Travel News

Tuhua Tours Take Off

Aerius Helicopters are now offering tours to Tuhua (Mayor Island) amongst their tourism products. Aerius are the only helicopter company with a landing permit to take visitors on half or full day tours of New Zealands most unusual Volcano.

The “TUHUA’ trip includes a half day guided tour through one of New Zealand’s largest Pohutukawa forests and a visit to the “Big Tree”, this massive pohutukawa specimen has a girth exceeding 11 metres and is regarded as one of New Zealand’s biggest and oldest Pohutukawa trees, also included in the tour is the Devils Staircase (the stronghold where tribe would defend the island in battle) and either morning or afternoon tea on the beach.

For the more energetic Aerius can customise a full day tour to include diving, kayaking, or an extended trek to the one of the many hot springs on the other side of the island.

The most striking feature of Tuhua’s volcanic history is the diversity of eruption types. Virtually every known style of volcanic eruption is known from this small volcano. These eruptions have included: Hawaiian fire-fountaining, Strombolian explosions, and Plinian falls and ignimbrite.

The wildlife on the island is unique with visitors being able to see and hear many of New Zealand’s native birds including nectar-feeding bellbirds and tui, wood pigeons, morepork, fantail, kaka (brown parrot), grey warbler, waxeye, kingfisher and, soaring on the thermals, the harrier hawk. The island is also home to the Kiwi bird.

Culturally the island is considered special by Maori partly because of the presence of black obsidian, a volcanic glass created by the rapid cooling of silica-rich lava. Obsidian was prized by early Maori for cutting and scraping tools and weapons and has been found at Maori occupation sites as far afield as Tiwai Pt in the south to the Kermadec islands in the north. The obsidian was called Tuhua by Maori who called the island by the same name.

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