Where balloons burst!

I got to thinking how EnZed is a great place, and that we, who live here, are damn lucky. One failing of EnZeders is their persistant belief that you have to travel overseas to see the sights and experience history. I believe that just isn't true. So for the purposes of education, not the usual entertainment that I usually provide, I'm going to give you a list of five places in EnZed to visit, and the reasons why you have to go there.
So, without further ado, here's the list (in no particular order)

Ruapekapeka


Site of the final battle in the northern land war of the New Zealand wars, also, arguably, the first use of trench warfare in the world. Here, the British Imperial Army faced off against Ngapuhi under Kawiti and Hone Hiki, cannon against musket. The site still has the trenches, bunkers and earthen ramparts.

Tolaga Bay



EnZed's longest wharf, and Ship's Cove is an easy walk from here. Important for local Maori history, also Captain Cook's provisioning on his first voyage after his hostile encounters further down the coast.

Gillespie's Beach


Remote in South Westland, forest and vegatation is regenerating, but the massive scars from gold dredging can still be clearly seen along with scrap and ruin from the dredges and boom towns. Also, standing on the beach with the roaring West Coast surf and seeing rainforest and then the snow capped Southern Alps within hand's reach is inspiring.

Mangere Mountain


See Maori terracing dating back six hundred years, a crater where part of the scoria has been rafted away by the lava, a tholoid has blocked the main volcanic vent and there are numerous gas explosion craters around it, the carpark is the site of one of EnZed's more grisly, and unsolved, murders. Take a picnic, it's a surprising place.

Paerau



This was a staging post on the Old Dunstan Road, magnificent, lonely scenery, the Taieri River loops and meanders with ox bows and marshes. The nearby ranges dwarf you and, hot as hell in summer and as cold as charity in winter, it's always a soul enhancing place.

Do some research, go and find these places.

This is an imperative!