At 58 meters high, Shine Falls is known as Hawke's Bay's most spectacular waterfall. The leisurely 1.5-2 hour roundtrip walk to the immense falls takes you along some stunning cliffs that cut through the surrounding farmland. The walk also takes you through the Boundary Stream Reserve Area, which is a "Mainland Island." I had never heard of this interesting concept before. Mainland islands aim to protect and restore habitats on the mainland of New Zealand through intensive management of introduced pests. They are called mainland "islands" because they are defined areas that are isolated by fencing, geographical features or, more commonly, intensive management of pests. With the amount of bird songs that accompanied us on our walk, I'd say that they seem to be doing a good job restoring the habitat.
by Jesse St Louis 11 November 2020
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