Manaia

Often, although the birds do occasionally take a break, your visual feast will be accompanied by a range of native bird calls beginning with the twittering of tiny fantails and soaring to the elaborate melodies of resident tui.

Towering 460 metres above the northern shores of Whangarei Harbour, Mount Manaia is the dramatic remnant of violent volcanic action some 16 to 22 million years ago.

It is little wonder that through the mists of time this spectacular natural feature has spawned myths and legends supporting such wild geography. Some of these Maori stories range back across the Pacific to Hawaiiki, many of them link specific ancestors to individual rock outcrops.

One of the many legends is that the five strongest rock outcrops represent the paramount chief Manaia, his two children and his beautiful wife Pito who he mischievously stole from another Chief. The aggrieved chief is following apparently brandishing a club with which to strike his wife down.

From a distance the apparently straight ridgeline which abuts Mount Manaia ends in a tumultuous bluff. Wherever soil clings to this rocky under structure is richly clad in native bush, including many rare plants. At different times of the season the canopy will be strongly coloured with yellow, white or red as the kowhai, clematis and pohutukawa burst into flower.

The seaward end of this ridge supports a series of spectacular rock outcrops that further dominate the picturesque coastline.

Two tracks lead to the top, although summiting the very last rock is better left to those with a strong head for heights.

Mt Manaia