Tai Haruru

Soon after our return from Wellington we went for a few days to North Piha to stay in the lovely Forest and Bird house, Tai Haruru, again.  It’s a very restful place in the bush, old-fashioned and well-furnished for five in the house and another four in a separate self-contained flat. Tanya had her 40^th birthday party there in 1985, soon after we met, and we always love the sounds of tui, piwakawaka and ruru, the distant surf, and the walk to the coast for swims and sunsets.

This time we were joined for an afternoon visit by Shila and her mum Retna, and then for  an overnight stay by Yuki, from Earthsong, her daughter Senri and a friend  Rosie.  The next morning Tanya joined these three for the walk up to the Kitekite Falls –  a track recently reopened after careful reconstruction, including board walks, to minimise damage to the earth and limit the spread of kauri dieback disease. 

Kauri trees in the Waitakere Ranges have been ravaged by this disease, and most tracks are closed indefinitely.