Owhiti Bay great Barrier Island

. (perhaps a little exaggeration...).

The next day's six hours crossing to Great Barrier was'lively'. The Great Barrier Island lies 90 km off the shore of Auckland. This secluded island's rough countryside is one of the last major wild areas of northern New Zealand. There are only 800 inhabitants living on the island, which is over 30 km long and just over half as broad.

Most of the island is a nature reserve and there are beautiful walking paths through the hill and mountain slopes. The aim of the Glenfern founders was to remove all non-native parasites and plants brought in by the early migrants. During a brief lecture before our trip we learnt that New Zealand had no indigenous animals and only lived with poultry and animals before humans settled here.

The rest of the morning we were on a sightseeing trip through as much of the island as we could wrap up in four hour's time. Steve, our knowledgeable and fun leader (who has been living on the island for over 20 years), gave us a good glimpse into the pioneer spirits of the locals and how proud they are of being able to lead a life "off the grid".

The Great Barrier Island is not to be ignored, and a tour with Steve from'Go Barrier' Tours is definitely worth it. Before we return to the island, we are planning to walk and discover as much as possible, where we will soon make arrangements to put the vessel to sleep for the New Zealand hibernation time.