Opoutere

We found the loveliest spot in all of New Zealand quite by accident. Opoutere is an enchanting campground that borders a pine forest. A short walk through the woods puts you onto the worlds most gorgeous beach and rare bird preserve. We originally signed up for two nights and ended up staying 8. We just couldn't tear ourselves away. We took the North Island at a much slower pace compared to the whirlwind South Island Trip. We filled our time with morning and evening walks on the beach, ice cream novelties, buying fresh plums from roadside stands, flashlight searches for eels at night in the river, and playing board games.

Opoutere happens to be the best place to view the New Zealand night sky in January in the entire country. Opoutere boasts it's own resident professional astronomer for five weeks every summer. He comes from Wellington to study the stars and gives evening lectures to everyone interested. The children were fascinated and asked great questions. We were fortunate enough to be present the week that McNaught's comet streaked past. We got to view it in the astronomers telescope and see it with the naked eye. (Click on the above image to make it larger.) This was a rare and unforgettable experience!

To see a map of the places we traveled so far in this series, click on this link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=-40.359103,172.875366&spn=8.067848,12.128906&z=6&msid=116765397961150020384.000451b63510a46db34d4>