When we first headed to Whangarei, we were way in over our heads. We’d planned for a fantastic day that’d include:
- Visiting the Claphams National Clock Museum
- Finding a hobby store, then eating at an Irish-inspired pub
- Shopping at Port Whangarie
- Visiting the Whangarei Museum, Kiwi House, and Heritage Park
- In the afternoon, nature walks to Whangarei Falls and Abbey Caves
We got lost the moment we arrived. Instead of heading to the Claphams National Clock Museum, we found ourselves in Whangarei’s Clock Factory, also known as Natural Wood Creations. (Days later, on our drive back to Auckland Airport, we’d stop here to purchase a kauri clock.)
These lovely artists take wood from kauri trees, preserved for centuries in a local swampland, and use it to make clocks, books, furniture, and other beautiful creations. I highly recommend checking their website out. You could even order a clock, if you need a gift for a special someone.
Once we get back on the main road, we discover the clock museum and buy a $7NZ/person tour. Super cheap attraction, compared to some other stops, and you learn quite a bit about the history of time. This museum has the largest collection of clocks in the Southern Hemisphere, from decorative to oddly functional. It’s unique, doesn’t take long, and leaves a lasting impression. (Now I want a cuckoo clock, imported from Germany!)
We struggle to locate Whangarei Port, between bad maps and crazy turns. (So if you do this, be prepared!) Then we finally find a hobby store on John’s Magic: the Gathering NZ to-do list. While they don’t sell cards, I get an adorable penguin figurine. We decide it’s a bust, but it’s also a win.
Unfortunately, the Irish pub I want to eat at doesn’t open until dinner time. That’s the way with the pubs here. You get lunch or dinner, but not both. And I’m starving for lunchtime immediacy.
So we head to a small mall off the shoreline. I find a fudge factory that makes chocolate with brandy, whisky, and other boozes. We pick up some gifts to bring home. Then eat at a restaurant on the seaside, with a fantastic fish I’ve never seen in the US. (Although this could just be a lack of knowledge of my fish markets.)
By this time, it’s rainy, dark, and cold, and we’re sufficiently exhausted.
But we head to the Heritage Museum to check out the Kiwi House, because you can’t visit New Zealand without seeing kiwis. They’re only 20 minutes till close. We pay to get in anyway, determined to see these birds. As we wait in an isolated, dark room, a local asks us if we see them. She gives up and evacuates.
Then, at the last 5 minutes, two kiwis speed fantastically fast through the enclosure. These birds haul butt. They’re huge, fat, and ridiculously adorable.
After we leave, the caretaker explains to us how kiwis are aggressive. I picture them as vicious [and illogically cuddly looking] as owls. They use their speed to hunt, and have talons they can rend with from both sides. Unfortunately, when humans brought domestic dogs to New Zealand, they began to dig up kiwi burrows during the day. The bird has no issues fending for itself at night; but per standard, man’s screwed with the ecosystem.
With the pressing rain, we decide to leave Whangarei Falls and Abbey Caves till tomorrow. It’s probably the soundest decision we’ve made… because the greatest adventure is yet to come!
