Hamilton, Sat-Jan-16

We’ve driven to the west and south of Hamilton. We will reserve the east coast of the North Island for our return drive with Helen & Liz in February. Today we go north 35K to Huntly; recommended for its wetlands, coal mining history and candy land. The town sits on a long narrow strip of land on either side of the Waikato River and has the largest coal-fired generating station in the Southern Hemisphere. The biggest employers are still involved in the coal mining industry; fast becoming known for speedway tracks and stock car racing.
On route we passed a cemetery built on a steep hill where the last native Queen of NZ is buried at the top. The pecking order for a burial site depends on how you were regarded in life. The more esteem, the higher your burial plot! If you could see the steepness of the hill you would wonder who thought of that concept!
Once in Huntly, we stopped at I-Site for a local map & food for a picnic at Lake Hakansa. Fishing at the lake were 3 Chinese men; while we lunched one landed an eel and the other a Tench. From a lake billboard, we learnt a Tench is a bottom-feeder fish! Didn’t want to think what they planned on doing with these! The lady at I-Site mentioned the restaurants on Main Street are mostly owned by Chinese. We also saw a sign listing local foods available: goat, venison, smoked eel, fish, rabbit and beef. Perhaps we found one of the food sources.
Lake Hakansa has a walkway around the lake (3.6K) promoted as a scenic, relaxing and serene stroll. The walkway includes a native tree reserve, a Japanese garden, the Green Cathedral, a bog garden, and other gardens representing various regions of the globe. We were disappointed in this venue but perhaps it was just too hot and humid for tramping around wetlands. We stopped regularly to take advantage of any breeze but the small flies and stagnant smell from the lake kept us moving... not a repeat. Not all lost – we did see some very pretty water lilies! We returned to Hamilton, pleased to check Huntly off our list!