Twilight Encounter, Omapere

Twilight Encounter

Some of the biggest and oldest trees on the planet live in the ancient forests of New Zealand's Northlands, descendants of the original rainforest that once carpeted the region. Between forest fires in pre-recorded history, clearings to make way for agriculture and logging for timber, only a fraction of this swath of forest remains which today stands as the Waipoua Forest in the western coast of the Northlands, an hour south of Hokianga Harbour.

With your Maori guide, step back into the primeval world of towering kauri, species of southern conifers sacred to the natives. Follow in the footsteps of Maori’s ancestor Kupe as he made his journey from Hawaiki to New Zealand guided by the same stars you will see overhead. Listen as your Maori guide pays homage to one of the forest’s central figure, Te Matua Ngahere or ‘The Father of the Forest’ with a haunting ‘waiata’ or sacred chant. This kauri has stood sentinel for about 2,000 to 3,000 years, with some experts suggesting it could be as old as four millennia.