Whangarei families enjoying never-ending rock treasure hunt

Pippa Howie with a rock she is ready to hide in Mair Park with her parents, Evan and Alysha Howie, and brother Jett. Photo/John Stone

Rock hunting is a colourful new craze taking over Whangarei.

Hand-painted rocks of all shapes and sizes are hidden in parks all over Whangarei, from the Hatea Loop to One Tree Pt, waiting to be found - and rehidden.

Marcia Lawson started the Whangarei Rocks Group on Facebook in January this year after returning home from spending Christmas with her family in Port Angeles, Washington.

The concept was started in her home town by a group of artists, who painted rocks and hid them for others to find. The idea has spread world wide.

"So I thought it would be neat to start in our town here," Mrs Lawson said.

Colourful rocks just like theses ones are hidden all over Whangarei. Photo/John Stone

The group has grown to more than 1300 members in the months since.

"I'm just shocked how quickly it grew. Every day we go and look and there's more and more people who want to join the group, it's exciting."

She said she was really excited and proud of the effort people were putting in.

"Some of the rocks people are painting are really creative."

Mrs Lawson said people were welcome to keep the rocks they found but members of the page encouraged people to rehide them so there were hundreds of rocks out there to be found. Members were also encouraged to post a photo of the rocks they found on the Facebook page.

"People love seeing the photos of the rocks they have painted."

A "FB - Whangarei Rocks" message is painted on the back of the rocks, so people know where they are from, or if they find them accidentally, can go and find out what it's about.

Alysha and Evan Howie and their children Pippa, 4, and Jett, 11 months, are all keen hunters.

"It makes the walks way more fun for them," Mrs Howie said.

The Howies are also keen painters and when the Northern Advocate spoke to them, they had a bucketful of 45 rocks about to be hidden, and estimate they have hidden well over 100.

Mrs Howie said painting the rocks could be quite therapeutic.

"It's also something you can do with the kids. [Pippa] paints them and gets us to put eyes and a mouth on them and they become monsters."

The rocks are usually hidden so the people don't have to go into the garden, and are often hidden low so children can find them.

The Howies said they would love to see more people get involved.

Rocks from other groups in New Zealand have also been found in Whangarei, and one member of the Whangarei group took some Whangarei rocks to Rarotonga recently.

To become a rock star check out www.facebook.com/groups/whangareirocks/