Why pukawaparadise?

Well, my first post worked.  It is raining outside so I'll spend some more time here.  I called my blog 'pukawaparadise' because Pukawa is a place where my wife and I have a 'little hut' (we call it) where can go to lick our wounds, recharge our minds and generally bask in our own paradise.

Wildlife Refuge at Pukawa

Pukawa is a place of some significance in New Zealand.  On the beach below our place two Maori warriors of Ngati Tuwharetoa once fought hand to hand with pouwhenua (a simple fighting spear) to decide the paramount chieftainship of the central North Island, a large hui (meeting) was held to choose the first Maori king to unite the tribes against European invasion and from where the first National Park was gifted to New Zealand. The village below our house consists of a Maori papakaianga and some New Zealanders homes tucked into the native bush.  Pukawa has a special meaning for those who live or holiday there.  Several there have established a Pukawa Wildlife Management Trust to control the numbers of, mainly, rats and mustelids.  The results are evident in marvellous birdsong and the visits of birds about our homes.

Sunrise at Pukawa