Wharepuke and Rainbow Waterfalls

Today we walked about 5km to Wharepuke and Rainbow Waterfalls. It was great to be out in New Zealand’s nature. When we got on the trail, we went through a shoe scrubbing and disinfecting station. This is to prevent the spread of kauri dieback, a fungal pathogen that can be easily transported on soil particles attached to shoes. This fungus is deadly to and can devastate kauri population. Kauri are some of the mightiest trees in the world, growing to over 50 m tall, with trunk girths up to 16 m, and living for over 2000 years. Kauri trees are endemic to NZ Northland and vulnerable.