Visit to Shine Falls-20th April 2008

Shine Falls...amazing

Boundary Stream

Graham bird watching

Wooden box with a lid attached to the tree, Graham opened it and it had HUGE insects behind perspex in a kind of maze???........

Australlian Hawk.....great pic!

Cat...in the middle of nowhere....

Today we decided that we would go and visit Shine Falls, which is about an hour and 20 minutes north of where we live, in between Napier and Wairoa. The roads to get there were extremely windy and a lot of the 'track' was dirt and gravel...not good for the car! We got about an hour and ten minutes into the journey and nearly turned back...as if it had started raining, we we're not sure the car would get us back through the roads! There were no other humans to be seen anywhere....only cows, sheep and a stray cat!!!

We arrived and parked our golf next to three 4x4's....hmmmmm...think we may have to purchase one!

Shine Falls was about an hours walk from where we had parked, and we couldn't see a track marked. We asked a lady who pointed and said 'you see them sheep...well...follow the bottom row of sheep to that hill and follow the track...you can't go wrong!'...

So...off we go...chasing sheep! ha ha....the track was really easy to follow, there was just lush greenary everywhere and all you could hear were the birds and the waterfall in the distance. We saw fantails, fly catchers and lots of bell birds. The first part of the walk was very open, lots of hills, sheep and cliff's...then we went over a sty into bush, which was equally as lovely. We walked along the Boundary Stream....until we came to a small bridge...the water of the stream was so so clear. Then it started raining........or so we thought...we turned a corner and we're amazed at the sight of a 58 metre waterfall....absolutely breath taking. The best waterfall either of us have ever seen, we just kept looking at it in amazement...to think you travel for miles and miles and tucked in the middle of nowhere was this magical sight!

The sound was incredible and we we're both soaking wet! We then walked about 5 minutes and stopped to have a picnic lunch. Walked an hour back to the car...and came home for a good old Sunday lunch.

Great day...sorry for all the pics...it was just fantastic.