interesting facts that I gathered about Mount Taranaki:
  • The 2518m high mountain is a dormant volcano.
  • Experienced trampers are welcome to challenge the summit track.
  • "Mt Taranaki has great spiritual significance to local Maori: the crater and summit is the sacred head of Taranaki, the rocks and ridge are his bones, rivers hid blood and plants and trees are his cloak and offer protection from the weather." (Department of Conservation of New Zealand)
  • Mount Taranaki provided the backdrop for the movie The Last Samurai due to its resemblance to Mount Fuji
***
And after hours of drive.. 


Stopped by at PakNSave New Plymouth for one of my favourite activities - groceries shopping!! 


*** 
Ending the post with the dinner for the night, mussels penne soup with grilled salmon and NZ$5.50 Tui Beer. 
  
***
Overview of the driving route of Day 9! 


---
Information you might be interested in:

Bushy Park Sanctuary
791 Rangitatau East Road,
Kai Iwi 4578, New Zealand

No comments:

Post a Comment

We would love to hear from you!