Our team at Adventure Puketi are extremely proud to announce that Trip Advisor

has given us an Excellence Award for the reviews of our Forestwalks.

Check out our Home page http:// forestwalks.com.

Today we guided a group off the cruise ship Volendam on a Eco Tour of the Puketi Forest Nature Trail.

Awesome weather,we split them into two groups. We started with naming the seedling trees ,ferns and other Flora.We followed the trail winding down hill gently through more mature trees.

Finally we reached a platform built amongst the mature Kauri trees.

Our return trail took us through mature stands of hardwoods and soft woods.

Finally we catered for the group at the forest bunk house/cook house .

Sadly our coach driver Tony is leaving the area to further his career.

Adventure Puketi recently hosted a special moment in the forest.

Warren & Courtney became in engaged on their New

Zealand holiday, in the Bay of Islands. Linked to a wedding planner we helped share

 a special moment in the Puketi rain forest on the night encounter.

They loved the nature,walk & the forest.

Ruru(owl) Morepork even sat on a branch long enough to be photographed.

Nocturnal creatures that inhabit the forest were out feeding,plants showed their colours in the spotlight.

An inspirational night for all.

The Kaka.(Nestor Meridionaus) is a noisy and sociable bird of the forest.They live mostly on New Zealands off shore Islands.Numbers are low.Their call resembles a creaky door,can live up to 20 years.2 species are found  one in the North and one in the South Island. North island has olive-brown plumage,South Island brighter green and crimson plumage and almost white crown.They eat nector,fruit ,berries,sap,seeds,insects and grubs. They breed in September,laying average 4 white eggs in a hollow tree or branch.Very vulnerable to predators. They have been seen in the Puketi Forest, a colony of nine birds have been residing in private land not far from thePuketi.With all the conservation work being undertaken in the forest they may in time find it a very safe place to Breed.

Adventure Puketi and Food At Wharepuke teamed up to host the Party for local Business people

We erected a Marquee to seat and serve the food ,LED lighting was used  to keep the serenity of the surroundings. The D.J was set up outside under the starlight,everybody enjoyed dancing the night away under the stars.All the food used has been sourced from local organic producers,local wines are served what a great event.

Thr Kiekie or Freycinetia banksi is in abundance in the Puketi Forest.This is a robust climber whose leaves often completely obscure the trunks of supporting trees.It may also form dense entanglements on the ground particularly in swampy sites.The leaves are up to1.5cmlong x2-2.5 cmwide with sheathing bases and finelytoothed cutting edges.The very small flowers male and female on different plantes are densely crowded on finger like stalks clustered at the end of the branches.The female flowers form a corn cob like fruit ripening late summer. With the conservation efforts in the forest the fruit is more noticeable.

Today we had forestwalkers from the cruise ship The Volendam . They all loved the crisp clean air full of Spring flower scent.I told them of the success The Puketi Forest Trust has had with the on going Conservation efforts. Eradicating Predators ,to the release of Bird life back into the now safe Forest.We visited Giant Kauri trees (Agathis Australis),viewed spring growth and flowers emerging.Also the bird life was in abundance,bird song lilting through the forest canopy.

We now have a new product, Alfresco Dining under the Stars. We offer a Guided Forest walk, come out of the forest on Dusk, enter a clearing in the Forest set up with an Ambience of soft lighting. A Chef will Tantalise you with a designer meal of your choice or even suprise you. After your main meal is finished we walk into the open to gaze at the Stars. One of our Guides Specializes in the night sky will give you a commentary on the Stars. Sweets are served while you are entertained by a local Maori Kapa Haka group.

Clearing in the Forest

Maori Kapa Haka Group

Chef preparing Food

Dining under the stars

Yesterday 30 Robins were flown by helicopter from there home in the wild to the Puketi forest.They were met by members of the Puketi forest trust and volunteers .These birds will add more bird song the forest,bring the number of Robins back to where it was once in the forest.

Bill and Beate from Atlanta Georgia USA  are following in the footsteps of a very famous sailor ,navigator, surveyor and man of science  Robert Fitzroy, captained HMS Beagle on three voyages around the world.In 1831 he sailed for the south via South America, on this voyage Charles Darwin the famous Naturalist accompanied him.

Darwin visited the Bay of Islands,travelling by foot up two of the main rivers taking notes of Flora and Fauna and the people who lived here .

Fitzroy later became the Governor of NZ from 1843-1846. Bill and Beate enjoyed the forest walk, especially the flora and fauna, the size of the Kauri trees and the conservation work being done in the forest.