It’s raining, it’s pouring!

Today was crazy rainy and windy, which cut some of our hiking short.  Since it’s been raining, Seth and I have taken to singing a childhood classic: “It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring.”  Am I just late to the game on this one, but isn’t this song a bit morbid for children?  Since singing this song 398509238 times a day, I’ve come to realize that the old man never wakes up, right?  “It’s raining / it’s pouring / the old man is snoring. / He bumped his head and went to bed and couldn’t wake up in the morning.” Um, okay? So is he dead? I used to sing this song as a child with such jubilant glee, and it’s taken me 30 years to realize that the old man is dead. What.

Anyway, aside from the snoring old man and his ill fate, we were still able to enjoy our day with lots of forest hikes that kept us safe from the rain thanks to the Kauri Trees. What is the Kauri tree you ask? Only the largest, most amazing tree in New Zealand! (Similar to Seqoias in Northern California.)

Seth in front of Tane Mahuta

Here we saw Tane Mahuta, which is the oldest and largest Kauri tree ever. It’s 2,000 years old which is pretty incredible.

We did several other hikes where we saw Cathedral Grove, Yakas Tree, the 7^th largest Kauri (they let us touch it!), the Four Sisters, and Te Matura Ngahere.

Cathedral Grove

Family photo in front of Yakas

The Four Sisters

Te Matura Ngahere (2nd largest Kauri) was my absolute favorite. It had such a dramatic presence. As you’re nearing this Kauri, you turn a corner, and all of a sudden you see this massive tree illuminated by light, and all of the brush magically is pushed aside (thanks to the Department of Conservation).

It’s just you and this incredible tree.

Te Matura Ngahere