At the weekend the local paper had a section with 50 essential things to do in the Bay of Plenty this summer and at number 37 was The Waioraka Reserve walking tracks: wetlands, native bush and open grassed areas were all to be found on these scenic pathways. We decided to give it a try and drove the short distance to ‘Welcome Bay’ in the south of Tauranga.

The landscape was as varied as promised and although no one else seemed to have got as far as 37 – or perhaps because of it – we were also treated to sightings of several different species of birds. We saw kingfishers, fantails danced (literally!) in front of us, we heard the tui and spotted a quail with its distinctive dark feather above its head.