Forgotten World Highway and a 40 People Republic -New Zealand Travel Stories #12
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One day while trvelling in New Zealand we took a road that is called the "Forgotten World Highway". This highway is one of the roads that are most seldomly used (ca. 150 cars per day) pecause the people want to preserve the beauty of nature in those magical forests. Sometimes while driving we just had to have little hikes and discover more of this beautiful landscapes.
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The road took us to Whangamomona, a self-declared independent republic village of 40 people. The name of the place was originally the name of the river you can see above. We saw this street sign after several hours of driving without signs, simply in nature, which was so relaxing for the eyes.
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The variety of ferns in New Zealand is spectacular. You find ferns that look like palm trees but also ferns that grow on the floor. When I was there some stamps for collectors same out. All showing different kinds of ferns. Most New Zealanders I met also had a sticker of a fern on their car. Of course this had to do with rugby. If you heard of the "All Blacks" you know what I am tacking about.
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Here you can see me and my friend. We were sitting in the back of the car on the matress listening to the soundtrack of Jurassic Park that fit perfectly with the enviroment. Two other friends who were with us always wanted to drive anyways so it was relaxed for everyone.
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Entering Whangamomona we saw this house. A bit small and unpractical we thought. But definatly made the republic look like a village -almost. In 1908, when the people of Whangamomona declared themselves independent from the federal government about 180 people were living there. A flood in 1924 made of lot of the people move away. 1989 people gathered in the hotel to resist the government in Wellington again.
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Nowadays almost no people live in Whangamomona -about 40. This post office is also the place where you can get the offical stamp in the passport which we of course got. How often do you travel to a republic of 40 people?
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This figure made us laugh. Coming from Germany our associations where obvious. Of course we had to think of a mad, vicious man who liked this gesture as well. If you liked this travel post ou might also like my previsous posts about my New Zealand travel adventures:
Portrait of a beautiful girl -1
Tribal drawing & text about Ta Moko -2
Lake Mangamahoe - Drawing + Photography -3
Cape Reinga - Lighthouse Drawing + Photography -4
Poem (1/2) +Drawing + Photos -5
Poem (2/2) +Drawing + Photos -6
Weed Smoker Drawing + Photos -7
Goat Island Photography + Drawing -8
A sunny day at Matherson Bay -9
Time travelling in Auckland -10
Art Gallery in Rotorua-11
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My goodness! Regardless of the cool and informative story, I think you are the one on the left hand side of the photo. You are a copy of a friend of mine, I am going to show her your picture and blame her for visiting New Zealand without me 😁
Thank you for sharing us your story. I’ve never heard of this tiny republic before. That was really informative 🌸
Cool, I would love to see a picture of your friend as well. I never met someone who looked like me. Thank you for your support and comment :)
The name of this Highway is really interesting. Only 40 people live there, thats funny, because in my child town, there was not more as 50 living there. so I know how it is the live in small village, everyone knows you....
In the village where I grew up we were 1000. Even there everyone seemed to know each other.
I love small towns and back roads. It seems less generic and indeed more beautiful. Thanks for sharing my friend.
Thank you for your comment :) I enjoy wilde nature. New Zealand is perfect for this kind of experiences for there are not so man people and the islands have so much waterfalls and rivers. It is amazing.
Amazing story and breath taking photos !
Thank you :) I am happy you enjoyed the read :)
It seems that it's true when they say that New Zealand is naturally the most beautiful plce on Earth!
You look great, keep up with more adventures and dorgotten highways! :)
Thank you veryy much for your support. Actually for now I am setteling in Berlin. We are opening a psychedelic bookshop there --> @kaliberlin :) But for shure on my vacation time I will discover new hidden mystrious places :)
wow 40 Menschen? krass! Danke fürs teilen - super interessant :)
Uns haben sie allerdings erzählt, dass sie sich unabhängig erklärt haben, weil sie ein eigenes Rugbyteam haben wollten (also nicht All Blacks). Ich glaube die haben uns verarscht :D
Giant ferns make that picture look like you are a time traveler visiting the cretaceous. Take care of ferocious predators. ;) Nice pics and descriptions.
I think I will share my meeting with the raptors in another post :) Thank you for your comment and support :)
Only smoking volcanoes in the distance would complete the ambiance. ;)
This looks so amazing. I have to vistit this beautiful land one day!
Great Post & Pictures!
Looks like a fun adventure for sure. I could see the resemblance of the statue haha. Thanks for sharing this awesome post and Steem On :)
wow ... woww ... www ... this is great @yoganarchista..!
Ein sehr schöner Beitrag! :)