Puketoki reserve

This morning we escaped the heat and went for a walk through Puketoki reserve. The reserve consists of 85 acres of carefully protected bush. There is a fascinating amount of wildlife in there, although tricky to photograph.
There were lots of these fern trees which are host to various epiphytes. The one in the photograph has what is known as a grass tree clinging to it. There were also many fascinating fungi and creeping plants to be seen everywhere.

For those not in the know (like myself!), an epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant, especially one that is not parasitic, such as the numerous ferns, bromeliads, air plants, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests.


In the afternoon, we climbed Mount Maunganui which is located across the harbour from Tauranga. It s an iconic landmark of 232m and provides stunning views in all directions. Today's extra is a view from near the top. It was a rather hot climb too!