Duder Regional Park

I have actually decided to go out for a walk in this infamous New Zealand natural reserve. Of course, I bought along my Canon EOS 550D with me along and have uploaded a few nice photos to share with everyone. This is probably one of the best place in Auckland to get up close with farm life. Well, I actually went into this farm park to get so close to the animals that my shoes smell like an animal poop. You understand what I mean?

The coastal view when the walk pass the entrance of the Duder Park gate. As I walk along the track by the coast and to a Y-junction of the walk path, I decided to take the left walk track and stroll up the hill to get a better view of the sea.

Strolling up the hill, one must walk across a few farm sections and it just happens that you always get a closer impression with the farm animals in New Zealand.

While I took a photo of the cow from a distance because that is probably the wiser thing to do with wild animals. Using the telephoto lense, I took photos of sheeps and cows grazing the farm land while enjoying my day out here.

I began a long way away from the 2 farming sections and landed myself on a cliff beside the sea. It is certainly a breath taking scenery.

While beside viewing these photos, I am also going to share some history of Duder Park with everyone that is taken from the people who actually researched the history of this beautiful landscape.

History

In the 14th century, this was the first place in the Waitemata Harbour to be visited by Tainui canoe. Its crew went ashore and harvested forest foods, which led to the peninsula's name - Whaka-kai-whara meaning ' to eat the bracts of the kiekie vine'.

Some of the descendants of the crew settled in the area and became known as NgaiTai. They lived on the peninsula until the 1860s, taking advantage of its abundant food resources (including seasonal shark fishing) and its strategic location near the Wairoa River mouth. NgaiTai's affiliation to the land is reflected in the many archaeological sites on and near the park.

The most significant of these are Whakakaiwhara Pa at the tip of the peninsula and Oue Pa several kilometres to the south. The Kauri forest on the peninsula was logged in the 1850s. In 1866 the Duder family began its association with the area when Thomas Duder, a survivor of the HMS Buffalo wreck (1840), bought the 243-hectare property from NgaiTai. His descendants farmed the property until it was sold to the Auckland Regional Council and became a regional park in 1995.

Guess, what did I saw above? I did not realise that we have an Auckland Region Coast Guard plane until I caught this photo.

This is the part where I made my mark climbing to the top of the hill. The steep walk up to the far right tip of the hill that has a surveyor marker on it.

Descending from the peak of the hill in Duder Park, remember to always get a proper type of shoes when you going out for a walk.

Pukeko "is the common name, derived from the Māori language, for the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) in New Zealand."

Pukeko is a type of swamp hen. It "is mentioned in the Māori myth 'How the Kiwi lost her wings' in which several birds of the forest are asked to come down from the trees to eat the bugs on the ground and save the forest, but all give excuses except the Kiwi who is willing to give up his colours and the ability to fly."

Alright, this is the view of the carpark where you need to get out of the car before entering the park.

The front gate of the Duder Park, please be aware that there is a closing time for the park and you should always leave the park with your car before the closing time. If not, you probably will not be able to get your car out and go home at all. ;op

I have provided a map on the location of Duder Park in Auckland, New Zealand. I will share some other scenery photo on another place in New Zealand with everybody next time. Keep a look out on my posting, mate.

Reference(s):
Auckland Regional Council. (n.d.). Duder Park. Retrieved on April 1, 2010 from http://www.arc.govt.nz/parks/our-parks/parks-in-the-region/duder/

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Pukeko. Retrieved on April 1, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pukeko

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