Tag Archives: Hokianga

KOHUKOHU

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Kohukohu is an historic settlement on the north shore of the Hokianga Harbour, and the traditional homeland of the Ngapuhi people.  It is an area where Kauri was logged, and shipped in great quantities over the bar at the mouth of the Harbour.  Records show that sixteen ships were lost when attempting the crossing, the last recorded being the schooner Isabella de Fraine which was lost with all eight crew in July 1928 after capsizing at the bar.

The name Kohukohu means ‘cursed’ in Maori.  Apparently Kupe, one of the great Maori explorers, was angry because the food from the hangi (earth oven) was insufficiently cooked.  Therefore he cursed those responsible using the word ‘kohu’.  Because the word ‘kohu’ also has another meaning of ‘misty’, you can take your pick which one is correct.

From the south, Kohukohu is accessible by taking the ferry from Rawene.  It has a thriving art community.

Kohukohu cafe
Maori flags flying
fishing off the wharf
stop slurping
ferry tickets etc
Kohukohu rugby grounds
Kohukohu history
abandoned boat in mangroves
old smokehouse
historic house
Copper tractor model by Malcolm Ford
preparing for fishing

RANGI’S POINT

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only thirty minutes away
she said
you must visit Rangi’s Point
you’ll love it
she said

she didn’t mention
winding shingle roads
up steep slopes not wide enough for us
and the logging truck we met
on a tight bend
avoided
by driving off the road

she wouldn’t have known
about the two little Maori boys
free-wheeling on a bicycle
waving to a truck driver
suddenly wobbling
into the center of the road
brakes, and a sharp intake of breath
as we just missed them

Rangi’s Point
was blue water and mangrove roots
further away than thirty minutes
unless your driving
is sucicidal

if you meet that woman
don’t listen to what
she says

from the passenger’s seat

MARTINS BAY FOSSILS

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These are found at Hokianga South Head where there is a layer of shelly mudstone  known as the Orbitolite Bed.  They are overlaid by the conglomerate which you can also see in the photographs.  There are shell and lace coral fossils and some unique giant foraminifera reaching sizes of up to 2cm across.  When you remember that these are single-celled organisms this is an incredible size.  Click on any photo to enlarge

As promised – the puzzle was an old detached leaf from a yucca