Where Giant Eagles Soared

Taking it slowly up the 16km McCallums Mill Road took us snaking through the Kahurangi National Park – drive with the lights on, advised the sign at beginning of the track.  The dense forest crowding in on both sides of the track certainly made the “lights on” policy a sensible option, and we arrived at Oparara Basin.  Here the largest known species of eagle, Haast’s Giant Eagle (Aquila moorei) lived and hunted.  These huge birds were so big that they hunted the several species of moa who lived here.  Bones of these extinct birds have been found in nearby caves, and tell of a time before people, when birds ruled the land.

Walking along the track to the Oparara Arch, the bird song rang through the forest.  Predator traps were set to catch the rats and stoats which destroy such a lot of our native birds.  The Oparara River gurgled and chortled as it raced along over the rocks.  Mossy rocks at the side shows just how damp the forest is.

     Oparara River travelling past moss covered rocks

Lovely tranquil pools appeared here and there, and the still tannin coloured waters reflected the bush, rocks and river banks. 

Reflections in the water

A half hour walk took us to the Oparara Arch, hugely impressive at 43m high and 219m long – in fact, that one can not really appreciate how big it is.  There are in fact two arches and the huge limestone cliffs enclose both.

Oparara Arch

Picking our way carefully through the limestone rocks we came to to the end of the track through the arch, to an amazing collection of knobbly stalagmites growing down from the ceiling and bumpy looking stalactites on the floor.

Amongst the stalagmites and stalactites

After our picnic lunch we drove up to the end of the track to do a bit of caving, the Crazy Paving and Box Canyon Caves which are adjacent on the track.  The crazy paving on the floor is formed from mud which has dried and shrunk into geometrical patterns. 

Crazy Paving Cave

The Box Canyon Cave was much larger and reached by a set of wooden stairs going down into the darkness.  As we walked along in we remembered that New Zealand’s only cave spider calls these caves home, and hoped that they had scuttled into the deep dark recesses and well away from us.  Although the following photos show up the light coloured limestone quite well, the caves were in fact pitch black, and only lit up with our torches and the camera flashes.

Inside the Box Canyon Cave

This area is quite special and very beautiful, full of huge trees, ferns, mosses, and birdlife.  Fungus grows here in the forest too.  We saw a weka walking slowly along, looking for morsels to eat, and a cheeky little robin hopped on Robin’s shoe and tried to undo his shoe laces.

  Mosses and ferns growing on the bank

A type of mushroom  on the forest floor

Bush Robin

Just as well that we didn’t have to worry any more about the giant eagle swooping down as he looked for his next meal.  Or being stepped on by a giant moa’s foot.  This area must look rather like it did thousands of years ago when these giants lived here in the forest.  Now protected as the Kahurangi Forest Park, it will stay this way forever.