Wildfires

Naveen Marasinghe asked:


About three and a half hours drive from Auckland or about one hour drive from Bay of Islands you can reach Opononi in Hokianga of North Island. There awaits the Footprint Waipoua, a not to be missed attraction in Hokianga, New Zealand. Take pleasure in this once in a lifetime jungle tour where you will be guided to the heart of New Zealand’s King of all forests, the Waipoua Forest.

Opononi is home to one of the ancient Kauri forests of New Zealand known as Waipoua Forest. Kauri forests are considered quite special, as their trees are one of the biggest trees in the world enjoying longest longevity. Kauri trees are evergreen trees hailing since the Jurassic period. They were already thriving since the dinosaur era, more than 145 million years ago. In contrast New Zealand’s Kauri dates back to 20 million years.

Kauri trees grow to amazing heights and are usually up to 40 metres tall. These larger than life trees have considerable trunks where some have their girths measure over five metres. And occasionally their diameters can reach up to a staggering seven metres or even more. Kauri trees also have a one of a kind conical shape. Their boughs branch off at the top of the tree like palm trees. With such dimensions and contours, the vibe you feel when you step into a forest of Kauri is truly magical and surreal.

The early settlers of Waipoua Forest were the Maori, New Zealand’s indigenous people, who knew the forest like the back of their palms. In 1950s this forest was claimed as a forest sanctuary and is preserved to date. Waipoua Forest also houses a considerable populace of North Island brown Kiwis, the native flightless birds who are classified as endangered. Apart from the giant Kauri trees there is an interesting array of fauna inhabiting this forest.

Your guide will be an experienced Maori who will narrate exciting tales and legends of their sacred Waipoua Forest, one after another during the tour. The exciting jungle adventure then turns into a spiritual encounter when you are surrounded by the giants of the forest. You can also meet the evergreen celebrities such as Te Matua Ngahere, Tane Mahuta and the Four Sisters.

Te Matua Ngahere in Maori language means ‘Father of the Forest’. Its trunk measures over 16 metres in girth and towers over 29 metres. Next to this giant sits even a greater giant called Tane Mahuta or ‘Lord of the Forest’ as coined by the Maori. This soaring tree has a girth of more than 13 metres while its stunning height reaches over 51 metres. The Four Sisters are also famous for their extraordinary setting. These four trees have grown side by side and hence appear like siblings of this Kauri family.

Footprints Waipoua is a must visit cultural and nature attraction in Hokianga of North Island. Tourists can conveniently stay at a Hokianga hotel and join the guided tour to Waipoua Forest. By reserving an Omapere accommodation such as Copthorne Hotel and Resort Hokianga, guests can indulge in a range of modern comforts. They can also have quick links to top tourist attractions in Hokianga.



ARON

Debby Brown asked:


Choosing the Location for your Christmas Tree Forest.

Most homes have a Foyer or Entryway just as you walk in the front door. This can be a fairly small space in a single level home or a much larger two storey room with a staircase. Foyers can be almost any shape from long and narrow, almost hallways to just about any size rectangular shape. The size and shape can be a little tricky and might require a little creative thinking but it is still the perfect place for any size Christmas Tree Forest.

The first thing to do is ***** the space you have to work with. Some single storey homes have tall skinny windows on either one side of the door or on both sides. There is also usually a longish wall leading to the back of the Foyer. This would be the perfect place for your Tree Forest in this style of home. In a two storey home there is usually a wall that gradually rises with the staircase, so that the back part of the wall is taller than the front. A Tree Forest works very well in filling the empty space in the taller portion of that wall and is also a beautiful accent for stair rails.

Once you’ve chosen the spot you want to use you will need to take some measurements. You need to know how high your ceiling is, how much room you have along the wall you will use and how far out from the wall you can come.

Choosing your Christmas Trees.

The next thing to do is decide if you want to use live Christmas Trees. They can be purchased in different sizes and they add a very nice pine scent. The other option is Artificial Pine Christmas Trees. Artificial Trees are beautiful as well. They come in a wide variety of sizes and can be purchased with or without lights. Which ever you choose you will need at least 3 to 5 in different heights. For a smaller, single storey space you will need one 7½ to 9 foot Slim Norway Pine Pre Lit Christmas Tree, depending on your ceiling height, one 4 to 6½ foot Slim Norway Pine Pre Lit Christmas Tree and one 3 foot Table Top Artificial Christmas Tree. If you have a two storey Foyer then you could choose as many as 5 trees. I recommend using an uneven number of them and maybe choose two 7½ to 9 foot trees, one 4 to 6½ foot Artificial Christmas Trees and two 3 foot Small Artificial Christmas Trees. In either case you can fill the gaps between trees with smaller 2 foot Miniature Artificial Christmas Trees.

Decorating your Christmas Tree Forest.

Decorating the Trees can be kept very simple and easy by just adding a few Unique Ribbon Bows. You can use Red Velvet Ribbon or choose a theme such as Western or South West and use Red Bandana Ribbon for your bows. Carry your theme up your stair case and put a few bows on the Artificial Garland winding up the stair rails.



HORACE

Shanon Sandquist asked:


     Grand Teton National Park is a very scenic, beautiful place to get away, and explore.  Located in Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park has mountains that look like artwork with trees, and lakes.  Grand Teton National Park is an adventure of a lifetime!

     Beavers live within the waters of Grand Teton National Park.  Moose also reside in the park.  People have also said that they have seen bears there!  Overnight camping is allowed in the Grand Teton National Park, which is a total in-debth experience of the mountains.

     Grand Teton National Park hiking is fantastic exploring fun.  Many people like going to Grand Teton National Park.  Millions of people from all over, come to visit Grand Teton National Park.  More than two, and a half million peoplevisited Grand Teton National Park in the year 2007.

     The highest mountain peak in Grand Teton National Park, is Grand Teton.  Which is thirteen thousand, seven hundred seventy feet high above sea level.  The Teton mountains are considered to be the most majestic mountains of North America, by many people.

     Grand Teton National Park was created in the year 1929.  Grand Teton National Park covers four hundred eighty four square miles of land, and also water.  There’s close to two hundred miles of trails to hike, in the Grand Teton National Park.

     Do make sure that you are alert to potential dangers there, when visiting Grand Teton National Park!  The animals there of course are wild.  Take pre-cautions around the wild animals.  Don’t go too close to them.  Check with the rangers at the GrandTeton National Park, to learn to know what to expect on the trails.



NORBERT