Boundary Stream Scenic Reserve

Another one of the Department of Conservation's
 great efforts to restore and conserve the New
Zealand wildlife. Located in Tuitira about 1hour
from Napier on the East Coast of the North Island.
To get there, take the Napier Taupo Rd until it
splits into two, Taupo to the left and Gisborne
straight through. Stay on the road to Gisborne till
eventually you will come to Lake Tuitira on your
right then turn left straight after the shop which is
on your left again. A few km down this Rd is an
intersection at which there are signs directing
you to each of the tracks in the area!!!

Shine Falls
At one end of the Boundary Stream Reserve is Shine Falls. At 58m high it is the highest fall in Hawkes Bay, but what is special about it is the way the water falls!! My photo doesn't really do it justice, (but that's just cause I did not want to get wet). 

On the spot where I took this photo is a picnic table surrounded by trees and birds, so you can sit down, have lunch with the family in view of the falls and enjoy the sound of the running water.

One of the birds you can expect to see in the area is the Shining Cuckoo, I was surprised at the abundance of these birds in the area.

The Shining Cuckoo Abundant at Boundary Stream, characteristic striping on the chest and  shining green wings. Photo: Courtesy of 'The Reed Field Guide to New Zeeland Native Birds'

Photo: Courtesy of 'Penguin Pocket Guides: New Zealand's Native Birds of Bush and Countryside'!!

Boundary Stream is also one of the few places left inthe North Island where, (if you are lucky) you can still find the Brown Kiwi.

The Kiwi is a New Zealand Native flightless bird, and by native I mean they do not exist anywhere else in the world!! These birds are nocturnal, (sleep by day, work by night) and have very poor eyesight which is compensated by very powerful hearing and smell. You may never get to see one in the wild, I hardly know any New Zealanders who have but you can see some in captivity in nocturnal houses in some reserves, but even there you have to be equipped with a lot of patience to be able to spot them running around.